Polish architect Tommy Pniewski running through Riyadh’s streets at dawn, capturing the city’s evolving urban landscape—from modern towers and highways to new public spaces like the Sports Boulevard.

Running Through Riyadh: A Journey of Change and Endurance

Polish architect Tommy Pniewski explores Riyadh on foot, reflecting on endurance, perception, and how cities — like people — evolve through persistence.

by Tommy Pniewski | 25th Oct 2025

Perspectives

A diptych showing the evolution of art in Saudi Arabia: on the left, schoolchildren in a black-and-white classroom casually drawing; on the right, a young Saudi woman in a modern gallery observing a suspended dove installation.

When Art Became Serious in Saudi Arabia

What was once dismissed as “fun time” in classrooms has become a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation. Today, galleries in Riyadh and Jeddah attract global curators, biennales draw record audiences, and Saudi artists stand on world stages — evidence of how art has shifted from hobby to creative economy.

Sep 4, 2025

Stone-columned courtyard with arched walkways and a bookshelf, evoking an Abbasid-era setting where women’s intellectual and cultural roles unfolded beyond royal courts.

The Forgotten Elite

Who counted as “elite” in Abbasid society? Not just queens and concubines, argues Reem Alrudaini, a Kuwaiti scholar who is rethinking women’s roles in Islamic historiography. Her work invites Arab societies to reconsider how gender, knowledge, and influence shaped cultural legacy—and why those narratives still matter.

Jun 28, 2025

Running Through Riyadh: A Journey of Change and Endurance

Perspectives

When Art Became Serious in Saudi Arabia

The Forgotten Elite

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