Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — “I did not have any idea about the existence of apiaries and stone benches in Maysan governorate, although my house is only tens of kilometers from there, until I happened to watch it on the Instagram account of the Minister of Culture. When I visited the account, I was amazed to see one of the most beautiful ancient heritage engineering forms of the beekeeping profession,” said Abdullah Al-Odwani, a private sector employee in the Taif governorate. “The official social media accounts of Saudi ministers, and the pictures displayed therein made the difference and are instrumental in enabling us to further explore the rich treasures that abound in our country,” he said. Al-Odwani thinks that many of his peers and friends have not yet explored the myriad cultural and heritage sites that are scattered all over their country. “However, the content of the Minister of Culture’s Instagram account, which is unofficial and diverse, enhances the exploration of the Kingdom’s more historical, heritage and cultural gems,” he said. Ministers of culture and sports are in the forefront of their counterparts in the Cabinet in terms of the active use of Instagram and other communication platforms. The majority of Saudi government executives prefer to communicate with the public through Twitter, the most popular platform in the country. According to statistical figures, the active users of Instagram in the world account for 1.1 billion monthly users, and the platform, after its acquisition by Facebook, attracted a much younger audience as the users of the blue platform. Saudis are among the people who use the most social networking sites compared to the percentage of their population in the world. The Instagram account of Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan has more than 446,000 followers ever since its launch more than 82 weeks ago. The number of his postings on the account reached 275 until this report. Prince Badr embarked on a great mission of achieving the Kingdom’s prosperity in all realms of its rich culture so as to enrich the individual’s lifestyle as well as to contribute to strengthening the national identity and fostering cultural dialogue with various countries around the world. Highlighting diverse aspects of cultural sectors, the minister posted incredible pictures that speak volumes about the strong bonds between the natural heritage and the cultural depth. These include cultural and archaeological sites located in AlUla, Wadi Al-Disah, Dumat Al-Jandal, Khyber, Al-Wajh, Al-Ahsa, Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Asir and Jazan. The account also showcased various elements of the intangible heritage such as the cultivation of Khawlani coffee beans in the mountainous regions of the southern Jazan, and folklore art forms represented by various performing arts such as the Saudi Ardah, Al-Majrour, Al-Muhawarah, and Tashir in the western region, Al-Daha in the north, Al-Liwa in the east, Al-Ardah in the south, and other cultural elements such as the presence of camels in the country’s monuments that date back to thousands of years. Prince Badr is the first Saudi Minister of Culture, who dedicated his Instagram account to host Saudi artists and innovators to share their experiences with the public in a live broadcast titled “Badr Guest” initiative. The initiative, which is the first of its kind, became an instant hit among the youngsters — the segment of the society who mostly uses Instagram.