Jerusalem Libraries

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture - Ithra is a masterwork of architecture, a towering beacon in the Dhahran skyline. The steel-pipe wrapped building represents five mutually-supporting stones that house its components: a library, cinema, theater, great hall, a four-gallery museum, a soaring tower dedicated to educational facilities, labs, studios and more, along with a creativity lab and the freestanding Energy Exhibit. A prominent and pioneering cultural center, Ithra is a platform for world-class exhibitions, performances, conferences, cinema and theatrical events. The award- winning center was honored by TIME magazine as “one of the greatest 100 places in the world to visit."
Ithra is dedicated to fostering the Saudi creative and cultural industries as well as acting as a cross-cultural window to act both as a global platform for talent from the Islamic World and a source of curated international experiences for regional audiences. Ithra's museum features two galleries dedicated to Saudi and Islamic culture. The most recent edition of Ithra's Islamic Art Conference featured renowned international speakers, workshops, demonstrations and 11 exhibitions on the theme "In Praise of the Artisan" - a deep dive into the evolving Islamic arts landscape and a call to action for supporting traditional craft professions.

Mr. Khalidi was the Research Coordinator at MAS (2016-Nov 2019). He previously worked at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 1985 to 2013, and was the Coordinator of its Program of Assistance to the Palestinian people from 2000 to 2006. He spent his last 5 years at UNCTAD as the head of the Office of the Director of the Division of Globalization and Development Strategies, which led UNCTAD’s response to the global economic crisis and its participation in the G-20 process. He was also a consultative member of the Welfare Association (Taawon), a founding member of the Family Relief Fund in Palestine (Geneva), and a member of the MAS Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2013.