Prince Khaled opened the fourth annual fair on Tuesday.  The final day of the five-day event also witnessed two seminars. The first was chaired by Hashim Abdu Hashim under the theme “writers’ experiences.”

Abdul Wahid Luluah from Iraq and Qamasha Al-Olayan and Khaled Al-Yusuf of Saudi Arabia were some of the notable figures who participated in it.

The second seminar was organized by the Taif Literary Club and discussed the region’s economic history.

The event saw a number of competitions, especially in the production of handicrafts, including dress designing and embroidery.

“About 80 percent of the prizes in handicrafts were won by women,” said Saeed Al-Qahtani, supervisor of the National Project for the Development of Handicrafts at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).

He said that out of a total of 300 artisans from different Arab countries who attended the fair, 150 participated in the competitions, which carried prizes worth SR130,000.

Winning items have been retained by the SCTA and will be showcased in future exhibitions.

Next year’s festival will include a cultural exchange involving young male and female artists, and will be attended by a number of cultural ministers from several Arab countries. All activities will be carried out within the parameters of Islamic teachings.

The first day of the fair also saw the launch of a caravan of 30 jeeps and motorcycles that toured the province to promote domestic tourism and the Okaz fair, said Muhammad Al-Amri, executive director of the Tourism Development Department in Makkah province.

“The caravan started from Jeddah and ended at the Okaz fair. Food and accommodation for members of the caravan were arranged in collaboration with the governor of Taif,” he said.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the SCTA, highlighted the significance of the Okaz fair which he said will play a big role in boosting tourism in Taif and is important for Arabs who are interested in literature.

The prince also disclosed the commission's plan to promote the fair for various tourism investment projects.

The event is a replica of the pre-Islamic fair that used to take place in Al-Arfa area of Taif. The event, before Islam, used to be frequented by poets who would gather to recite Arabic poetry.