Developments in the sectors of archaeology, art, and cloud seeding in the Arab region

The temporary Egyptian archaeological exhibition, “Ancient Egypt Reveals Its Secrets: Treasures from Egyptian Museums,” bid farewell to Hong Kong, after it received more than 600,000 visitors during the nine months it spent at the Hong Kong Palace Museum during the period from November 18, 2025 to August 31, 2026.

The exhibition included 250 artifacts from a number of Egyptian museums and archaeological sites, taking the public on a journey through the history of ancient Egyptian civilization, once again confirming its ability to dazzle the peoples of the world and build bridges of cultural communication between civilizations, according to what the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities stated.

Dr. Hisham Al-Laithi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, attended the exhibition’s closing ceremony, where procedures began for the return of the artifacts to Egypt, after a successful trip that transported the treasures of Egyptian civilization from the banks of the Nile to Hong Kong.

The specialist in the antiquities of Egypt and the ancient Near East at the Faculty of Archeology and Tourist Guidance at the Misr University of Science and Technology, Dr. Dina Soliman, considered the success achieved by the exhibition “Ancient Egypt Reveals Its Secrets: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” in Hong Kong, in receiving more than 600,000 visitors in nine months, as an important indicator of the strength of the global presence of Egyptian civilization, and the ability of Egyptian antiquities to play a role that goes beyond museum display to building real bridges between peoples.

Soliman added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “This wide public turnout reflects the effectiveness of international archaeological exhibitions as one of the tools of Egyptian cultural diplomacy. When artifacts are transmitted to a new audience, they not only convey information about the history of Egypt, but also open a direct dialogue between two civilizations, and present a vivid picture of the depth of Egyptian civilization and its contribution to human heritage.”

Egypt is betting on temporary foreign antiquities exhibitions as a means of promoting tourism and cultural interaction as “soft power tools.” Among these exhibitions is “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” which moved between several countries around the world, including America, Australia, and Japan, and has now settled in London, and the “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition in the Italian capital, Rome, in addition to a new exhibition scheduled to be held in Italy as well, entitled “The Power of Portraits: From Fayoum to Rome.”

According to the specialist in the antiquities of Egypt and the ancient Near East: “This type of exhibition carries important tourist value; Learning about Egyptian antiquities abroad can become an incentive to visit Egypt and see this civilization in its original context, within its museums and archaeological sites. Hence, the exhibition represents a form of indirect tourism promotion, especially for cultural tourism, which is based on the desire to discover civilizations and their original sites.”

Soliman added: “Most importantly, the success of the exhibition confirms that Egyptian heritage represents one of the most important tools of Egypt’s soft power.” The hundreds of thousands who viewed these pieces became part of a global audience that got to know Egypt through its antiquities, which enhances its cultural presence and gives foreign exhibitions a strategic function that combines introducing heritage, stimulating tourism, and strengthening cultural relations with peoples.”

Soliman continues: “Here the importance of continuing this approach emerges, with the expansion of holding specific Egyptian exhibitions in the major cultural and tourism markets, so that Egyptian antiquities become a permanent bridge linking Egypt to the world, and not just a temporary exhibition that ends at the end of its exhibition period.”

Egypt is betting on cultural tourism, among various other types of tourism, to attract tourists from abroad, considering the tourism sector is one of the main sources of national income in Egypt. Over the past two years, it has achieved record numbers in attracting tourists, and it aspires to attract 30 million tourists by 2030.

The 26th edition of the Murex d'Or Awards continued until the early hours of the morning, in the Ambassadors Hall at the Casino du Liban. Under the title “Back to the Roots... An Eye on the Future,” the concert combined the restoration of symbols of the beautiful artistic era and the celebration of current drama and singing stars.

The evening began with a video report on a number of art giants, followed by an expressive painting that brought together, in a symbolic scene, the Phoenician civilization and robots, before the awards ceremony began for Lebanese and Arab artists.

Egyptian artist Laila Elwi was the first to be honored, as she received an award for her entire artistic career, followed by honors and awards in the categories of acting, singing, directing and dramatic production.

The ceremony was presented by the Syrian actor Moatasem Al-Nahar and the Lebanese journalist Maya Abu Al-Hassan, in the presence of artists from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and other Arab countries. In their words, a number of honorees praised Beirut’s status as a cultural and artistic capital that has maintained its presence despite crises.

