The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's cultural and archaeological heritage dates back to the dawn of history. The Kingdom ranks fourth among the world's richest petroglyph areas. The region houses countless sites featuring thousands of petroglyphs that, in turn, offer rich archaeological research material.
The Heritage Commission's initiative for addressing distortions in archaeological sites stems from the Commission's mission to protect heritage. In this respect, a team from the Antiquities Department has conducted field inspections to assess the site's condition and stability and implemented preventative measures, including maintenance and remedial methods. The aforementioned initiative shall tackle archaeological sites tampered with random graffiti and inscriptions in the Kingdom's various regions. The project will span 24 months and be divided into four phases, each covering six months and featuring multiple stages. Relevant works will be carried out by the Heritage Commission's archaeological restoration specialists.

Through the Heritage Commission, the Ministry of Culture attaches utmost importance to supporting the owners of urban heritage in terms of the restoration, rehabilitation, and investment in their heritage sites.
As a result, this initiative seeks to introduce the services contributing to supporting the owners of heritage buildings, thus enabling their preservation. It also aims to foster the local urban identity and protect heritage sites and buildings against deterioration. Moreover, the initiative seeks to sustain urban heritage development through encouraging the establishment of small and medium businesses within heritage buildings.

Through "The Artisans House" initiative, the Heritage Commission seeks to revive artisanal handicrafts by enabling archaeological sites to offer artisan courses, artisanal product conception workshops, and supporting workshops. The initiative also aims to establish these sites as hubs for community activities, festivals, and participation in seasonal events. The Artisans House brand was launched for artifacts and artisanal products designed and produced by these Houses. The brand aims to elevate the value of artisanal products, raise consumers' awareness about the importance of handicrafts, and enable Saudi artisans upon authorizing them to display the brand on their artisanal products and handicrafts.

The Artisans House Objectives:
The Artisans House initiative aims to manage and operate training and production centers focused on the field of local Saudi crafts. It seeks to achieve the following:
- Ensure the productive training of those seeking involvement in handicrafts conception and production among all local community segments.
- Promote the appreciation of heritage artisanal products aligning with the tourism market requirements.
- Identify high-quality artisanal products suitable as souvenirs and memorabilia.
- Activate heritage assets and sites and empower local communities.
- Develop the most prominent artisanal handicraft from each of the Kingdom's regions and Provinces.
- Organize and hold events, promotional events, and community activities.

The Artisans House Visual Identity:
- The Eastern Region:
1. Artisans Market
2. Qatif Governorate
3. Alamiriah School
 
- The Western Region:
1. AlSaa'egh Atelier 
2. Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Park
3. Taif Roses House
4. Sayed Al-Shuhada
 
- The Northern Region:
1. Tabuk
2. Umluj Governorate
 
- The Central Region:
1. Al Musawkaf Market
2. Crafts Market 
 
- The Southern Region:
1. Abu Malha Heritage Palace
 
The Artisans House enjoys a set of enabling elements, including the following:
- Training Programs
- Supporting efforts seeking the preservation and documentation of petroglyphs and pictographs.
1. Technical support offered to artisans through training sessions and courses.
2. Raw materials provision, thus contributing to the conception and production of artisanal products.
3. Allocation of spaces for all artisans, thus contributing to establishing an innovation and creativity-friendly environment.
 
- Supporting Workshops:
1. Marketing skills development sessions and courses.
2. Accounting sessions and courses.
3. Entrepreneurship sessions and courses.
4. Packaging solutions sessions and courses.

Darb Zubaydah Initiative was launched by His Highness, the Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Heritage Commission, on May 04, 2021. The initiative seeks the historical and cultural revival of the Route under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.
The initiative also aims to ensure the listing of Darb Zubaydah under the UNESCO World Heritage List in cooperation with Iraq.

Darb Zubaydah Initiative Program Tracks:
- Listing under the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- Strategy.
- Archaeological Studies and Publication.
- Partnership.
- Protection, Restoration, and Rehabilitation.
- Events.
- Media and Publishing.

