AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities
The festival provides date farmers with an opportunity to showcase their products to buyers and investors from within the Kingdom and around the world. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 19 September 2024
Follow

AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

ALULA: The AlUla Dates Festival Auction enters its second week on Friday as the annual event gets into full swing.

Organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla in partnership with government and private entities, the weekly auctions are held near Al-Iskan Stadium, south of AlUla, and run until Nov. 9.

The festival provides date farmers with an opportunity to showcase their products to buyers and investors from within the Kingdom and around the world. It also aligns with AlUla Vision and Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to establish the Kingdom as the world’s leading exporter of dates.

Farmers taking part in the festival are also competing for the AlUla Auction Award for Dates 2024, which offers a prize of SR75,000 ($20,000) to the winner, SR50,000 to the runner-up and SR30,000 for third place.

The winners will be chosen based on the quantity and value of their sales and other criteria.


AlUla dates auction bears fruitful results

AlUla dates auction bears fruitful results
Updated 17 sec ago
Follow

AlUla dates auction bears fruitful results

AlUla dates auction bears fruitful results

RIYADH: Farmers at AlUla Dates Auction in northwestern Saudi Arabia are moving date boxes from the bottom to the top to encourage buyers to trust the quality of the goods exhibited and the cleanliness of their harvest.

One farmer said that a batch of dates he sold earlier retailed for roughly SR3 (80 cents) less than the projected price for a kilogram, but he was pleased to later sell another type of dates for SR7 ($1.87) more a kilogram.

Many farmers transport ripe dates at the end of summer to the market square while specialized transport companies manage exports to major cities and outside of the Kingdom.

Saud Al-Anzi, another farmer, pointed to two piles of date boxes on either side of the market, one of which had been sold at auction while the other awaited its turn.

He anticipated a fair price of about SR10 a kilogram for his premium variety, known as “berni,” but the auction surprised him shortly afterwards with a price about SR4 higher.

Omar Al-Balawi, the general supervisor of AlUla Dates Auction, told Arab News that the auction was established to root the market value of AlUla dates and enhance their competitiveness after farmers previously traveled long distances to other markets, especially in Madinah, which is about 350 km from their farms in the northern province of the Madinah region.

He said that several gains have been achieved for both farmers and buyers, raising the quality of the varieties and ensuring fair prices.

AlUla Date Auction is continuing its events as part of the “Date Season” during the Fridays and Saturdays of September and October, having been extended for an additional two weeks to allow distant farms in the province to participate in the auction and provide an opportunity for their dates to ripen.

The Royal Commission for AlUla, in collaboration with several government and private entities, organized the auction at Al-Iskan playground south of AlUla until Nov. 9.

The auction allows AlUla farmers to showcase their date products to buyers and investors from within and outside the Kingdom.

The auction establishes competitiveness for AlUla dates in local, regional and global markets, in line with AlUla Vision, which aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aimed at enhancing the Kingdom’s role to become the largest exporter of dates worldwide.

As part of the festival, AlUla Date Auction 2024 Award will be held for participating farmers in the festival auction, where the first-place winner will be awarded SR75,000 ($20,000), the second 50,000 ($13,300), and the third 30,000 ($8,000).

Winners will be selected on specific criteria related to the quantity and total value of sales.


Shear brilliance — former footballer shows cutting-edge skills as hairstylist

Shear brilliance — former footballer shows cutting-edge skills as hairstylist
Updated 6 min 16 sec ago
Follow

Shear brilliance — former footballer shows cutting-edge skills as hairstylist

Shear brilliance — former footballer shows cutting-edge skills as hairstylist
  • Feras Al-Zahrani is proving no profession is off-limits under Vision 2030

JEDDAH: He used to show off his fancy footwork on the football field, but now he wields the tools that keep current Saudi players looking stylish on and off the pitch. Inspired by Saudi Vison 2030’s goal to expand horizons for all, Feras Al-Zahrani is challenging cultural perceptions around “suitable jobs for Saudis.”

Driven by a desire to learn, study and improve from a young age, he graduated from high school and worked in the private sector where low-income jobs included a spell as a security officer.