The honorary awards given for the entire artistic career outweighed the competitive awards, as the ceremony honored the actors George Shalhoub and Qusay Khouli, in addition to the artist Mary Suleiman, who performed a medley of her most famous songs.

Syrian actress Mona Wassef won an award for her entire artistic career, in addition to an award for her role in the series “Mawlana.” She said that she is grateful to everyone who still trusts her acting abilities, despite her advanced age, led by producer Sadiq Al-Sabah.

Al-Sabah had missed the ceremony due to his wife's health illness, according to what actor Tim Hassan said when he received the award for Best Actor in Syrian Drama.

In the dramatic awards, Carmen Bsaibes won the award for the best Lebanese actress for a first role in the series “Lail,” while Maggie Bou Ghosn won the award for the most influential actress in drama and theater for the series “Bel Haram” and the play “Khiran Park.”

Awards were also given to drama production companies, including an award to producer Jamal Sinan, representing Eagle Films, for the series “Bel Haram,” and another to producer Sadiq Al-Sabah, representing Al-Sabah Productions, for the series “Mawlana.”

The song “Oh My Weary Heart,” the theme song for the series “Lobby of Love,” won the award for best dramatic song. Its owner, Farah Nakhoul, received it and dedicated it to the soul of the late musician Ziad Rahbani, who she said was the first to listen to the song and express his admiration for it.

The ceremony witnessed the honoring of the theater artist Mounir Maasri, who described art as “the guardian of truth,” while George Khabbaz received an honor under the title “The Lebanese Actor with International Spread.” Nicolas Daniel was also honored for his artistic career and his role in the series “Salma,” and actress Nancy Khoury was honored for her role in “Mawlana,” which was the first award she received during her career.

The video clips using artificial intelligence technology constituted one of the most prominent translations of the ceremony’s slogan, as it brought to the screen a number of symbols of Lebanese art, including the late Filmon Wehbe, Nasri Shams El-Din and Sabah, in addition to Mrs. Fairouz, amid the interaction and applause of the audience.

Philemon Wehbe received a special honor on the fortieth anniversary of his death, in the presence of his son Saeed Wehbe. Artists Pascal Saqr, Nader Khoury, Christian Najjar, and Danny Chamoun performed a group of his melodies, including “Fayeq Ya Hawa,” “Ya Dara, my turn is in us,” and “Our books and what we wrote,” in a station that brought back to memory part of the golden age of Lebanese song.

In one of the most prominent segments of the evening, Ragheb Alama entered the audience before taking the stage and performing the Lebanese national anthem, and then presented a group of his old and modern songs, including “Tomorrow your closet will be closed,” “Praise be to God, may you be safe,” “I wish I could hide it,” all the way to “Mudajiya,” and “Keda Kedda.”

Alama was honored for his artistic career spanning more than 4 decades, and received his award from Minister of Tourism Laura Khazen Lahoud, who described him as an ambassador of Lebanon to the world.

Melhem Zein won the Lebanese Singing Star Award, while Abeer Nehme won the First Lebanese Singer Award for the year 2026. Honors also included artist Marilyn Noman, actor Joe Trad, and director Joe Bou Eid.

As for Moatasem Al-Nahar, he was surprised by the announcement that he had won an honorary award for his role in the series “Lobby of Love.” He appeared confused and affected, stressing that he did not know in advance about the honor.

Among the Arab artists who were included in the awards and honors were the Egyptian actress Mai Omar, and her compatriots Ahmed Saad and Rami Sabry, in addition to the Iraqi artist Saif Nabil.

Between restoring the names that made the Lebanese artistic memory and celebrating the faces of the present, “Murex d’Or” concluded its 26th edition at dawn, continuing its presence as one of the prominent annual stations in the Lebanese artistic scene.

Cloud seeding has long been associated with the image of an airplane heading towards the appropriate cloud to carry out the seeding process, but this image is changing in Saudi Arabia, with preparations to distribute 12 ground platforms in different regions, to operate within a system that includes 4 aircraft dedicated to rain seeding, in an expansion that transports seeding tools from the air to the ground.

Information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat from the Regional Cloud Seeding Program reveals that the developed operations room will allow managing the fleet of four aircraft and monitoring the 12 ground platforms simultaneously, while 35 meteorological experts and technicians will monitor operations around the clock.

