May 23-28, 2010- Nader Ardalan, Invited Speaker, Paper entitled: Luminous Thinking-
Architecture, Nature and Islamic Culture at the first international conference “ Urban Heritage in Islamic Countries: Its Role in Culture and Economic Development”, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Under the sponsorship of His Majesty the Custodian of the two Holly Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture & Information, King Saud University, the Heritage Foundation, the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA) in Istanbul, shall organize this first international conference .
SCTA is gathering world prominent leaders and pioneers in the field of architecture and urban heritage development and investment, including academics, professional societies and private sector firms as well as craftsmen dealing with the reconstruction and qualifying of heritage building & sites as an economic  components of modern urban and tourism development and as a cultural catalyst between cultures. Tourism and culture ministers and world organizations (UNESCO, UNWTO, OWHC, ICCROM etc) have been invited to attend and give speeches and presentations.