The French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) welcomes the signing, during the visit of the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, to Riyadh and AlUla, of a partnership agreement between the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) for the development of a contemporary art museum in AlUla, for which AFALULA has been working for nearly two years

Saudi Arabia and France signed an intergovernmental agreement in April 2018 on the sustainable development of the AlUla region and its transformation into a world-class cultural and tourism destination.

As a result of this agreement, the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) was created to mobilize all French know-how (experts, operators, companies) and to support its Saudi partner, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), in a spirit of collaborative development.

Read More

Filmed in the Maraya Concert Hall in the heart of the AlUla desert and produced by Degel Prod, the musical program Sous les étoiles d’AlUla will be broadcast on TV5MONDE on March 24th at 9pm

On the occasion of International Francophonie Day and as part of the friendship between France and Saudi Arabia, Sous les étoiles d’AlUla, dedicated to French songs and co-presented by French TV presenter Laury Thilleman and Saudi comedian and writer Fatima Al-Banawi, will be broadcast on TV5MONDE on March 24th at 9 pm.

Read More

Alula Artist Residency presents Palimpsest of Time: Explorations in Creative Practice 17 February – 18 March 2023

AlUla, Saudi Arabia, 21 February 2023: The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the French Agency for AlUla Development (Afalula) present Palimpsest of Time: Explorations in Creative Practice from 17 February to 18 March 2023. Palimpsest of Time presents a survey of the AlUla Artist Residencies alongside an exhibition and open studio featuring artists who have participated in the current and previous editions of the programme. Set across two venues the programme is on show in Madrasat Addeera and Mabiti, AlUla.

Read More

Appointment of Sophie Makariou as Scientific Director

The French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) announces the appointment of Sophie Makariou as Scientific Director in charge of the Culture and Heritage division (Archaeology, Contemporary Art and Museums). Sophie Makariou was previously President of the Musée des Arts asiatiques – Guimet. She succeeds Jean-François Charnier, who left his post in September 2022. Gérard Mestrallet…

Read More

France and Saudi Arabia sign long-term partnerships

During the visit to AlUla of the Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad, the Royal Commission for AlUla signed a foundational agreement with RATP Dev, a subsidiary of the RATP group, as well as two memoranda of understanding with the French companies Amane Advisors and Idverde concerning long-term strategic partnerships.

Read More

The French Agency for AlUla Development is pleased to announce that five era-defining artworks will become part of new cultural destination Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla

A render of Ashab Al-Lal by Ahmed Mater at Wadi AlFann, AlUla

AlUla, Monday 27 June 2022 – The Royal Commission for AlUla reveals plans for Wadi AlFann, meaning ‘Valley of the Arts’, an awe-inspiring new global cultural destination for contemporary art, where era-defining works by some of the most compelling artists from around the world will be permanently placed in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia steeped in thousands of years of natural, historical and cultural heritage.

Read More