The expansion comes at a time when the program has reached 942 aerial cloud seeding missions in the skies of the Kingdom, with more than 2,509 operational flight hours, in addition to 83 research missions with a total of 232 flight hours to study clouds, while operations currently cover 6 regions, with plans to expand them in the future to all regions of Saudi Arabia.

A system in the air and on the ground

Ground platforms bring a new element to the program's operational capabilities alongside aircraft; The platforms will be distributed in different regions, and their follow-up will be linked to the operating room. This allows more than one tool to be managed within one operational system.

The program did not specify the distribution sites for the platforms or the timetable for their entry into operation, but the integration of their monitoring with aircraft comes in conjunction with the development of the operations room, which brings together in one space the meteorological, aviation, ground service teams, rain seeding techniques, technical teams, and relevant departments.

The goal is to shorten the distance between information and decision. The cloud seeding process does not begin when the plane takes off, but much before that, when a cloud appears on the monitor screens, and experts begin to determine whether it is worth intervening at all.

Not every cloud is a target

Not every cloud that looks like rain is capable of rain seeding; According to the information provided to Asharq Al-Awsat, experts are searching for cohesive cumulonimbus clouds that have strong upward air currents that help lift rain seeding materials into them, in addition to the need for sufficient humidity and water droplets.

The treatment also varies depending on the temperature of the cloud; Cold clouds, whose temperature is below zero, are seeded with materials that help form ice crystals that later melt and fall, while natural salts are used at the base of warm clouds to help the droplets gather and increase their size.

The cloud may deceive the eye; They can appear gray and dense in the sky, but are excluded from the process if they are light or thin and lack suitable updrafts; Because sowing it in this case will not achieve the target result.

Minutes to make a decision

If the cloud passes these standards, another race against time begins. The program teams monitor the sky moment by moment via radars and satellites, then meteorologists analyze the path of the wind and the growth of the cloud to determine the best location and timing for intervention, before the expert team decides to direct the plane and determine the type and quantity of materials suitable for sowing.

Teams may only have “a few minutes” to implement this; The program explained that the opportunity to intervene falls within a narrow time frame, which requires action before the cloud weakens or begins to disappear. Here one of the functions of the developed operating room appears; It uses modern computer systems to analyze weather data in seconds in order to shorten decision-making time, in addition to its direct link to the King Air 360 research aircraft, which provides teams with 3D images and real-time data that helps read the details of the cloud.

942 missions in the skies of the Kingdom

The numbers show the scale of the operations that are now being managed behind this system. The program carried out 942 aerial seeding missions with more than 2,509 operational flight hours. In parallel with operational operations, 83 research missions were carried out with a total of 232 flight hours to study clouds, while 115 specialists were trained and qualified through 38 training courses.

Rain seeding operations are not moving at the same pace across the Kingdom. The nature of the climate and clouds determines the season of activity in each geographical area. In the central and northern region, specifically Riyadh, Qassim, and Hail, operations are active from fall to spring to target cold clouds, while they are concentrated on the southwestern highlands and the Hijaz Mountains between April and August, coinciding with the activity of torrefied and warm clouds.

If a suitable cloud group appears at the same time, the program directs aircraft to the most abundant and ready cloud, in addition to giving priority to reserves and areas most in need of supporting water sources and increasing vegetation cover.

From rain to its impact on the ground

The process does not end with the completion of sowing; The teams then move on to follow up on what happened inside the cloud and on the ground. The program says that it follows the cloud with radar after seeding to monitor the growth of raindrops and increase their density, and compares the recorded amounts of rain, in addition to following ground data and satellite data related to soil moisture.

According to the information provided to the newspaper, more than 13,000 readings related to soil moisture were conducted, and the Qassim region and the King Salman Royal Reserve recorded the highest response in high ground moisture among the indicators that were monitored.

The program's operations also covered 67 percent of the important environmental sites of the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, equivalent to 255 sites, in a connection between some of the priorities of rain seeding operations and the goals of supporting water sources and increasing vegetation cover. However, the information obtained by the newspaper does not provide a numerical estimate of the amount of increase in precipitation that can be directly attributed to rain seeding operations, which makes the research flights, measurement and follow-up operations a parallel part of the operational work.

After years in which the spectacle of cloud seeding was primarily associated with a plane heading toward a cloud, the new capabilities paint a broader picture of the process. With aircraft and ground platforms expected in different regions, and an operations room that follows them simultaneously, as part of a plan that ultimately aims to expand the scope of rain seeding operations to include all regions of the Kingdom.