National Identity in the Vision 2030 Framework
Vision 2030 is frequently characterised through its economic ambitions: non-oil GDP, foreign direct investment, giga-projects, and sovereign wealth. Yet embedded within the blueprint’s first pillar, “A Vibrant Society,” is a priority that addresses something more fundamental than economics: the preservation and promotion of Saudi national identity and cultural heritage. This priority proceeds from a conviction that modernisation and cultural continuity are not opposing forces but mutually reinforcing imperatives, and that a society confident in its heritage is better equipped to navigate the disruptions of rapid economic transformation.
For Saudi Arabia, national identity draws from multiple sources: the Islamic faith that anchors the state’s legitimacy, the Arabic language that serves as a vessel for both religious and literary tradition, the tribal and regional cultures that compose the Kingdom’s social fabric, and the historical narrative of unification that gives the modern state its founding story. Vision 2030 does not treat these elements as static inheritances to be passively maintained. Instead, it subjects them to the same logic of strategic planning, institutional investment, and measurable outcomes that governs the Kingdom’s industrial and economic priorities.
The Ministry of Culture
The establishment of the Ministry of Culture in 2018, carved out from the former Ministry of Culture and Information, marked a watershed moment for cultural policy in Saudi Arabia. For the first time, culture received dedicated ministerial representation, signalling that the state viewed cultural development as a governance priority commensurate with health, education, or industry.
Under the leadership of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, the Ministry has pursued an ambitious agenda that spans heritage preservation, arts development, creative industry cultivation, and international cultural diplomacy. The Ministry’s founding represented more than bureaucratic reorganisation. It was an institutional declaration that Saudi Arabia intended to actively shape its cultural landscape rather than leave it to organic forces or relegate it to a subordinate function within a broader information ministry.
The Ministry’s strategic framework identifies culture as both an intrinsic good and an economic asset. Cultural and creative industries contribute to GDP, generate employment, attract tourism, and enhance the Kingdom’s international reputation. This dual framing, culture as identity and culture as economy, pervades the Ministry’s approach and distinguishes it from narrower conceptions of cultural policy that treat heritage preservation and economic development as separate domains.
The Eleven Cultural Commissions
Perhaps the most structurally significant innovation in Saudi cultural governance has been the creation of eleven specialised cultural commissions, each tasked with developing and regulating a distinct cultural sector. This commission-based architecture distributes expertise and accountability across the full spectrum of cultural activity, avoiding the institutional bottleneck that occurs when a single ministry attempts to manage every dimension of cultural policy.
The Saudi Heritage Commission oversees the identification, documentation, preservation, and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Its remit extends from archaeological sites and historic buildings to traditional crafts, oral traditions, and cultural practices. The commission manages the Kingdom’s relationship with UNESCO on heritage matters and coordinates the nomination of sites for World Heritage List inscription.
The Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission cultivates the Saudi literary ecosystem, supporting authors, publishers, and translators while promoting Saudi literature internationally. Its initiatives include book fairs, literary prizes, translation grants, and programmes designed to increase reading rates among the Saudi population.
The Saudi Film Commission has overseen the dramatic opening of the Saudi cinema and film production sector since the lifting of the cinema ban in 2018. The commission provides filming permits, production incentives, training programmes, and international co-production frameworks. Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a filming location and its growing domestic cinema market represent one of the most visible cultural transformations under Vision 2030.
The Music Commission supports the development of the Saudi music scene across genres, from traditional forms to contemporary production. Its work includes concert licensing, artist development, music education advocacy, and the documentation of the Kingdom’s rich musical heritage.
The Architecture and Design Commission addresses the built environment as a cultural expression, promoting design excellence in Saudi architecture while preserving architectural heritage. The commission engages with urban planning, public space design, and the integration of Saudi aesthetic sensibilities into contemporary building practice.
The Fashion Commission positions Saudi Arabia within the global fashion industry, supporting Saudi designers, hosting fashion events, and cultivating a domestic fashion ecosystem that draws on Saudi textile traditions while engaging with international markets.
The Culinary Arts Commission documents and promotes Saudi culinary heritage while supporting the development of the Kingdom’s food and hospitality sector. Traditional Saudi cuisine, long underrepresented in the global culinary conversation, has received increasing international recognition through the commission’s efforts.
The remaining commissions cover visual arts, performing arts, museums, and libraries, completing a comprehensive institutional infrastructure that touches every major dimension of cultural expression. Each commission operates with a degree of autonomy within the Ministry of Culture’s overarching strategic framework, allowing for sector-specific expertise and responsiveness.
Arabic Language Preservation and Promotion
The Arabic language occupies a position of singular importance within Saudi national identity. As the language of the Quran, the medium of classical Islamic scholarship, and the living tongue of the Kingdom’s population, Arabic is simultaneously a religious, literary, and civic institution. Vision 2030 recognises that the vitality of the Arabic language cannot be taken for granted in an era of globalisation, digital communication, and the dominance of English in science, technology, and business.
