The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country with great influence in the field of cultural heritage in the world. It is the location of the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina. The birth of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) and the landing site of the message of Islam. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, whose mountains, valleys and beaches are inhabited by many civilizations from ancient kingdoms and tribes that intersected over thousands of years with other civilizations of the ancient world. It is the crossroads of historical incidents that reflect the richness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in archaeological sites and urban and natural heritage sites that tell the stories of life and heritage of its successive generations in our modern history.

In the recent past, the Kingdom succeeded in engraving its heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Al-Hayr site in Mada’in Saleh. Al-Turaif neighborhood in Diriyah, Historic Oujda, Al-Ahsa Oasis, And rock arts in Hail. Saudi Arabia has also placed ten other heritage sites on its tentative list. The Kingdom has also adopted Vision 2030, which promotes heritage preservation in urban, social and economic development. A new Ministry of Culture was established, It established committees and other bodies to develop heritage sites in its wide geography, such as Diriyah in the centre. And Al-Ula in the north, And several projects to preserve heritage across the Kingdom, targeting natural and urban landscapes in different regions of the Kingdom. It has also enacted legislation, decisions, heritage laws and regulations. Today, we are witnessing the launch of this new phase in heritage preservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which received the generous patronage of His Highness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman. And Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

The National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Saudi ICOMOS) is an entity A non-governmental, non-profit organization that supports all official agencies responsible for heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He works diligently to increase the local community’s awareness of heritage preservation issues through coordination, communication, and dissemination of knowledge in all media. It is effective in researching, evaluating and preserving heritage sites. The Saudi ICOMOS coordinates and works with the international ICOMOS to develop heritage preservation in general and the heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular.