From 15 June to 31 August 2026, the exhibition “I Am a Rawi: Sharing Stories of AlUla” invites visitors into a living narrative of heritage told through the Rawis — AlUla’s storytellers and heritage interpreters. More than guardians of memory, the Rawis are active participants in fostering dialogue today, guiding visitors through encounters where history is not only told, but shared and experienced.
Through powerful photography and personal testimony, the exhibition reveals how dialogue and storytelling build bridges across cultures, connecting past and present, locals and visitors, tradition and contemporary life. Each image reflects a moment of exchange — where heritage offers a space for listening, understanding and human connection.
The exhibition forms part of a broader joint initiative between UNESCO and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) aimed at strengthening the role of heritage as a driver of intercultural dialogue and social cohesion.
At the heart of this collaboration is UNESCO’s Live Museum model, an innovative approach that transforms museums and heritage institutions worldwide into spaces of dialogue rather than passive observation. In AlUla, this model comes to life through the Rawis, who facilitate intercultural encounters between residents and visitors through “Swap a Story”, a local version of Live Museum.
The journey began in February 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, where six Rawis took part in an intercultural training week and co-designed the first prototypes of the Live Museum model. It has since evolved into real-life dialogue experiences in AlUla’s Old Town, where stories are exchanged, perspectives are shared, and intercultural understanding is deepened through direct human interaction and people-to-people learning.
Building on UNESCO’s Story Circles methodology, the Live Museum model offers a structured yet deeply human approach to dialogue. It positions heritage not only as something to preserve, but as something that actively connects people across differences, and is designed to be adopted by museums and heritage institutions worldwide as a model for exchange, understanding, and intercultural learning.
The exhibition “I Am a Rawi: Sharing Stories of AlUla” reflects UNESCO’s commitment to promoting heritage as a force for dialogue, inclusion, and peace, while highlighting the role of local communities in safeguarding and transmitting living heritage to future generations.
During the opening week, Rawis will guide visitors through the exhibition, offering a unique opportunity to experience AlUla’s storytelling traditions first-hand and to engage with UNESCO’s Live Museum model.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-brings-alulas-living-heritage-paris-photo-exhibition-capturing-how-heritage-comes-life?hub=701
