This paper aims to (1) examine the challenges in the compost facilities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), (2) optimize the composting techniques using indigenous natural zeolite and locally produced biochar from agricultural residues... more
This paper aims to (1) examine the challenges in the compost facilities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), (2) optimize the composting techniques using indigenous natural zeolite and locally produced biochar from agricultural residues and (3) evaluate the environmental and economic benefits of optimized food waste composting. In KSA food waste is the most abundant stream of municipal solid waste that contribute up to 50% of the total waste. The landfill disposal of this waste results in several environmental and public health issues. Resource recovery through composting is one of the best approaches for treating such nutrient-rich organic waste. There exist several facilities in KSA for the conversion of food waste to compost using conventional methods of compost piles and trenches. However, none of the produced compost is capable of improving the quality and fertility of sandy soils and the growth of the crops due to limited values of organic matter, nutrients and water holding capacity along with high moisture contents, nitrification index, weed seed contents and ammonia emissions. In KSA, vast reservoirs of natural zeolite are available near to Jeddah city. Similarly, in KSA the most cultivated tree is date palm with more than 22 million date trees that would provide sufficient feedstock for biochar production. Therefore, diverting food waste from landfills to optimized composting facilities using natural zeolites and biochar could benefit the KSA economy with a total net savings of about US $70.72 million per year.
The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area, and the... more
The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area, and the topographical documentation of significant sites. The rich textual and iconographic material in the Wadi Markh area adds to the importance of the Al-Ghat region for the ancient history of Saudi Arabia. In bringing forward evidence of prehistoric cultural connections to Africa as well as the Levant, the project contributes to the unravelling of the early expansion history of
our species in a landscape different from today.
The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area, and the... more
The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area, and the topographical documentation of significant sites. The rich textual and iconographic material in the Wadi Markh area adds to the importance of the Al-Ghat region for the ancient history of Saudi Arabia. In bringing forward evidence of prehistoric cultural connections to Africa as well as the Levant, the project contributes to the unravelling of the early expansion history of our species in a landscape different from today.
7 Abstract: The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area,... more
7 Abstract: The aim of the joint Saudi Arabian-Belgian Al-Ghat field project was three-fold: the study of the iconographical and textual material incised on rocks, a survey and study project looking for early human activity in the area, and the topographical documentation of significant sites. The rich textual and iconographic material in the Wadi Markh area adds to the importance of the Al-Ghat region for the ancient history of Saudi Arabia. In bringing forward evidence of prehistoric cultural connections to Africa as well as the Levant, the project contributes to the unravelling of the early expansion history of our species in a landscape different from today.
Pakistan’s ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are under the spotlight after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi issued a sharply-worded statement on August 5. Talking to a private TV channel, the foreign minister berated the... more
Pakistan’s ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are under the spotlight after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi issued a sharply-worded statement on August 5. Talking to a private TV channel, the foreign minister berated the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for not doing enough on Kashmir.
“I am once again respectfully telling the OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation. If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask the PM to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris.”
“If OIC fails to summon the CFM meeting, Pakistan will be ready to go for a session outside OIC,” he said, adding that Pakistan could not wait any further. He said Pakistan did not attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit last December on Saudi request and now Pakistani Muslims wanted Riyadh to “show leadership on the issue”.
“We have our own sensitivities. You have to realise this. The Gulf countries should understand this,” he said. Qureshi added he was not being sentimental and understood the implications of his statement. “That’s right, I’m taking a position despite our good ties with Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Scholarly published scientific journals’ quality and the standard were measured in recent years based on their scientific indicators such as Journal Impact Factor (IF), citation values, and journal ranking values. Any experimental writer... more
Scholarly published scientific journals’ quality and the standard were measured in recent years based on their scientific indicators such as Journal Impact Factor (IF), citation values, and journal ranking values. Any experimental writer and researcher will investigate these factors of journals before publishing their research output. Analyzing and comparing these indicators among different bibliographic databases are welcomed by the research community and will give them some insight to decide or to choose which journals they need to select for publishing their research outputs. The main objective of the research work undertaken was to assess the impact and visibility of 66 Arabian journals using JCR bibliometric indicators for comparison of journal quality, i.e. comparison of Journal Impact Factor (JIF), Eugen Factor Score (ES), Cite Score (CS), Source normalized impact per publication (SNIP), Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR), and H5 index. This study also aimed to determine whether these indices were an alternative to each other for estimating the quality of 66 Arabian journals. The research data was collected from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. The JIF and ES were taken from the WoS and CS, SNIP, and SJR from Scopus. The analysis for this study was done using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Maximum Pearson’s (r) statistical correlation was found between JIF and CS (r=0.844) while Maximum Spearman’s (ρ) statistical correlation was found between JIF and CS (ρ=0.843). A linear correlation was found between the values and ranks of the indices. Hence, we conclude that the open-access indicator SJR can be used as an alternative to the JIF.