The Arabic Language Academy, along with various initiatives housed within the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, pursues a multi-pronged approach to language preservation. Programmes include the development of Arabic-language digital content, the support of Arabic computational linguistics and natural language processing, the promotion of Arabic calligraphy as a living art form, the creation of Arabic-medium cultural programming, and the integration of Arabic literary heritage into educational curricula.
Calligraphy holds particular significance. Arabic calligraphy is recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and the Kingdom has invested in calligraphy training, exhibitions, and public art installations that maintain this tradition as a visible presence in contemporary Saudi life. The Year of Arabic Calligraphy initiative brought nationwide attention to the art form, commissioning public works, workshops, and educational programmes across the Kingdom.
The challenge is nuanced. The goal is not linguistic isolationism but a bilingual confidence that allows Saudi citizens to engage fluently with the global economy while maintaining Arabic as the primary language of cultural expression, public life, and intellectual discourse. The Ministry of Education’s ongoing curriculum reforms reflect this balance, strengthening Arabic language instruction while expanding English-language competency.
Heritage Preservation Beyond the Built Environment
Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage extends far beyond buildings and archaeological sites. The Kingdom’s intangible cultural heritage, encompassing traditional music, dance, poetry, craftsmanship, storytelling, and social practices, represents a living repository of identity that is particularly vulnerable to the rapid social changes accompanying Vision 2030.
The Saudi Heritage Commission has undertaken a systematic programme of intangible heritage documentation, drawing on ethnographic research, oral history collection, and community engagement. Traditional practices such as the Ardah sword dance, the art of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri wall painting (inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), and the traditions of Saudi coffee preparation and hospitality have been formally recognised and promoted.
Regional cultural diversity is a particular emphasis. The Kingdom’s thirteen administrative regions each maintain distinct cultural traditions, from the maritime heritage of the Eastern Province and the architectural styles of the Asir region to the pastoral traditions of the northern borderlands and the Hejazi cultural forms of the western coast. The commission’s approach treats this regional diversity as a national asset, resisting the homogenising tendencies that rapid urbanisation and media saturation can produce.
National Pride and Civic Identity
Beyond heritage preservation, this priority encompasses the cultivation of national pride among Saudi citizens, particularly among the youth who constitute the demographic majority. Saudi National Day celebrations, the Saudi Founding Day commemorating the establishment of the first Saudi state, and various national commemorative events have been expanded and reimagined under Vision 2030.
The Green Saudi Initiative and other environmental programmes have been framed partly through the lens of national identity, connecting environmental stewardship to a sense of responsibility for the Kingdom’s natural landscape. Sports programmes, from the hosting of international sporting events to the development of grassroots athletics, contribute to national pride and civic engagement.
Museums and cultural institutions play a central role. The planned development of new national museums, the expansion of existing institutions, and the creation of cultural districts within major cities aim to provide physical spaces where Saudi citizens can engage with their heritage and contemporary cultural production. The Diriyah Gate development, centred on the UNESCO-listed birthplace of the Saudi state, represents the most ambitious expression of this approach, combining heritage preservation with hospitality, retail, and cultural programming.
International Cultural Diplomacy
The cultivation of national identity has an external dimension. Saudi Arabia has pursued an increasingly active cultural diplomacy strategy, participating in international art biennales, hosting cultural festivals, lending artefacts to major global museums, and establishing cultural exchange programmes with countries across the world. The AlUla development, anchored by the partnership with France’s Agence Francaise pour le Developpement d’AlUla (AFALULA), exemplifies this approach, combining archaeological preservation with international cultural collaboration.
These efforts serve a dual purpose: projecting a modern, culturally rich image of the Kingdom to international audiences while creating opportunities for Saudi artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners to engage with global peers and institutions.
Strategic Assessment
The national identity and cultural heritage priority occupies a distinctive position within Vision 2030. It is simultaneously the most intangible of the Kingdom’s strategic priorities and one of the most institutionally developed, with a dedicated ministry, eleven specialised commissions, and substantial budgetary commitment. The speed with which Saudi Arabia has built its cultural governance infrastructure since 2018 is remarkable, moving from minimal institutional capacity to a comprehensive ecosystem in less than a decade.
The challenges ahead are less about institution-building, where considerable progress has been achieved, and more about depth and sustainability. Cultural transformation cannot be mandated from above; it requires the organic participation of communities, artists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. The commission structure provides the institutional framework, but the vibrancy of Saudi cultural life will ultimately depend on the degree to which Saudi citizens embrace and contribute to the cultural ecosystem that Vision 2030 has created.
For a nation undergoing transformation at the pace and scale that Saudi Arabia has chosen, the deliberate investment in national identity and cultural heritage is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is a strategic necessity, providing the social cohesion, historical continuity, and collective confidence that make rapid modernisation sustainable over the long term.