Saudi FM calls Indian, Pakistani counterparts to discuss developments    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia cracks down on fraudulent Hajj campaigns, urges pilgrims to use official channels    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    Literature Commission inaugurates Saudi Pavilion at Muscat Book Fair    Saudi Minister of Culture holds talks with his Costa Rican counterpart in Jeddah    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    MHRSD: 80% of recruitment offices are non-compliant with regulations    At least 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza    Teenage girl killed in French school stabbing attack    Trump claims meeting with China after Beijing denies any trade negotiations    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Film Commission launches 'Cinema' initiative to enhance content    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Gallery fire destroys more than 4,000 artworks in Georgia's separatist region Abkhazia
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 24 - 01 - 2024

A fire broke out at the National Art Gallery of Abkhazia — a pro-Russian separatist republic that is officially part of Georgia — in the early hours of Sunday morning, destroying at least 4,000 works of art, local state media has reported.
"Everything burned down," Acting Minister of Culture Dinara Smyr said, according to the region's Apsnypress news agency. "This is an irreparable loss for the national culture of Abkhazia. I am choking with tears. It is difficult for me to speak."
Apsnypress reported that the gallery's collection included around 300 works by Alexander Chachba-Shervashidze, an exiled painter whom the breakaway republic considers to be the "first professional Abkhazian artist." None of his pieces are thought to have survived, said Smyr.
The National Art Gallery is in Sukhumi, the separatist republic's capital city. Abkhazia has declared its own government and is propped up by Russia, but is not officially recognized as a state by most countries or by the United Nations. According to Abkhazia's State Committee for Statistics, the region's population was around 244,000 in 2021.
The National Art Gallery's Central Exhibition Hall caught fire overnight, and emergency services were called to the scene early Sunday morning, according to state media. By 7 a.m. local time the flames were contained, and by 11 a.m. the blaze was extinguished, Apsnypress said, adding that 11 fire brigades were called to the site from surrounding areas.
"The death of the works of art that made up the fund of the National Art Gallery is an irreparable loss for the cultural heritage of our state," Abkhazia's Parliament said in a statement posted on state media.
Around 150 paintings by Abkhaz artists survived the fire, Apsnypress reported, citing Smyr. The news agency also said that Abkhazia's Prosecutor General's Office has opened an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
In a social media post, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called the fire a "tragedy for us all." She also criticized the region's leadership, saying, "I deplore what is a direct consequence of the neglect of cultural identity both by the de-facto leadership and the Russian occupants." — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.