On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and governor of Makkah Region, patronized here Wednesday the ceremony of the Ministry of Media on the occasion of 100 Hijri years of establishing Umm Al-Qura newspaper. Several princes, ministers, as well as an elite set of intellectual, literature and media figures attended the event at Makkah Chamber for Exhibitions and Events Center. Upon Prince Khaled’s arrival, the national anthem was played. Then, verses of the Holy Qur’an were recited to open the celebrations. After that, Prince Khaled and the attendees watched a documentary titled “A Century of Saudi Media’ highlighting the march and development of Umm Al-Qura newspaper over the ages. After that, Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi delivered a speech in which he expressed his sincere thanks and great gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for his generous patronage of the ceremony celebrating 100 years of establishing Umm Al-Qura newspaper. "We stand today before a 100-year history during which Umm Al-Qura newspaper has witnessed the establishment and development journey of our dear homeland since the era of the founder King Abdulaziz until this prosperous era to confirm the depth of this country"s connection to its press and its interest in the media," Dr. Al-Qasabi said. He affirmed that the ceremony celebrating 100 years of establishing Umm Al-Qura newspaper is an important event and an occasion of appreciation, asserting that Umm Al-Qura newspaper is a reliable reference for the march of this state. "Today, the Kingdom is witnessing an unprecedented movement in all sectors, including the media. Following more than five years after the launch of Vision 2030, there are great hopes for an influential media industry conveying the message of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the world. I will work with my colleagues in the media system to achieve this lofty goal," the Acting Minister of Media said. "Emanating from the state"s keenness, the royal approval was issued to transfer Umm Al-Qura newspaper to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in order to witness a new stage and a major shift in all aspects of media work and digital transformation," Dr. Al-Qasabi disclosed. He announced five ambitious initiatives to advance and develop the media industry in the Kingdom, including "establishing a Saudi Media National Archives Center to archive all photos and documents", "establishing Saudi Media Museum to preserve and perpetuate the national journalistic heritage", "holding Umm Al-Qura Media Forum every two years", launching "Mediathon" in partnership with stc towards innovative future media ideas" and "launching the second phase of Support and Empowerment Program for the Saudi Press Institutions for Digital Transformation". In conclusion, Dr. Al-Qasabi thanked the staff of Umm Al-Qura newspaper for their dedication. Then, the governor of Makkah region inaugurated the centenary issue of Umm Al-Qura newspaper. A poetic poem entitled “The Poem of Umm Al-Qura” was recited by Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Abdul-Maqsoud Khoja. After that, Prince Khaled honored the pioneers and historians of Umm Al-Qura newspaper and former Ministers of Media, then memorial photos were taken. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Prince Khaled received a souvenir on this occasion. Prince Khaled had earlier toured the accompanying interactive exhibition that tells the story of a century of Umm Al-Qura newspaper. It included 6 interactive digital screens displaying 100 pages on telling the story of a century of media, selected from archive of "Umm Al-Qura" newspaper. — SPA