Ithra Cultural Majlis

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) will take visitors on a journey through a series of talks where guest speakers dive into the most gripping topics at the heart of popular culture. This series, in its sixth edition, delves into travel literature – classic and contemporary – and how travelers have represented their adventures and discoveries.

In the first session, we will sit with Nouri al-Jarrah, a Syrian author, poet and the superintendent of the Ibn Battuta Award for Travel Literature, Dr. Abdullah al-Khudayyer and Professor Shuaib Halifi, the Moroccan novelist, to discuss “The Journey as a Literary Text.” This will be followed by the book signings of “The Stone Serpent” by Nouri al-Jarrah, “Estrangement with the Taste of Karthala” by Dr. Abdullah al-Khudayyer and “Travels That Don’t Fear Imagination” by Shuaib Halifi.

In the second panel discussion, we will join the renowned travelers Thawab al-Subaie and Saud al-Eidie along with travel photographer Hussain Daghriri to talk about the concept of traveling and its methods under the title “Memory of a Place.” In the third session, we will sit with the author and historian Dr. Sulaiman al-Theeb and the researcher in history and civilization Mishari AlNashmi, who will be interviewed by the author and journalist Ali Zaalah under the title “Tales of Cities: Legacy & Heritage” in which we will address the stories of mountains, ancient Arabic writings and archaeological inscriptions in the region.

Our visitors will also have a special guided tour of the Hijrah Exhibit where we will see the migration journey of the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ from a new perspective. 

Join us on an enriching cultural journey!