RIYADH, 24 February 2005 — A spectacular camel race and an enchanting opera presented by well-known Saudi singers and folklore troops marked the opening of the annual Janadriya Heritage and Culture Festival yesterday.
Crown Prince Abdullah declared the festivities open at a colorful ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries including Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad and Sheikh Saeed ibn Zayed of the United Arab Emirates.
The weeklong festival, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s culture and traditions and highlighting its solid Islamic principles, includes a number of cultural programs and a Qur’an and Sunnah contest named after Prince Abdullah.
The camel race was one of the main events on the first day. After the first round, Prince Abdullah distributed prizes to the first five winners.
The first three winners received special gifts sent by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan.
The Camel “Al-Sanafi” of Aziz ibn Hamed Al-Qurashi finished first in the race while “La-Lil-Erhab or No to Terrorism” of Prince Abdul Majeed won the second prize. Mozhan, also belonging to Qurashi, “Manha” of Shaaf Al-Dossari, and “Muhajem” of Fahd Al-Subaie finished third, fourth and fifth.
In his welcome address, Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard for military affairs, urged all Saudis to stand united in the fight against terrorism.
“We’ll all stand in one rank and with a single mind against the terrorists who want to undermine our country’s security and stability,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying. Prince Miteb commended Saudis for providing a strong backing to the security forces that have been instrumental in tracking down terrorists.
The opening ceremony also witnessed the honoring by the crown prince of Saudi poet Abdullah ibn Ali Al-Jeshi and the late Saudi businessman Sheikh Ismail Abu Dawood as both were awarded the King Abdul Aziz medals of the first order. Prince Miteb, who received the posthumous award for Sheikh Abu Dawood, will present it to the late businessman’s sons later.
Prince Miteb said the Janadriya festival had hosted more than 125 seminars in addition to 45 lectures on regional and international topics and 40 poetic sessions over the past years.
Janadriya, which is located about 45 kilometers north of Riyadh, has become a village of Saudi heritage, he said. “Many institutions representing the Kingdom’s heritage and culture have been established here. There are popular souks displaying handicrafts and traditional products from different regions,” he said.
Prince Miteb, who is deputy chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee, also underscored the festival’s efforts in promoting women’s cultural and intellectual activities. “We have invited a large number of internationally-known political, cultural and intellectual personalities,” he said, adding that the number of foreign participants had reached 3,000.
Abdul Rahman Suwar Al-Dahab, former Sudanese president, who spoke on behalf of foreign guests, said Janadriya has become one of the major annual cultural events in the Arab world.
“Knowledge and Development” is the title of the festival’s seminar, which will be attended by 50 scholars and intellectuals from within and outside the Kingdom.
