Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Sep 05, 2025

Young Saudis to train in traditional dance through DGDA scheme

Young Saudis to train in traditional dance through DGDA scheme

The Diriyah Gate Development Authority has opened registrations for the third “Diriyah, Bayt Al-Ardah” initiative, which is held in collaboration with the National Center for the Saudi Ardah, part of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives.
During the program, young Saudis will be trained in the nuances of the traditional celebratory dance style by the Kingdom’s best performers, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The initiative welcomes Saudi youths aged 12-17 who wish to receive Ardah training to apply for a place on one of four three-day educational training courses held in February 2023.

At the end of each course, five trainees will be shortlisted for a final assessment. The 20 finalists who pass a rigorous panel assessment covering the five core elements of Ardah (the Saudi flag, attire, sword, drums and march), will be honored at a ceremony in March to mark the end of the initiative.

The deadline for applications is Jan. 10, 2023.

Held at the historic mansion of Prince Thunayyan bin Saud in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif, the initiative aims to strengthen the next generation’s connection to Diriyah’s culture and history.

One of several community engagement programs established to preserve and protect Saudi heritage, DGDA’s “Diriyah, Bayt Al-Ardah” initiative aims to further popularize the dance form among young Saudis.

Ardah is one of the Kingdom’s foremost performance traditions, and in 2015 was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

In the Ardah, performances start with a chant that was once used to rouse warriors facing an enemy. Performers dressed in traditional costumes then perform a dance with swords to the beat of drums.

Originally, Ardah was performed only by males of the Shammar tribe in the central Najd region before going to war, but nowadays is practiced at celebrations, weddings and national cultural events by all tribes.

Combining poetry with masterful sword displays, the Ardah dance epitomizes Saudi loyalty and pride. It is these values that the DGDA aims to instill in the hearts and minds of young Saudis nationwide.

In the DGDA’s first two iterations of the initiative, held in 2019 and 2021, more than 200 participants received training in the art of Ardah, with 26 young people being subsequently honored in a closing ceremony attended by several senior officials.

Saudi Ardah remains a highly coveted skill among young Saudis thanks to its celebratory nature and uplifting poetic elements.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×