RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah met with Indonesia’s Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in Jakarta on Monday.
During the meeting, the Saudi minister expressed his pride over the strong ties between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, highlighting the existing cultural cooperation and exchange across various cultural fields. The ministers discussed ways to expand participation in cultural events and further enhance collaboration in multiple areas of cultural exchange.
Prince Badr commended the ongoing cooperation between the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and several Indonesian museums through the loan of artworks featured in the latest edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in 2025. He also noted Indonesia’s participation in the Saudi International Handicrafts Week (Banan) in November 2025, as well as collaboration between the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language and a number of Indonesian universities in teaching Arabic.
During his current tour of Indonesia, Prince Badr visited the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday. The minister was accompanied by his Indonesian counterpart Fadli Zon. The museum, which is located in central Jakarta and supervised by the Indonesian Heritage Agency, is considered as an archaeological, historical, anthropological, and geographical museum.
The museum was established in 1868 and is the largest and oldest museum in Indonesia, and is one of the most prominent in the country and in Southeast Asia. It houses around 160,000 artifacts, including comprehensive collections of stone statues, extensive collections of Asian ceramics, and artifacts and artworks representing various civilizations and cultures that passed through the country, including Islamic civilization.
The minister of culture visited the National Gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta, where he met with Indonesian Heritage Agency Executive Director Indira Estiyanti Nurjadin.They discussed ongoing cultural cooperation and exchange between museum institutions in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia and explored opportunities to further strengthen collaboration between the National Gallery of Indonesia and the Museum of World Cultures in Saudi Arabia through the exchange of expertise and the establishment of long-term loan programs.
Prince Badr also toured the gallery, one of Indonesia’s leading cultural institutions. Established in 1999, it houses more than 1,700 works of art, including oil paintings, sculptures, and a wide range of visual artworks.
The gallery comprises several main halls, including a permanent exhibition that traces the chronological development of Indonesian art from the 19th century. It also features rotating temporary exhibitions showcasing local and international artists, alongside dedicated spaces for educational programming such as workshops and seminars.
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