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Image attribution: Saudi Ardha (Najdi Sword Dance) in At-Turaif district, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia — Ahad.F, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saudi_Ardha_(Najdi_Sword_Dance)_in_At-Turaif_district,_Diriyah,_Saudi_Arabia.jpg ; license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ . CMS derivative: converted to WebP at quality 85; proportionally resized within 2400 × 2400 without enlargement where needed. Card/hero display may crop to fit; original composition is not retouched. / نسخة CMS: تحويل إلى WebP بجودة 85 وتصغير تناسبي عند الحاجة ضمن 2400 × 2400 دون تكبير؛ قد يقتطع العرض داخل البطاقات أو رأس المقال أطراف الصورة، دون تنقيح محتواها. · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 International — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Performing arts and intangible heritage

Saudi Ardah

A collective performing tradition, also known as Najdi ardah, combining chanted poetry, drumming and movement at social and national occasions.

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Image attribution: Saudi Press Agency (SPA) via Saudi Photos Hub — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; modified: cropped centre band and resized to 1920×672 to fit the article cover, no other changes / وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس) عبر منصة الصور السعودية — رخصة CC BY-SA 4.0، عبر ويكيميديا كومنز؛ عُدِّلت بقصّها وتغيير مقاسها إلى 1920×672 (شريط أفقي من الوسط) لتناسب غلاف المقالة دون أي إضافات · License: CC BY-SA 4.0
2009–2026

Falconry

Falconry is an intangible cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO since 2010. It receives official attention through the Saudi Falcons Club and the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, the largest gathering of falcons in the world, along with the International Falcon Breeders Auction and the AlUla Falcons Cup.

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Image attribution: Author: Abodi009 — via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; modified by cropping to 1920×672 to fit the article cover, without retouching the image itself (original file: Jenadriyah 27 (12).JPG) / المؤلف: Abodi009 — عبر ويكيميديا كومنز، رخصة CC BY-SA 3.0؛ عُدّلت باقتصاصها إلى 1920×672 لتناسب غلاف المقالة دون أي تنقيح على الصورة نفسها (الاسم الأصلي للملف: Jenadriyah 27 (12).JPG) · License: CC BY-SA 3.0
1405هـ/1985م – 2020م

Al-Janadriyah Festival

Al-Janadriyah Festival is the National Festival for Heritage and Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its beginnings go back to 1405 AH, corresponding to 1985, and it is held at the Heritage Village in Al-Janadriyah to showcase heritage, culture and the arts with international participation. The Ministry of the National Guard organised it over the past decades, and the task of holding and organising it later passed to the Ministry of Culture.

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Image attribution: Photo of an Al-Dahha folk-dance performance — Source: Saudipedia (the Saudi Encyclopedia), subject page «رقصة الدحة» (og:image): https://saudipedia.com/رقصة-الدحة — direct image: https://saudipedia.com/var/site/storage/images/8/9/9/7/4787998-1-ara-SA/90648a13f2ce-66095.jpg — rights holder: Saudi Ministry of Media (per the page notice «حقوق النشر محفوظة لوزارة الإعلام 2026»). Modified: the original photo (1280×800) is placed whole, with no cropping and no upscaling, centred on a 1920×672 cover over a blurred cream #f4efe5 backdrop derived from the photo itself; no elements or text added. / صورة أداء فن الدحة — المصدر: سعوديبيديا (الموسوعة السعودية)، صفحة الموضوع «رقصة الدحة» (og:image): https://saudipedia.com/رقصة-الدحة — الرابط المباشر للصورة: https://saudipedia.com/var/site/storage/images/8/9/9/7/4787998-1-ara-SA/90648a13f2ce-66095.jpg — صاحب الحقوق: وزارة الإعلام (وفق إشعار «حقوق النشر محفوظة لوزارة الإعلام 2026» في الصفحة). التعديل: وُضعت الصورة الأصلية (1280×800) كاملةً بلا قص ولا تكبير في وسط غلاف 1920×672 على خلفية مموّهة كريمية #f4efe5 مشتقّة من الصورة نفسها، دون إضافة أي عنصر أو نص. · License: جميع الحقوق محفوظة — وزارة الإعلام (سعوديبيديا)
Performing arts and intangible heritage

Al-Dahha

Al-Dahha is a performing art and folk heritage particular to the northern regions of Saudi Arabia, performed collectively in one or two facing rows in which the poet Al-Badda' sings, and closed with the dance of Al-Hashi. Al-Dahha features prominently in national festivals, social occasions and weddings.

