Ithra

King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra Center, is a global cultural center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province. It aims to promote human development and sustainability through science and innovation. It was ranked among the top one-hundred greatest sites in the world for the year 2018 and is one of the recommended sites to visit, according to Time magazine. It welcomes approximately one million visitors annually.

Ithra Center seeks to achieve several goals in the field of knowledge by creating a positive and tangible impact on the progress of human development. It aims to ignite a passion for knowledge, creativity, and cultural exchange with the world, all for the future of the Kingdom.

Ithra, a project launched by Saudi Aramco, was introduced during the company's seventy-fifth anniversary as an extension of intellectual efforts in Saudi Arabia. It is located next to the site of the Prosperity Well, which was the first commercial oil well in the Kingdom. It aligns with the Kingdom's new direction of building a knowledge-based economy to reduce dependence on oil.

The establishment of Ithra was sponsored by two Kings of the Kingdom. The foundation stone of the project was laid by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in 2008, and it was inaugurated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, in 2016.

Ithra is considered one of the landmarks in the Eastern Province and is renowned for its distinctive architectural design. It is designed in a style and approach that deviates from traditional Saudi Arabian architecture. The construction of Ithra took over eight years to complete.

Ithar's building design relies on a flowing and curved style that avoids sharp angles. Its architectural structure is inspired by diverse rock formations that symbolize unity when brought together. Ithra was designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snoheta, winner of the 2016 Design Excellence Award and the American Concrete Institute Excellence Award in 2019, the highest award category at the Institute.

The Ithra building and its facilities cover an area of eighty thousand m2, with a modern four-story library. The Ithra Tower, comprising eighteen floors, features three levels dedicated to the Idea Lab, Energy Exhibit, and a museum with five exhibition halls. It also includes a cinema, a performing arts theater, the Great Hall, the Children's Museum, and an archive.