RIYADH, 23 February 2006 — Among the most popular pavilions at the Janadriya Heritage and Culture Festival is the “Madinah Village.”
Madinah itself has a special place in the hearts of Muslims, being the city whose residents welcomed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he came there from Makkah. It is in this city that a new chapter in Islamic history began; it is also where the Prophet is buried along with his trusted companions.
Madinah was known as Yathrib before Islam. People belonging to various tribes in the Arabian Peninsula began to move to the city in ancient times. Prominent tribes in Madinah when the Prophet came there were the Aws and the Khazraj, originally from Yemen.
Because the city attracts pilgrims from all over the world who come to visit the Prophet’s Mosque — Islam’s second holiest place — many local customs, dishes and traditions have their origins in distant lands and far away cultures.
Speaking to Arab News from the Madinah pavilion at the 21st Janadriya Festival, Malik Jabalawi, a district chief (umdah in Arabic) from the city, described its history, customs and unique features.
In addition to its religious significance, Madinah is known all over the Kingdom for the quality of its mint and dates. With its rich scent and size, the Madinah mint is sought by tea lovers everywhere.
As Jabalawi explained, “There are five kinds of mint grown in Madinah: Maghrabi, Alhassawi, Al-Doush, Al-Lammam and Al-Itra. There is also dried mint.”
Mint of such high quality is found nowhere else in the Kingdom and at the entrance to the pavilion, visitors are offered mint tea as way of welcoming them.
Jabalawi said, “People think that the mint for sale in the festival is grown here. Let me assure you that that is not correct. Every day there is a flight from Madinah to Riyadh and it brings a shipment of fresh Madinah mint.”
Different kinds of dates have been grown in Madinah since the beginning of recorded history. Madinah dates are among the richest in the world and they are exported to many countries.
“We have over 40 kinds of dates from Madinah at the festival,” Jabalawi said. Among the most famous are Al-Ajwa, Al-Safawi, Al-Mabroom and Al-Sagei. Free samples of the dates are offered to visitors to the pavilion.
Madinah is also known for its dugga — a mixture of spices used for seasoning. Its composition varies from place to place and sometimes from house to house.
Some of Madinah’s local dishes and delicacies are also on offer; manto and yaghmush are two popular ones. Yaghmush consists of minced meat, tomatoes and flour and is steamed in a pot. The residents of Madinah say it came to the city hundreds of years ago from Central Asia. Other famous dishes are biryani, Kabuli rice, Bukhari rice and saleeg.
A bread that Madinah is famous for is tamees, which is baked in a round oven. Nowadays Afghan bakers make the bread in most cities of the Kingdom. Tamees was brought to Hejaz by Central Asian Muslims hundreds of years ago.
Among the famous traditional dances in Madinah is the “mizmar” which is regularly performed at the festival by dancers wearing traditional costumes and waving the traditional mizmar stick.
Asked about traditional clothing in Madinah, Jabalawi said it consisted of a ghabana which is a cloth wrapped around the head like a turban which then sits on a hat. Then comes the sudairiah which is a kind of vest. At the waist is the buksha which is like a large belt with inside pockets for carrying money.
Jabalawi hoped that officials would invite those in the pavilion to represent Saudi Arabia and its traditions at other national and international expositions.
