RIYADH, 19 December 2002 — The National Culture and Heritage Festival — Janadriya — will be opened on Jan. 8 at Janadriya village, 45 kilometers north of Riyadh.
This was announced by Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Subait, head of the festival’s executive committee at the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) here yesterday.
Addressing a press conference, Al-Subait said that this largest annual cultural event is likely to attract more than one million visitors.
SANG, Al-Subait said, has invited a large number of dignitaries, senior officials, men of letters and scholars besides poets and dancers from the Gulf states and abroad to participate in the festival. Folk dances and sword dances by troupes representing different Gulf states and various cultural regions of the Kingdom will be the main attraction for the visitors.
The two-week-long festival is being organized by SANG, a military and cultural establishment headed by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
SANG has been playing a major cultural role by organizing Janadariya festival in Riyadh every year. It has set up a number schools and training institutes across the Kingdom besides publishing two magazines and a host of religious, cultural and military books from time to time.
Referring to the events to be organized on the sidelines of the festival, Al-Subait said that they include a symposium on Islam and a camel race featuring more than 1,000 animals. Another symposium will be organized exclusively for women at King Abdul Aziz Library auditorium.
A poetry recitation session by famous poets, a book exhibition and a handicrafts show will also be held on the occasion.