Six years of war in Yemen have surely exhausted all local warring parties and their regional and international supporters and more clearly the Yemeni people themselves. The war did not achieve any of its proclaimed goals, instead, it has... more
Six years of war in Yemen have surely exhausted all local warring parties and their regional and international supporters and more clearly the Yemeni people themselves. The war did not achieve any of its proclaimed goals, instead, it has completely destroyed the state, divided the society and distorted its identity.
Although there are indications on the ground that could suggest otherwise, today, more than ever, there is still a real opportunity to bring peace to Yemen. Undoubtedly the need for an original Yemeni peace initiative to discuss the fate of the country is urgent. Instead of creating more conflicting issues, Yemenis should start finding a common ground to build a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Yemen.
This study aims to analyze the role of Gulf countries in the Western Balkans. In order to reach the target, firstly the general situation of the Balkans and the Gulf countries were discussed and then the results of the activities of the... more
This study aims to analyze the role of Gulf countries in the Western Balkans. In order to reach the target, firstly the general situation of the Balkans and the Gulf countries were discussed and then the results of the activities of the Balkans and Gulf countries on the case of Saudi Arabia and Iran is examined
The aim of this study is to determine Saudi Arabia's stance on Arab Springs and how it affects and influence within the framework of Antonio Gramsci's hegemony concept. In order to fulfill this objective Gramsci's views on hegemony,... more
The aim of this study is to determine Saudi Arabia's stance on Arab Springs and how it affects and influence within the framework of Antonio Gramsci's hegemony concept. In order to fulfill this objective Gramsci's views on hegemony, general attitudes of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries during the Arab Spring, and effects of the recent oil prices decline in the Saudi economy will be analyzed. Saudi Arabia has managed to maintain its hegemony through economic power in the Arab Spring. However, the recent events in Middle East has caused to weakening Saudi economy. Even though Saudi Arabia government managed to maintain its hegemony and economic power in Arab Spring, due to declining of oil prices Saudi Arabia is moving away from economic power and it is not expected to maintain its hegemony in the long run.
Recent years have witnessed the gradual emergence of closer relations between the State of Israel and a number of " pragmatic " Arab Gulf states, manifested in a growing number of cautious measures of normalization. This process reached a... more
Recent years have witnessed the gradual emergence of closer relations between the State of Israel and a number of " pragmatic " Arab Gulf states, manifested in a growing number of cautious measures of normalization. This process reached a new height with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Oman, the first public visit in 22 years of an Israeli prime minister to the sultanate. To be sure, Israel's relations with Oman are not new, but the publicity surrounding Netanyahu's visit – in addition to the official presence of the Israeli judo delegation in Abu Dhabi and the extensive media coverage of Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sport, at the event – bespeaks an evolving willingness on the part of some Gulf states to expose more of their relations with Israel in their domestic arenas, and to signal publicly their readiness to move forward gradually in normalizing relations with Israel, albeit subject to concrete progress in the Israeli-Palestinian political process. Oman holds tools to assist in the political process, if only due to its current capacity as the only actor that enjoys some level of confidence from both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel would be wise to take advantage of its achievements in the regional arena and leverage the significant improvement in its regional status, particularly its improved relations with Oman, in pursuit of its strategic interests.
يُعدُّ التُّرَاث الثقافيّ واحداً من الدعائم التي تقوم عليها صناعة السِّيَاحة. وقد أثبتت التجارب أن المجتمعات التي لازالت تحتفظ بمقومات تراثها الثقافيّ قد أصبحت وجهات سياحيّة رائدة ومميزة، ولكن وبحكم الطبيعة الحساسة والهشة للتُّرَاث فقد... more
يُعدُّ التُّرَاث الثقافيّ واحداً من الدعائم التي تقوم عليها صناعة السِّيَاحة. وقد أثبتت التجارب أن المجتمعات التي لازالت تحتفظ بمقومات تراثها الثقافيّ قد أصبحت وجهات سياحيّة رائدة ومميزة، ولكن وبحكم الطبيعة الحساسة والهشة للتُّرَاث فقد أدى استخدامه في النشاط السِّيَاحِيّ إلى مخاطر عديدة، وهو ما يخلق تحدياً كبيراً أمام كيفية التعامل معه في ظل حشود السائحين التي تفد للاطلاع عليه وتجربته. وفي هذا الإطار، فإن المملكة العربية السعودية تزخر بتراث ثقافي ثري ومتنوَّع، ينبع من تعدد الحضارات الانسانية المتعاقبة على أرضها، وغنى بيئتها الطبيعية بكل الأشكال التراثية التي يمكن تأهيلها لتصبح من موارد السياحة الثقافية. وبالنظر للأهمِّية التي يمثلها التُّرَاث الثقافيّ بالنسبة للسياحة والتنميّة ، فإن هذه الدِّراسة التي تعتمد على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي تهدف إلى توضيح دور التُّرَاث الثقافيّ في التنميّة السِّيَاحِيّة، والبحث عن طبيعة العلاقة التي تربط التنميّة بالتُّرَاث الثقافيّ والحضاري من جهة، وبين التُّرَاث الثقافيّ والسِّيَاحة من جهةٍ أخرى، كما تهدف إلى إبراز القضايا والتَّحَدِّيَات القائمة في العلاقة بين هذين القطاعين، وأشكال التدمير التي يتعرض لها التُّرَاث بسبب السِّيَاحة، والفرص التنموية التي يوفرها التُّرَاث، ومن ثمّ طرح بعض التوصيات التي تساعد على تطويع التُّرَاث الثقافيّ في سبيل تنميّة سياحيّة مستدامة مع المحافظة عليه وحمايته وصونه بالتطبيق على مدينة الدرعيّة التاريخيّة. كلمات مفتاحية: الاستدامة، التُّرَاث الثقافيّ، التنميّة، السِّيَاحة الثقافيّة، مدينة الدرعيّة التاريخيّة.
