Saudi Arabia is gathering 42 creative cities from around the world in the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network Forum 2025, taking place in Al-Ahsa.
The forum aims to celebrate creative cities’ excellence in handicrafts and folk arts, bringing together representatives of creative cities from across the world, as well as several government entities representatives and artisans.
On Wednesday, the Creative Cities Forum kicked off under the patronage of the Governor of Al-Ahsa, Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
It is organized by the Al-Ahsa Municipality, in collaboration with Al-Ahsa Governorate, the Al-Ahsa Development Authority, and the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.
The three-day forum includes various workshops and meetings designed to exchange knowledge and expertise. It also features cultural field trips to inform participants on Al-Ahsa‘s efforts and contributions that aim to preserve handicrafts and folk arts. These field trips include destinations such as Al-Qaisariyah Souq, the artisans market, and other heritage sites.
The forum’s opening ceremony involved folk arts shows and a documentary showcasing Al-Ahsa traditional handicraft heritage. Moreover, it saw the signing of a twinning agreement between Al-Ahsa Creative City from Saudi Arabia and Madaba Creative City from Jordan.
During the ceremony, Prince Saud bin Talal highlighted Al-Ahsa’s rich cultural heritage and long-standing craftsmanship which made it one of the world’s top creative cities.
He added that Al-Ahsa is the first Gulf city and the third Arab city in the global creative network, as well as the vice president of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for Crafts and Folk Arts.
Furthermore, the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network Forum for handicrafts and folk arts coincides with Saudi Arabia’s designation of 2025 as the Year of Handicrafts, celebrating its outstanding cultural value and showcasing the creativity of Saudi artisans to the world.
