ALULA — The Royal Commission of AlUla Governorate (RCU) announced the signing of an agreement with Louvre Museum in Paris, which includes the display of a sculpture dating back to the Lihyanite period. According to the agreement, the Louvre will display the sculpture for 5 years, as it would show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla. The agreement between the RCU and the Louvre would also embody the vital partnership between Saudi Arabia and France in the cultural field, in addition to that fact that it will enhance connections between the two countries. The sculpture is made of sandstone that weighs more than 800kg, has a height exceeding 2 meters, and has been affected by erosion factors through various times. Through the Lihyanite sculpture, the museum shows the details of human creativity from a long time ago, as it presents the formation details which classified as one of the advantages of the Lihyanite schools in sculpture, and also with the inspiration of spatial artistic influences. One of the sculpture's advantages is that it shows the historical depth and cultural legacy of the antiquities in AlUla, in addition to the RCU's work, which seeks to preserve the natural and cultural heritage while preparing AlUla to attract visitors from all over the world. The excavation team in the kingdom of "Dadan" is still carrying out its work with the aim of exploring more information about the civilizational history of the kingdom, which spanned for more than 2,500 years. It is mentioned that it has been under the rule of Lihyan civilization for several centuries. The RCU seeks to show historical legacy and preserve it, in addition to transfer and analyze artifacts in order to create a scientific story that would aim in attracting residents and visitors. The Royal Commission of AlUla Governorate via "The Journey Through Time" master plan has announced the establishment of the "Kingdoms Institute" in the Dadan area, and it has inspired its urban design from the Dadan civilization. The Kingdoms Institute would include 7 main archaeological programs and researches, most notably of which are: Preserving of rock art; languages; inscriptions; agriculture; Sustainability in prehistoric times and many more.