Now he is based at Relax Station Salon in Jeddah where, when Arab News arrived to interview him, he was still wearing the black surgical gloves from his last customer’s haircut.

During the few minutes he had to spare before his next appointment, he said he disagreed with the sentiment that Saudi men should not work certain jobs.

“The doors to livelihood are open in all fields, and people should not be ashamed of their profession, as long as they practice it, love it and it generates an income for them,” he told Arab News, discussing the stigma surrounding low-income jobs.

“Some ideas must change. We are going through the Vision 2030 era in which energies and competencies must be invested. Society does not only want engineers, doctors and pilots; society needs all its worker components.”

Al-Zahrani wears many hats. He was a footballer before he became a hairstylist, playing for Al-Wehda in Makkah and Al-Rabea. “Football was my passion and (I) was hoping one day to be a famous football player. Unfortunately, I suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which effectively stopped me playing football,” he explained.

Looking for other career options, he enrolled on a hairstyling course at Enayat Company.

“They had an ad asking for young Saudis interested in learning to become a hairstylist,” he said. “As a former football player, we were very concerned about our hairstyles. So that’s why I became obsessed with hair, and I told myself this is what I want to be. I understood this is the thing that I need to do. I thought it was an incredible plan to break the unthinkable of being a hairstylist in Saudi Arabia.”

Al-Zahrani said it took a year of training to learn how to cut and style hair, along with grooming techniques for shaving, facial treatments, and head massage.

“It is a really difficult profession, and it is not what people think,” he said, adding that he set up a salon in his room once he was skilled enough: “I practiced with my relatives and friends who took the risk to volunteer as clients … cutting their hair is how I began to work. Then, I began searching for a job.”

For the past six years, the 32-year-old has been growing his clientele. Then, at the start of this year, Al-Zahrani received a call from Saeed Al-Mubarki, owner of Relax Station Salon, who offered him a job.

Al-Mubarki said: “I heard about Al-Zahrani from my friends and when I saw his work, I was very impressed to see a Saudi with such skills. I got him an offer and, since he joined our team, he has proven himself. Now he has his own customers who come especially for him.”

Al-Mubarki added: “It is our duty to support young Saudis and if we see more talents, we will no doubt hire them.”

For Al-Zahrani, being a hairstylist is more than a job — it is an artform.

“Seeing people leave happy has become the part of my job I like the most. If they like the haircut and feel comfortable, I am happy,” he said.

One of his colleagues, Abdul Raheem Al-Bualali from Agadir in Morocco, praised his skills and said: “To be honest with you I had never see a Saudi working as a barber, but I was impressed with Al-Zahrani’s ability to handle the scissor and we are happy to share our experience with him.”

Al-Zahrani is known for his precise haircuts for football players and celebrities such as Salman Al-Dossary, Saudi Abdulhameed, Saleh Al-Shihri, and Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

He told Arab News: “I am so proud to be engaged with such big names in football. I got involved with them through word of mouth or through friends who recommended me to these stars. My work still continued with them and they became close to me after they have tried my hair cuts.”

His dream now is to open his own salon and his advice to Saudi youths is to be open to work in any profession.

“To survive in this world, they have to work as a barber or a mechanic or a baggage porter or anything else. There is nothing to be ashamed of as long as they preserve their dignity and make a living,” he said.


Saudi FM participates in G20 ministerial meeting in New York

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New York on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New York on Wednesday. (SPA)
Updated 27 min 23 sec ago
Follow

Saudi FM participates in G20 ministerial meeting in New York

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New York on Wednesday. (SPA)
  • Kingdom’s foreign minister also took part in a ministerial meeting between Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in a meeting of G20 foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

During a speech, the minister stressed the urgent need to adhere to successful models of collective action and the importance of seeking to develop and reform international institutions, Saudi Press Agency reported.

“The repercussions of wars and political conflicts undermine efforts to establish international peace and security, and cast their shadows on all aspects of multilateral action.