The initiative seeks to rehabilitate and raise awareness of heritage sites, thus inviting Pilgrims to visit them.
Historical Sites Covered by the Program:

• Makkah 
- Historical Sites
1. Jabal Thawr (Cave of Thawr and Ascent Route)
2. Jabal al-Nour (Cave and Ascent Route)
3. Jamaraat Bridge
4. Mount Arafat
5. Al'usaylah Wells and Petroglyphs
 
- Sites of Treaties Conclusion
6. Al-Hudaybiya Site
 
- Historical Mosques
7. Albaya Mosque (Mosque of Aqaba)
8. Al-Jinn Mosque
9. Al-Khayf Mosque
10. Nimrah Mosque
11. Al-Ji'rana Mosque and Well
12. Al-Jehfa
13. Zat 'Irq
14. Qarn Al-Manazil (As-Sayl Al-Kabir)
15. Yalamlam
 
- Water Systems
16. Ayn Zubaydah Stream
17. Tuwa Well
18. King Abdulaziz Fountain (Located on the Hajj Route)
19. Bin Yussuf Pilgrims Dam (Uthal Dam)
20. Haneen Well and Dam
 
• Madinah
- Historical Sites
1. Railway Station - As-Saqiya Mosque
2. Al-Rabatha Settlement
3. Quba Castle
4. The historic castle on the site of Urwah bin Al-Zubair Palace
5. Bani Waqif Fort
6. Rawawah Site
 
- Conquest Sites
7. Sayed Al-Shuhada Area (Mount Uhud)
8. Battle of the Trench, also known as the Battle of Khandaq Site (The Seven Mosques Complex)
9. Battle of Badr Site
 
- Historical Mosques
10. Al-Fash Mosque
11. Mosques located west of the Prophet's Mosque (Mosque of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq in the court of the Prophet's Mosque - Al-Ghamamah Mosque - Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque located west of the Prophet's Mosque)
12. Banu Anif Mosque
13. Al-Qiblatain Mosque
 
- Water Systems
14. Ghars Well
15. Al-Ehn Well (Al-Yaseerah)
16. Arrawha Well
17. Al-Hajim Well
18. Uthman ibn Affan Well (Well of Rumah)
19. Al-Faqir Well (Salman Al-Farsi Well)
20. Al-Khunq Dam
 
Program Initiatives
 
- Demarcation and Properties Identification Initiative:
The Demarcation and Properties Identification Initiative seeks to determine the boundaries and properties affiliated with the Islamic History sites in Makkah and Madinah under the Main Protection Zone and Buffer Zone Demarcation and Impact Identification Document. This step is followed by the elaboration of survey documents, property identification in the main protection zones document, and estimated expropriation costs document.
Initiative Deliverables:
1. Main Protection Zone and Buffer Zone Demarcation and Impact Identification Document for 29 sites;
2. Survey document for the main protection zone boundaries of 40 sites;
3. Properties identification in the main protection zones document (private and public property); and
4. Estimated Expropriation Costs Document.
 
- Content Development Initiative:
The Content Development Initiative seeks the development, presentation, and translation of historical content. It covers historical sites in Makkah and Madinah and aims to ensure that all content is documented and referenced in verified and accurate texts to prevent false information and the loss of the true narrative of historical sites.
Initiative Deliverables:
1. Develop written content for 40 Islamic historical sites;
2. Design visitor experience and historical content presentation methods for 40 sites in line with the site's visitors' type;
3. Translate developed content into the most common languages among Pilgrims; and
4. Prepare human capacities training portfolios for content training and dissemination among tour guides.

"Industrial heritage is one of the components of cultural heritage. It relates to sites, operations, communities, and various narratives of industrial production. It spans from the early days of history until the late twentieth century and covers elements of architectural, historical, social, scientific, and technical value."
Industrial heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia boasts a wide range of elements and historical periods, starting with primitive agriculture and taking pride in the leading petrochemical industries of the contemporary era.
Through the Heritage Commission, the Ministry of Culture launched the Industrial Heritage Program, which aims to establish a network concerned with the preservation of Saudi Industrial Heritage. The Program seeks to highlight the impact of industrial facilities on economic and social development. It also aims to present them to the community as heritage landmarks, highlighting the Saudi renaissance in terms of global industry. This objective was achieved through the rehabilitation of facilities and their marketing as cultural and tourist destinations.

Industrial Heritage Categories:
- Agriculture
- Heavy Industries
- Mines
- Water Desalination
- Gas and Oil
- Means of Transportation
 
Second Track: Development of the National Strategy for Industrial Heritage
Vision: Highlighting the value of industrial heritage as a trip down memory lane and a stepping stone for the future's prosperity.
 
