FOR thousands of years, the Arabian Peninsula remained a confluence of many civilizations. Many events that had taken place in the Arabian Peninsula in the distant and recent past, left a deep impact on the entire world.
Saudi Arabia constitutes the major part of the peninsula. And when King Abdul Aziz founded the modern day Saudi Arabia in 1932, the Kingdom became very influential around the world and emerged as a key player in global events. Discovery of oil in 1938 transformed the country to a modern state and with it many of the old ways of life in the Kingdom began to disappear and become unknown to the new generation. Saudi Arabia has modernized so rapidly that the youths appear to be completely unaware of the ways of life of their not-so-distant ancestors.
During the transformation of life in Saudi Arabia, many individuals began collecting artifacts, photos, books and some archaeological pieces that depicted the lifestyle before the discovery of oil. Many of the Saudi heritage sites had started to disappear and small-scattered efforts by individuals would only have a capacity to cover one area of the vast Kingdom. It was in the mid 1980s that Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah (then crown prince) took the initiative to organize a heritage festival, which was named Al-Janadriyah. The Saudi National Guard would organize the festival. The first festival was held in 1985 and people attended the event in droves from all across the Kingdom. The festival covered all areas of the Kingdom and it included many activities such as camel racing, folk poetry sessions and the unique heritage of all regions of the Kingdom.
Later, other countries were invited to participate and with the participations of Arab and western countries, the festival saw a unique exhibition of life in the past and modern day technologies. Each year, the festival would be given a title, which would reflect a major event that either took place at the time of the festival or in the past. More than a million people normally attend the 17-day festival, which takes place at a location 20 km outside Riyadh. This year’s festival — 29th of its series — was opened under the auspices of Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is this year’s guest of honor.
The festival has become a trademark of knowledge and entertainment for Saudis and expatriates living in the Kingdom. Preserving one’s heritage is very important to teach the youths about their history. It is very informative for them to observe the lifestyle of their ancestor.
Each year, the festival acknowledges the contribution of some of its pioneers who helped build this country and who were part of the education drive in the Kingdom. Our youth must learn about their past through this festival so as to work hard for a better future.
