Ministry of Culture (Saudi Arabia)

Ministry of Culture

Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, the current Minister of Culture since 2018
Agency overview
Formed| June 2, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-06-02)
Jurisdiction| Government of Saudi Arabia
Headquarters| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Agency executive|

* Badr bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister

Website| Official English Website

The Ministry of Culture (MoC; Arabic: وزارة الثقافة) is a governmental organization in Saudi Arabia was established in June 2018 and responsible for various aspects of Saudi culture.[1][2] The Minister of Culture is Prince Badr bin Farhan Al-Saud who was appointed as its new and first minister.[1][3]

## History

[edit]

In 1962 the ministry of information was founded to be in charge of information and media before it was renamed to "Ministry of Culture and Information" in 2003 to include culture affairs under its umbrella.[4] Later, on 1 June 2018 the culture was separated from the media resulting in two different ministries; Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Media.[1][4]

## Cultural Commissions

[edit]

The following list contains the commissions operating under the Ministry of Culture:[5]

Logo  | Name  | Website

|
|

| Film Commission | film.moc.gov.sa/en
| Music Commission  | music.moc.gov.sa/en
| Fashion Commission  | fashion.moc.gov.sa/en
| Heritage Commission  | heritage.moc.gov.sa/en
| Libraries Commission  | libraries.moc.gov.sa/en
| Museums Commission  | museums.moc.gov.sa/en
| Visual Arts Commission  | visualarts.moc.gov.sa/en
| Culinary Arts Commission  | culinary.moc.gov.sa/en
| Architecture and Design Commission  | archdesign.moc.gov.sa/en
| Theater and Performing Arts Commission  | performingarts.moc.gov.sa/en
| Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission  | lpt.moc.gov.sa/en

## Cultural Awards

[edit]

Cultural Awards are awards presented to Saudi individuals, cultural groups and organizations for their cultural contributions. The awards are presented in an annual events organized by the Ministry of Culture. The Cultural Awards were launched in 2020.[6]

The following is a list of award categories:[7]

### Main Awards

[edit]

* Cultural Pioneer Award
* Youth Cultural Award
* International Cultural Excellence Award
* Business Owners Award
* Cultural Institutions Award (For-Profit)
* Cultural Institutions Award (Non-Profit)

### Sector Awards

[edit]

* Literature Award
* Publishing Award
* Theater and Performing Arts Award
* Culinary Arts Award
* Architecture and Design Award
* Translation Award
* Fashion Award
* Film Award
* National Heritage Award
* Music Award
* Visual Arts Award

## Cultural Years

[edit]

Starting from 2020, the Ministry of Culture started giving a name that relates to Saudi culture to every year.[8][9][10][11] This is a list containing the years and their corresponding names:

Logo  | Year  | Name  | Website

|
|
|

| 2020/2021 | Year of Arabic Calligraphy | Official Website
| 2022 | Year of Saudi Coffee | Official Website
| 2023 | Year of Arabic Poetry | Official Website
| 2024 | Year of the Camel | Official Website

## See also

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* Saudi Arabia portal

* Ministries of Saudi Arabia
* Riyadh International Book Fair
* Saudi Tourism Authority
* Saudi Cup

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Saudi Culture Ministry formed following a major Cabinet reshuffle". Arab News. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
2. ^ "Saudi Arabia's King Salman Issues New Royal Decrees". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
3. ^ "Who is the new Saudi culture minister and why was the ministry established?". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
4. ^ a b "Ministry of Media". Ministry of Media. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
5. ^ "Cultural Commissions". moc.gov.sa. Saudi Ministry of Culture.
6. ^ Tashkandi, Hala (1 July 2020). "Saudi ministry launches National Cultural Awards". Arab News. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
7. ^ "About the National Cultural Awards". moc.gov.sa. Saudi Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
8. ^ TASHKANDI, HALA (6 April 2020). "Saudi Arabia's Year of Arabic Calligraphy extended into 2021 over coronavirus concerns". Arab News. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
9. ^ Huang, Robyn (9 June 2022). "The country calling 2022 the 'year of coffee'". BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
10. ^ Al Sherbini, Ramadan (2 February 2023). "Saudi Arabia designates 2023 'Year of Arabic Poetry'". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
11. ^ "Saudi Culture Ministry reveals 'Year of the Camel' brand identity". Arab News. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.