The opening of the Tariq Abdulhakim Center honors Saudi music and culture.
The opening of the Tariq Abdulhakim Center honors Saudi music and culture.
JEDDAH: At a lavish inauguration ceremony on Thursday, the Tariq Abdulhakim Center was formally inaugurated by the Saudi Ministry of Culture.
The center's mission is to protect and honor the rich musical and intangible cultural legacy of the Kingdom.
Situated in Jeddah's ancient district of Al-Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the facility has a museum honoring Saudi musician and composer Tariq Abdulhakim, who passed away in 2012. Throughout his life, he was instrumental in forming the musical identity of the Kingdom; as a soldier, he founded the Saudi military band.
Rare antiques and personal items from his family, like as costumes, musical notations, pictures, and posters, are on display along with audio and video recordings of Abdulhakim reciting his compositions and interviews with well-known cultural people who were acquainted with him.
The center's goal is to protect Saudi Arabia's musical legacy, especially its intangible cultural elements. According to Abdulrahman Almotawa, a ministry spokesman, Tariq Abdulhakim was a well-known individual who was a musician, researcher, and artist who made a significant contribution to the formation of Saudi Arabia's national musical identity.
"The Ministry of Culture obtained his personal collection and possessions in cooperation with his family to create the Tariq Abdulhakim Center, which includes a museum, a music archive, and a research center."
Researchers from all over the world who are interested in learning more about Saudi music and culture can use the archive and research center, which is situated in a different area of the city and has a sizable collection of books, papers, articles, and media pertaining to the Kingdom and the surrounding area.
Rasha Khayat, Abdulhakim's granddaughter, expressed her happiness at the new location during the inaugural ceremony.
"This amazing museum has exceeded all of our expectations, and as a family, we are deeply honored by it," she said.
We are incredibly appreciative of the Ministry of Culture for realizing my grandfather's desire. We are so happy that we can never express how much this museum means to us. We honor the history of our country as well as the memory of my grandfather through this museum. He collected with great enthusiasm the items that were important to him and had significant significance for our Kingdom.
She also urged all young people to "dream big" and never give up on their goals, especially those who aspired to be musicians.
Numerous artists, notably Lebanese vocalist Hiyam Younes, performed live during the opening ceremony.
The Ministry of Culture expressed hope that the new facility would “enrich the local artistic and cultural scene” in addition to aiding in the preservation of Saudi Arabia’s musical history.
This will entail putting on festivals, exhibitions, and rooftop concerts featuring Abdulhakim's music as well as that of other local and regional performers.
Also, starting in February, anyone will be able to enroll in lessons for playing the laser qanun, an instrument that is exclusive to the center.
"The ceremony and museum were truly incredible, offering an immersive experience that allowed us to delve into the fascinating world of music and Tariq Abdulhakim's journey... which left us inspired," said Deema Mohammed, who attended the inaugural ceremony.
Source arabnews.com
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