“When these institutions fail to carry out their basic duties towards these crises, this creates a gap in international action and a crisis of confidence that undermines their legitimacy, and this is what we are witnessing today in the way some international institutions deal with the humanitarian disaster in Palestine,” Prince Faisal said.

The minister stressed that prolonging and expanding the war in Gaza will deepen the suffering of the Palestinian people, threaten international peace and security, and undermine the chances of achieving comprehensive peace in the region.

“G20 countries must intensify their joint efforts to overcome the international failure to confront Israel’s serious violations of international laws and norms, and enable the achievement of a ceasefire and the adoption of a reliable and irreversible path to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” Prince Faisal said.

The foreign ministers of GCC countries and the US pose for a photo in New York on Wednesday. (SPA)

The Kingdom’s foreign minister also took part in a ministerial meeting between Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US on Wednesday.

Participants in the meeting discussed ways to enhance partnership and cooperation between the council and the US. Regional issues of common interest including the current situations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon were also discussed.


Saudi crown prince receives written message from Jordan’s king

Message was received by Saudi deputy foreign minister during a meeting with Jordan’s ambassador to Kingdom.
Message was received by Saudi deputy foreign minister during a meeting with Jordan’s ambassador to Kingdom.
Updated 25 September 2024
Follow

Saudi crown prince receives written message from Jordan’s king

Message was received by Saudi deputy foreign minister during a meeting with Jordan’s ambassador to Kingdom.
  • Al-Khuraiji and Abu Al-Foul reviewed Saudi-Jordanian relations and ways to support and enhance them in various fields

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a written message from Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday relating to relations between their countries.

The message was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji during a meeting with Jordan’s ambassador to the Kingdom Haitham Abu Al-Foul in Riyadh.

Al-Khuraiji and Abu Al-Foul reviewed Saudi-Jordanian relations and ways to support and enhance them in various fields. They also discussed topics of common interest.


Reconnect and revitalize: AlUla Wellness Festival returns in October

Reconnect and revitalize: AlUla Wellness Festival returns in October
Updated 25 September 2024
Follow

Reconnect and revitalize: AlUla Wellness Festival returns in October

Reconnect and revitalize: AlUla Wellness Festival returns in October
  • AlUla Wellness Festival program features a series of immersive retreats, unique wellness activities, and celebrity-led workshops
  • Some of the highlights include the Five Senses Sanctuary, where visitors can engage in meditation, yoga, and mindfulness sessions led by world-class experts

JEDDAH: The AlUla Wellness Festival is returning from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2, inviting relaxation seekers, nature lovers, and free-spirited individuals to join a like-minded community for an expanded schedule of activities amid the stunning scenery of AlUla.

For centuries, AlUla has served as a haven for renewal, reflection, and personal development, benefiting both residents and travelers.

This year, the festival celebrates and revives this legacy, offering visitors the opportunity to indulge their senses in harmony with nature.

The AlUla Wellness Festival program features a series of immersive retreats, unique wellness activities, and celebrity-led workshops.

Some of the highlights include the Five Senses Sanctuary, where visitors can engage in meditation, yoga, and mindfulness sessions led by world-class experts.

The All Day I Dream music concert is an immersive experience that brings music, art, and community together through carefully curated melodic and soulful tunes.

The Hegra Sound Bath allows nature lovers to recharge under the bright moonlight with holistic sound therapy that combines yoga for all levels with soothing tunes.

Guests can explore a diverse array of healing experiences and embark on a profound journey of self-discovery through mindfulness practices, bodywork, art therapy, and more.

As the largest wellness festival of its kind in the Middle East, the AlUla Wellness Festival offers a stimulating yet blissful escape from urban life, immersing visitors in holistic living, life-changing practices, adventure activities, and a spirit of community.

Tickets will go on sale soon, with further news and updates to follow in due course. For more information, visit experiencealula.com.

The AlUla Wellness Festival is part of the AlUla Moments Calendar, which features five major festivals, each offering unique experiences in art, culture, music, nature, and wellness.

Other highlights include Winter at Tantora, the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, the AlUla Skies Festival, the AlUla Arts Festival, AZIMUTH, Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, and heritage events blending fashion, adventure, and sports.