Nour Al-Zuhairy, compte-rendu de l'ouvrage "Le miroir des Cheikhs : Musées et politiques dans les principautés du golfe Persique", édition PUF, 2017 par le politologue et chercheur, à l’École Normale Supérieure, Alexandre Kazerouni.... more
Nour Al-Zuhairy, compte-rendu de l'ouvrage "Le miroir des Cheikhs : Musées et politiques dans les principautés du golfe Persique", édition PUF, 2017 par le politologue et chercheur, à l’École Normale Supérieure, Alexandre Kazerouni.
The study aimed to explain the concept of smart sukuk based on blockchain technology and smart contracts, by clarifying the mechanism of smart sukuk issuance platforms, reviewing their most heading applications around the world, and... more
The study aimed to explain the concept of smart sukuk based on blockchain technology and smart contracts, by clarifying the mechanism of smart sukuk issuance platforms, reviewing their most heading applications around the world, and evaluating the status of the smart sukuk environment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on the SWOT analysis methodology. The study revealed the significance of smart sukuk in financing small and medium enterprises, due to their reliability, transparency, and lower costs compared to traditional sukuk. On the other hand, smart sukuk faces a set of challenges, the most important of which are the absence of the necessary legislation, the risks of electronic attacks, and the challenges of issuing smart sukuk without being subject to the supervision and control of the financial authorities. The study suggested to establish the appropriate regulatory environment and infrastructure for the issuance of smart sukuk in the Saudi capital market to finance small and medium enterprises, and the need to develop a regulatory framework dedicated to Islamic sukuk, including smart sukuk while activating the oversight of issuance platforms. The study also recommends the importance of preparing and training qualified professionals specialized in financial technology to manage digital platforms based on blockchain technology.
ב-31 במרץ 1964, באישון לילה, הגיח מטוס תובלה ישראלי בשמי תימן. צוות האוויר בראשות הטייס סגן-אלוף אריה עוז, ניווט את המטוס לעבר צפון המדינה, בינות למחנות צבא מצריים. לאחר מספר רגעים זיהה עוז תחתיו מקבץ מדורות קטנות, והדליק את האור הירוק... more
ב-31 במרץ 1964, באישון לילה, הגיח מטוס תובלה ישראלי בשמי תימן. צוות האוויר בראשות הטייס סגן-אלוף אריה עוז, ניווט את המטוס לעבר צפון המדינה, בינות למחנות צבא מצריים. לאחר מספר רגעים זיהה עוז תחתיו מקבץ מדורות קטנות, והדליק את האור הירוק בבטן המטוס. ההצנחה החלה. תריסר מכולות עץ עמוסות לעייפה בכלי-נשק, תחמושת וציוד רפואי, ריחפו לאטן אל הקרקע, והמטוס החל עושה את דרכו חזרה לישראל. הצנחה זו – הראשונה מ-14 פעולות דומות בשנתיים הבאות – בוצעה במסגרת מעורבות חשאית של מדינת ישראל במלחמת האזרחים בתימן בשנות השישים. מטרת הפעילות הייתה לחזק את הפלג המלוכני בתימן, אויב המצרים, שפלשו למדינה בשלהי 1962. במאמר זה אסקור את המעורבות הישראלית בתימן על בסיס מסמכים ארכיוניים שהיו חסויים עד לאחרונה. הסקירה תעמיד את המעורבות הישראלית בתימן בפרספקטיבה של מלחמה קרה שהתנהלה בין ישראל למצרים בשנים 1967-1956.
The American Islamic Arabic Summit that took place in Riyadh was a diplomatic, geopolitical as well as geo-economic step by Trump to approach Russia in order to solve the ongoing conflict in Syria. The step underlines the new American... more
The American Islamic Arabic Summit that took place in Riyadh was a diplomatic, geopolitical as well as geo-economic step by Trump to approach Russia in order to solve the ongoing conflict in Syria. The step underlines the new American foreign policy under Trump and weighs in Saudia Arabia in its war against Iran in Yemen. Analysis by Sara Kira
