Last week, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer landed in Riyadh to shake hands with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and seal a major cultural preservation deal. The agreement will see British conservation and heritage experts lending their skills to safeguard cultural landmarks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where ancient wonders and modern ambitions collide. The partnership between Historic England and the Saudi Heritage Commission will promote conservation best practices across both nations. British experts will spearhead training programs for Saudi specialists in conservation, restoration and the rehabilitation of heritage buildings.
A second deal, signed by Exports Minister Gareth Thomas and Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism Sir Chris Bryant, will bring in the U.K.’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to collaborate with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). AlUla—an oasis city in northwest Saudi Arabia that’s home to the Hegra archaeological site, its first UNESCO World Heritage Site—will be the focal point. The RCU’s ambitious five-year goal? Drive two million tourists annually by 2035 while pumping $32 billion into its economy.
This bilateral cultural exchange has less to do with preserving art and artifacts than it does with strategic influence. With an eye on Saudi Arabia as a key partner, Starmer outlined the U.K.’s broader goals: deeper economic ties, security partnerships and fresh opportunities both at home and abroad. “I’m pleased the U.K. is forging new partnerships with Saudi Arabia to protect the cultural heritage of AlUla by harnessing British expertise,” Starmer said in a statement, not missing a beat. “Through deeper economic ties with key partners such as Saudi Arabia, we can unlock growth and new opportunities both at home and abroad to deliver change that is felt by working people in the U.K.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, ever keen to underline Britain’s global standing, added: “The U.K. is a world leader in cultural heritage and conservation. Our experts at Historic England are opening up a new frontier of international heritage cooperation as they work with their Saudi counterparts to safeguard some of the Middle East’s most significant cultural landmarks.”
This isn’t the first cultural tango between Europe and the Kingdom. France is just starting to benefit from a partnership with Saudi Arabia, which kicked off with a bilateral agreement first signed in 2018. Saudi Arabia invested a whopping €800 million ($840 million) in French cultural projects in exchange for access to France’s expertise in archaeology, cultural management, urban planning, tourism and sustainability—though progress stumbled until journalist Catherine Pégard took the reins as chief of cultural development just this fall.
Earlier this month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a €50 million gift to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, easing some of the iconic institution’s hefty €262 million renovation bill. The gesture cements Saudi-France cultural ties as the Centre Pompidou prepares to unveil its AlUla branch. Designed by Parisian architect Lina Ghotmeh, the new outpost will sit alongside a museum celebrating the Incense Road, the ancient trading route that tied the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. AlUla, already the stage for Desert X since 2020, continues to build its reputation with monumental contemporary art biennials set against its spellbinding rocky desert landscape.
It’s all part of a newly inked, ten-agreement package that will see France and Saudi Arabia collaborate across fields like archaeology, cinema and photography. Among other initiatives, France will support the creation of a new photography museum in Riyadh, with backing from the Arles School of Photography. The Centre des Monuments Nationaux and Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers de la Culture (OPPIC) will lend their expertise to restore and enhance Saudi heritage sites, including royal palaces. Meanwhile, key French institutions—Grand Palais-RMN and the École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle—will guide the development of Saudi museums, and the French National Institute for Archaeological Research will oversee a series of archaeological projects in Qiddiya. Experts from the National Library of France will take charge of digitizing, conserving and promoting Saudi Arabia’s heritage.
It’s no secret that, for both the U.K. and France, these cultural partnerships are part of a broader diplomatic and economic playbook aimed at bolstering sectors like energy, defense and technology. The upcoming A.I. Action Summit in Paris, set for early February 2025 and co-hosted with Saudi Arabia, underscores the strategic importance of these collaborations. And for the Kingdom, this isn’t cultural altruism; it’s a cornerstone of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan—an audacious modernization and internationalization effort that blends heritage with contemporary swagger to attract global recognition.
Meanwhile, the art market knows how to follow the money. Sotheby’s is planting its flag with a multicategory auction in Diriyah next year, fresh off a $1 billion deal with Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. Christie’s isn’t far behind, securing its Saudi license and appointing local art consultant Nour Kelani as its market rep. Yet while Saudi Arabia makes deals and prepares to host the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup, its human rights record remains the elephant in the room. Between 2015 and 2022, an average of 129 executions per year were reported, according to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights and the advocacy group Reprieve.
