Your Highnesses, Excellencies and Heads of Delegations,

Dear Audience,

االسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته،،،

   It is my great honor, on behalf of the patron of this conference, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia, to inaugurate the First International conference for Urban Heritage in the Islamic Countries, with particular focus on economic and cultural development. His Majesty the King has assigned me the honor to convey his greetings and appreciation for your attendance and participation. The King is personally concerned to provide you with all convenient facilities to assist in the success of this important heritage and economic assembly.  

 It is also my honor, as the President of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Conference, and on behalf of all the partners, organizers and people working in every site of the Saudi Kingdom, to welcome you to Riyadh, the capital of your second home country.

We view this grand assembly as an initiative to focus attention on urban heritage in the Islamic Countries, in particular, and to enhance the role of our great heritage in contemporary cultural and economic development, in general. We also hope that it will be a source of culturally based modernization, and an inducement in reviving national pride. national pride.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gave special attention to this conference and its events and activities; thanks to the generous supported by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.  It has also received wide contribution from both public and private institutions, along with extensive participation from schools, universities, chambers of commerce, local municipalities from all around the Kingdom, and also, the press and media from different countries.  

Our combined Islamic Urban Heritage is testimony to the richness of Islamic civilization as reflected in its diverse and rich architecture.  Its elegance, and simplicity belie it's use of complex mathematical computations for design and is evidence of their knowledge and scientific advancement.  It is also a living witness of the uniqueness of their arts and eternal civilization. Maintaining urban heritage in our country and making it a part of our people’s lives is both culturally very important and strategic; for it is a tangible mark of Saudi Arabia as the cradle of great civilizations, and a source of inspiration for generations to come, especially during this period of dynamic social change and economic development, amidst the onslaught of material globalization manifested in universal cultural mobility.

Dear Audience,

It behooves us as Muslims to play a role in shaping the future, starting from a solid foundation; one based on a thorough comprehension of our heritage which comprises a system of noble as well as tangible and intangible values.

The Saudi government joins its people, including the private sector, in solidarity, through both general and concise efforts to conserve the cultural dimension of our country, especially its Islamic urban heritage, coinciding with a grand revival of scientific and economic development led by a sincere King, assisted by his crown prince and his people on his side, who are passionate about their heritage, and proud of their great and noble history.

As we live in an extraordinary period of  our country's history, in the midst  of  substantial development, we tend to view our national heritage from a special perspective and as a resource from which to draw inspiration from as our country moves forward, in its dynamic modernization. The revival and development of heritage sites, cities, and other significant historical sites in concomitance with Islamic values is a focal component of the country's continued commitment and effort to preserve these sites as originally laid down by the late King Abdulaziz.

By the blessings of God, we have been placed among nations in a unique position being the homeland of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah.  It is our duty to protect our entire Islamic heritage and maintain our precious values and authenticity as we march forward in an ever expanding and interconnected world, while at the same time taking a larger world view and contributing to a better future for all of mankind, God willing.

We must ensure through national public policy that we preserve our ancient Islamic urban heritage as it is a guide and an accumulated history, the seat and place of origin of the revelation of our Islamic religion.  We therefore take great pride and honor to preserve our Islamic urban heritage not only for our generation, but for future generations and last but not least as a source of learning and inspiration of our Islamic religion.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represented by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, and its partners from the public and private institutions along with local communities, have launched programs and projects to preserve, develop, and maintain urban heritage in all provinces. In Saudi Arabia, we have managed to change the mainstream attitudes and terminologies of urban heritage from perceiving historical buildings as being derelict and crumbling, to a more positive and proud terminology that sees such building as valuable treasures suited for feasible investment and growth; one that assures that the Saudi citizen is the protector and premier beneficiary from the redevelopment and conservation of these buildings. At the same time, we look forward to working in cooperation with leading Islamic countries for the purpose of mutual interest to reinvest in heritage buildings and sites, God willing.

Dear Audience,

We all look forward to the contribution of this conference’s findings and recommendations to preserve our urban heritage, and develop it to benefit our countries and communities and to implement those realistic, practical, and ambitious recommendations in all our Islamic countries in a serious and systematic manner.

Finally, and on behalf of everyone here, I would like to convey our gratitude and appreciation to the government and people of Saudi Arabia for hosting this historical and significant event, and to all participants and sponsors of this conference who contributed in organizing this event, which will be worthwhile and beneficiary for our nations and people, God willing.

والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته،،السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته،،