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Image attribution: Rawan92 — "حداء الإبل", own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; modified by cropping to a 1920x672 cover (no upscaling). / المصوّر Rawan92 — «حداء الإبل»، عمل شخصي، رخصة CC BY-SA 4.0، عبر ويكيميديا كومنز؛ عُدِّلت بقصّها إلى غلاف 1920×672 بلا تكبير. · License: CC BY-SA 4.0
العصر الجاهلي — 1447هـ/2025م

Al-Heda'a

Al-Heda'a is an art of light verse recited to delight camels and urge them onward through traditional oral expressions that enable herders to call their camels, gather them and communicate with them; it is known as camel Al-Heda'a and is passed down by the people of the Arabian Peninsula from generation to generation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led the file for its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and it was inscribed on 30 November 2022.

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Image attribution: Saudipedia (Ministry of Media) — image from the "Samri" topic page; photographed by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). All rights reserved. A 1920×672 version was prepared showing the image in full, uncropped and unscaled, on a blurred cream background. / سعوديبيديا (وزارة الإعلام) — صورة صفحة موضوع «السامري»؛ التصوير: وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس). الحقوق محفوظة. أُعدّت نسخة 1920×672 بعرض الصورة كاملة بلا قص ولا تكبير على خلفية كريمية مموّهة. · License: حقوق النشر محفوظة — وزارة الإعلام / وكالة الأنباء السعودية (واس)
2011–2026

Samri

Samri is one of the folk arts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, performed to the beating of drums with distinctive dances, and its name goes back to 'Samar'. It is among the most prominent traditional performing arts in the Najd region and its north, and it has a presence in Al-Jawf and Hail and at national festivals and social occasions.

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Image attribution: User:هيثم بن طلال — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; modified: placed complete without cropping or upscaling on a neutral 1920×672 canvas / هيثم بن طلال (User:هيثم بن طلال) — عمل شخصي، رخصة CC BY-SA 3.0، عبر ويكيميديا كومنز؛ عُدِّلت: وُضعت كاملة دون قص ولا تكبير على خلفية محايدة 1920×672 · License: CC BY-SA 3.0
2016م

Al-Mizmar

Al-Mizmar is a traditional group performance practised by members of the Hijazi community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on festive occasions, and a dance performed with sticks to the beat of drums. It was inscribed in 2016 CE on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee (11.COM).

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Image attribution: Rawan92 — «المجلس السعودي.jpg»، CC BY-SA 4.0، عبر ويكيميديا كومنز؛ عُدِّلت باقتصاص أفقي إلى 1920×672 لتناسب غلاف المقالة · License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Performing arts and intangible heritage

Majlis

The Majlis is a social space in Saudi society for receiving guests and exchanging conversation, where members of the community gather to settle disputes, offer condolences and hold wedding celebrations, and where Saudi coffee is served in line with long-inherited customs. The Majlis and Arabic coffee were inscribed on UNESCO's lists of intangible cultural heritage.

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Image attribution: Al Eqtisadiah newspaper (aleqt.com) — "A manuscript in Nabati poetry by al-Rabee'i", 26 June 2015. Copyright Al Eqtisadiah. Shown complete, uncropped and unretouched, on a blurred cream background to fit the article cover. / صحيفة الاقتصادية (aleqt.com) — «مخطوطة في الشعر النبطي للربيعي»، 26 يونيو 2015، تصوير ونشر الصحيفة. حقوق النشر محفوظة لصحيفة الاقتصادية. عُرضت الصورة كاملة بلا قص ولا تنقيح على خلفية كريمية مموّهة لتناسب غلاف المقالة. · License: © صحيفة الاقتصادية — جميع الحقوق محفوظة (استعمال مع النسبة)
2017–2025م

Nabati Poetry

Nabati poetry is a popular literary art rooted in the Arabian Peninsula that reflects the language of everyday life and addresses different groups of society, and it holds a central role in shaping literary and sung culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states. It is an extension of Arabic poetry in its reliance on transmission by hearing.

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