RIYADH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal recently ordered Taif Mayor Mohammed bin Abdulrahman to honor a Syrian family for replanting seedlings uprooted in a public park in the city.

Speaking on behalf of the Makkah governor, the Taif mayor said Imad Eddin Alzenabili and his family were honored so that they would serve as a good example for others in the Kingdom to follow.“Besides, planting trees to conserve the environment is also in accordance with the directives of the Saudi leadership headed by Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Salman,” the mayor said. He thanked Alzenabili and his family on behalf of Prince Khaled, who is also an adviser to King Salman.

For his part, Alzenabili expressed his “extreme happiness” to the Taif mayor and Makkah governor because his family had been able to restore what others had spoiled.

“On behalf of my family, I thank Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Taif Mayor Mohammed bin Abdulrahman for the honor. It’s something we never expected and therefore we’re greatly honored,” he said. He said that “what my family did was a small thing compared to what we have been enjoying, such as being able to live a normal and peaceful life in the Kingdom.” He added that “besides, what we did was one way of helping in the collective drive to preserve the environment for us and future generations. It’s also a good lesson to our children from their parents.”

“If and when we have the opportunity again, we would do more than what we did in replanting the trees as a way of repaying the Kingdom for giving us a home,” he said.