Strategic Objectives:
1. Adopt advanced and modern methods for identifying industrial heritage sites.
2. Carry out the comprehensive registration of industrial heritage sites.
3. Adopt best practices for the preservation of industrial heritage sites.
4. Revive industrial heritage sites as attractive heritage landmarks for tourism and investment.
5. Ensure the efficient and sustainable management of industrial heritage sites.
6. Highlight industrial heritage within the educational and research environments.
7. Raise public awareness about industrial heritage and ensure engagement of local communities.
8. Instill industrial heritage within the legal and legislative environment for regulation purposes.
9. Ensure sufficient funding for the protection and development of industrial heritage sites.
10. Institutionalize industrial heritage within the Heritage Commission.
11. Ensure the efficient utilization of advanced and modern technologies.
12. Explore a holistic, participatory model involving the private sector.

The Little Explorer Initiative is a children-oriented awareness program on the importance of the Kingdom's cultural heritage. It seeks to shed light on the importance of archaeological excavations through events and field trips covering the thirteen administrative regions of the Kingdom.

Initiative Objectives:
1. Learn more about the civilization and history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. Consolidate information on archaeological sites and discoveries among children.
3. Foster the sense of national belonging among children by introducing them to their country's history and components.
4. Acquire knowledge on the importance of archaeological excavations.
5. Introduce children to archaeology in general and archaeological excavations in particular.
6. Foster children's awareness about antiquities.

Project Overview and Objectives:
The project for developing the Modern Urban Heritage Strategy is one of the projects led by the Ministry of Culture. It seeks to consolidate efforts exerted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the field of Urban Heritage. The project will be based upon two parts where the first part is concerned with the development of a strategy seeking to instill the sector's cornerstone in the Kingdom, while the second part would feature the implementation of measures for the preservation of modern urban heritage.

Project Objectives
- Examine the international best practices applied within the modern urban heritage preservation sector.
- Document, register, and assess the current status of the modern urban heritage sector.
- Introduce modern urban heritage, its criteria and standards, and its legal impact based upon national and global intersections.
- Develop a Strategy for Modern Urban Heritage to determine the Kingdom's trends, priorities, and opportunities for preserving modern urban heritage.
- Activate procedures and measures for the preservation of modern urban heritage under the adopted international standards in this respect.
- Educate and qualify individuals and entities interested in the field of modern urban heritage.
- Ensure cooperation, coordination, and alignment with government entities with regard to the preservation of modern urban heritage in terms of project execution.

Project Aspects:
1. Document and analyze modern heritage as a significant heritage element involved in the history of the establishment and development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. Conduct a case study for a significant type of heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where urban heritage has been prevalent in the Kingdom to date.
3. Identify a method for assessing the level of modern heritage preservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
4. Ensure the preservation of modern heritage as evidence of urban heritage and the most prevailing heritage element in the Arabian Peninsula.
5. Highlight urban and architectural heritage as one of the Kingdom's economic drivers in line with the aspiring Saudi Vision 2030.
6. Ensure the protection and management of the portfolio of Cultural Wealth and Heritage Sites classified as modern heritage.
7. Foster talent research and development in favor of heritage in general and modern heritage in particular.
8. Leverage the latest technologies enhancing modern heritage preservation.
9. Promulgate appropriate laws and regulations and issue operating licenses and permits under practical operation manuals based upon scientific foundations.
10. Ensure large-scale cooperation with the private sector and foster sustainable partnerships.
11. Secure government funding.
12. Raise public awareness and disseminate heritage-related information.
13. Proceed via large-scale Saudi and global partnerships.

This first-of-its-kind initiative targets citizens and residents of the thirteen Saudi Provinces. It mainly seeks to enable local community participation and interaction with the heritage treasure represented by rock art and inscriptions featured throughout the regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
 
Initiative Objectives:
- Raise awareness and foster interest in rock art and inscriptions and their value.
- Initiate large-scale community interaction with rock art and inscriptions.
- Support efforts seeking the preservation and documentation of rock art and inscriptions.
- Support the Heritage Commission in uncovering rock art and inscriptions in anticipation of their registration under the Commission's records.
- Shed light upon the Kingdom's active cultural activity in the field of cultural heritage.
 
Saudi Noqush Initiative Campaigns:
Introductory Campaign (Test Your Knowledge Stage): This campaign seeks to introduce the initiative as an umbrella for initiatives covering rock art and inscriptions. It also aims to raise basic awareness about the Initiative.
1. First Campaign (Riddles Stage): This campaign aims to foster enthusiasm and interest.
2. Second Campaign (Educational Videos Stage): This campaign aims to raise awareness and foster efficient knowledge.
3. Third Campaign (Exploration Trips Stage): This campaign aims to establish field interaction between the community and rock art and inscriptions.
4. Fourth Campaign (Celebration and Tribute Stage): This campaign sheds light on the most notable interacting citizens and residents.