Riyadh, Apr. 22, 2022, SPA-- The Saudi government has been taking extensive steps and exerting remarkable efforts in empowering women and supporting their contribution to the national development in all fields. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has said: "Women are the source of development for any society. Without women, it is difficult to reform societies, as they represent half of the society and are the educators of generations." To entrench this position, women have played an essential role within the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to empower and support them in various fields, including the cultural aspect. Saudi female intellectuals received attention and honor from the leadership in return for their efforts in serving the cultural sector. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques awarded Dr. Khayriyah Ibrahim Al-Saqqaf, a writer and storyteller, King Abdulaziz Medal of the first degree in 2018, in appreciation of her years of achievements and studies. Dr. Al-Saqqaf was distinguished by a special literary style. She has authored several books, research and many articles, including (curricula for the study and teaching of Arabic literature, a comparative two-part study, a short story collection (to navigate towards dimensions), and another published in magazines of Literature (dilemma in the equation), (when the wind is blowing), in addition to her published scientific research: (weakness of the classical Arabic language and the lack of scientific research methods), (quality and efficiency standards necessary to improve the performance of university faculty members) and others. Her works have been translated into English, Italian, Polish, Korean, and Russian, while two academic studies conducted discussing her literature, one on poetic in her style, and the other on “the content in her articles”. Dr. Al-Saqqaf’s writing techniques and style were taught in some local and international universities. Among the illustrious, cultural and literary names in Saudi Arabia is Umaima Al-Khamis, a storyteller, novelist and writer who won the Abha Award for Story in 2001 and the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Novel in 2018. Al-Khamis has published several books, including short story collections, children's books and novels, including Wasmia (children's story), the antidote, and the story of a drop) and other stories, novels and a series of stories for children. Some of her books have been translated into English, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean and Urdu. Al-Khamis writes in local and Gulf newspapers, in addition to her cultural role, as she chaired the Women’s Committee in the Agency for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Information from 2007 to 2010, where she presented various cultural evenings and lectures. She also represented the Kingdom in several cultural weeks and international conferences, in addition to organizing training courses and workshops on creative writing and short story writing. Hoda Al-Daghfaq, a poet and writer, has a cultural and literary activity at the local and Arab levels. She was appointed head of the Women's Committee at Riyadh Literary Club before she was granted membership on the club’s board. A columnist and a journalist in several newspapers, Al-Daghfaq was appointed editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine published in Riyadh in 2008. She has contributed to some studies and research in the fields of culture, literature and media. She also presented studies, research and articles discussing issues of educated and media women, and participated in some research papers in local and international forums and conferences. Al-Daghfaq is an active participant in Arab festivals. She has published several collections of poetry, including (Shadow to the Top, A New Passion, I Stayed Up to My Destiny), and an anthology such as (Woman Who Wasn’t, A non-flying Feather), in addition to several philosophical books, and intellectual cultural biographies. Among the Saudi female intellectuals, Sultana Al-Sudairy stands out as a poet and media figure, who was the first Saudi woman to establish a women’s literary salon in the Kingdom. She wrote classical poetry and Nabati poetry and has her poetic prints and her production is characterized by formal conservatism and verbal sweetness. Among her books are Pictures from Society, Between Mind and Heart, A Cloud Without Rain). Poet and writer Dr. Haya Al-Samhari, is one of the Saudi female intellectuals who has a great role in the Saudi cultural scene. In addition to her role in education, she has published a poetic book: The New Eye, authored many others including “Abdullah bin Khamis in prose”, and presented an objective and technical study of the poetry of Abdullah bin Khamis, and the Utopian city of education. Many of Dr. Al-Samahri’s literary publications have been translated into other languages in Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries, as well as many other local publications in the field of literature, criticism and university theses. Plastic art has a large presence in the Saudi cultural scene, and the Saudi government has exerted significant efforts to improve the visual flavor of art by involving and empowering women in this field. One of the first founders of the plastic art movement in Arabia was Safeya Binzagr, an artist who was honored by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for her contributions to the Saudi art and culture movement, with King Abdulaziz’s Medal of First Class in 2017. She was known as the artist of Saudi heritage for her interest in documenting heritage through paintings to which she devoted herself since thirty years ago. In 1995, she established, "Darat Safeya Binzagr", a cultural center of her artwork, cultural collection, self-owned studio and an Art & literature library, which she made a comprehensive cultural platform to enlighten generations, including her paintings and art holdings and holds art workshops for adults and children and artistic cultural lectures. She also presented her library to the Darat to become a cultural reference in Arabic and English for interested researchers, and dedicated part of it to children, as the library relies on the principle "when a child reads, he opens a small window to the world, and when he befriends a book, the whole world opens to him." The children's library includes art, literary, historical books and scientific encyclopedia. Manal Al-Ruwaished, is a plastic artist and director of the Professional and Artistic Activity Department at the Ministry of Education and a member of several committees concerned with plastic art and education in the Kingdom. She is the first woman to chair the board of directors of the Saudi Society for Plastic Arts, which is concerned with the advancement of Saudi fine art through creating an appropriate artistic environment open to the world that supports plastic artists in the Kingdom’s various regions. Al-Ruwaished has also established the Digital Art Group, which is the first group in the Kingdom and the Arab world targeting digital art. The group activities toured different regions in the Kingdom and participated in regional exhibitions. The art of (Al-Qatt Al-Asiri), which is the oldest and most ancient art in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, comes as one of the most important arts that characterized women in Asir region. It is a traditionally female interior wall decoration, and an ancient art form considered a key element of the identity of the region of Asir. It is a spontaneous art technique carried out largely by women today in the community that involves decorating the interior walls of their houses, specifically rooms for visiting guests. In 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations International Organization (UNESCO). Women in Asir region beautify the walls of their homes following the applying of the base stage (white gypsum and the patterns consist of icons of geometric shapes and symbols) and being dried, with geometric motifs that inspire their dimensions and connotations from the surrounding culture, using the basic natural colors red, yellow, black and blue, which are colors extracted from limestone powders, colored clays, or some plants and fruits. These natural colors are prepared by women by adding fixing and polishing materials to them. Nowadays, ready-made colors are used in the form of powders by adding water and fixing materials. One of the women who stand out in the Al-Qatt Al-Asiri art is Fatima bint Faye, who is the owner of Fatima Museum for the Heritage of Asiri Women, is a tourist destination for the Asir region, which addresses the Asiri woman culture in the past including Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, traditional costumes and silverware. The museum also includes a vocational school for Al-Qatt Al-Asiri where more than 700 women have received training, in addition to holding courses to teach this art inside and outside the Kingdom. Al-Qatt Al-Asiri is not limited to walls but extends to tools that women use inside their homes, such as: pottery, wood, canvas, and glass. About 150 years ago, pioneering women in Al-Qatt Al-Asiri became famous, including Juhaha bint Braidi, Fatima bint Umisba’, Amna bint Mohammed bin Hadi, Fatima bint Mohammed Al-Zahr, Sharifa bint Ahmed Al-Ma’i, Fatima bint Ali Abu Qahas, Halima Asiri, and Afaf Al-Dajam. --SPA 12:42 LOCAL TIME 09:42 GMT 0007 www.spa.gov.sa/w1724559