Sara Alabdali revisits Jeddah's layered past

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Riyadh.

Even as regional tensions persist, Saudi Arabia’s cultural and lifestyle scene continues to move forward. Riyadh’s new University of the Arts will open admissions in May, with classes set to begin in September. In Jeddah’s Al-Balad, Sarah Alabdali’s upcoming exhibition examines the disappearance of tangible heritage and its transformation into myth. And in Riyadh, the opening of Persian restaurant Berenjak by Cool Inc. signals continued momentum in the capital’s dining scene.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Riyadh's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: ‘The Legends of Motherland’ 

Eves 1. 2026. Japanese gouache, ink, gold, on handmade wasli paper. (Courtesy of the artist)

In her third solo exhibition in Jeddah, Saudi artist Sara Alabdali turns to the city’s layered past. In Cradle of Myth, she examines the shifting boundaries between myth and history in the ancient port, long known as the Bride of the Red Sea. The works build on her earlier explorations of the region’s tangible and intangible heritage as vessels of cultural memory.

The works on display range from gouache and charcoal paintings to hand-printing techniques, alongside textile-based pieces that explore materiality and its role across public and private spaces. Two collaborations stand out. The first, with Tabaa — a label under Sara Alabdali Studio — appears in Grantors of Permission, where flowing silk threads depict two women from the Hejaz region within a composition inspired by the roshan, the region’s distinctive projecting wooden window, often associated with the mashrabiya.

The second collaboration, coordinated by architectural historian Saif Al-Rashidi, brings together four Cairo-based artisans specializing in khayamiya, one of the oldest textile traditions in Egypt and the Islamic world, still practiced today near Bab Zuweila.

Across the exhibition, Alabdali evokes fragments of a tangible heritage in gradual decline, while posing a central question: can what disappears and transforms also return? Does it rise again, like the Phoenix of ancient myth, or recede into the realm of the imaginary?

Date: April 21 to May 21

Location: Al Balad Al Fallah School, Hafez Gallery, Jeddah

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Berenjack

An interior view of the recently opened Berenjack in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Berenjack)

London-based Michelin-starred Persian restaurant Berenjak opened a permanent location this week at the upscale Via Riyadh in the Saudi capital. The April 2 launch follows a successful pop-up in the city and brings its signature Iranian kebabs and mazeh-style sharing plates to a sleek, refined setting. Highlights include mazeh dishes such as the black truffle Olivier, alongside the Koobideh kabab (minced lamb), smoky Joojeh kabab (chicken thigh) and the aromatic Ghormeh Sabzi herb stew, rounded off with a baklava ice cream sundae.

Location: Via Riyadh, Riyadh

Find more information here.

3. Riyadh diary

Diriyah Art Futures Public Programmes - A public masterclass on Designing with Mycelium at Diriyah Art Futures in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures) 

• ‘Here, Now’ by Asma Bahmim

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the region’s first dedicated new media arts centre, is launching a series of workshops and masterclasses from April alongside its exhibition "Of Earth: Earthly Technologies to Computational Biologies." Curated by Irini Papadimitriou, the show explores how digital technologies are reshaping relationships with the natural world.

The programme includes sessions on sound, AI-driven mixed media and digital fabrication, with highlights such as a bilingual workshop for teens on April 10 and a 3D printing and ceramics session on April 25.

Date: Until May 16

Location: Diriyah Art Futures, Diriyah, Riyadh

Find more information here.

• Riyadh University of Arts to Open in May

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah, announced on March 31 that Riyadh University of Arts will open admissions in May, with classes set to begin in September. The university aims to position itself as a leading centre for cultural education in the kingdom, offering a range of specialisations designed to support the creative industries and advance Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector in line with Vision 2030.

Based in Riyadh, the institution will initially launch with four colleges — Music, Film, Theatre and Performing Arts, and Cultural Management — offering eight academic programs, with plans to expand to 13 colleges over time.

Find more information here. 

• ‘‘The Studio as Sanctuary’

nterdisciplinary artist Marwah AlMugait reflects on the studio as a place of refuge in a talk moderated by independent curator and writer May Makki. Based in Riyadh, the Saudi artist is known for conceptual storytelling rooted in her early work in photojournalism and commercial photography, exploring the unseen and intangible aspects of daily life. Working across film, performance, photography and installation, she examines the emotional and internal landscapes that shape Gulf society.

The discussion considers the studio not only as a site of production, but as a space for reflection and restoration.

Date: April 8

Location: JAX District, Diriyah, Riyadh

Find more information here.

4. Book of the week: ‘Saudi Arabia and Iran’

This book examines the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which since 1979 has been central to shaping Middle Eastern geopolitics. The editors show how, particularly after the 2003 Iraq War, relations between the two countries grew increasingly confrontational, fueling proxy conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. For readers seeking to understand today’s regional dynamics, especially in the context of the current conflict, this rigorously researched volume offers essential insight into the enduring rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran.

5. View from Riyadh

A waystation in the Asir region, photographed by Abdel Majeed Al-Roudhan for the Saudi Visual Arts Commission, first shown in When the Fog Whispers at Hayy Jameel, Jeddah, in May2025. (Courtesy of Abdel Majeed Al-Roudhan)

6. By the numbers

• In the third quarter of 2025, Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector saw a surge in activity, with more events and licenses attracting 12.6 million visitors, according to the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
• A total of 468 entertainment events were held across 116 cities in the kingdom in 2025, according to the report, while the number of firms operating in the sector rose to 6,499.