I would like to use the opportunity of Al-Ahsa Investment Forum that will be organized by the Chamber of Commerce next week under the patronage of Prince Saud Bin Naif Bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Eastern Province, to demand boosting and providing reasonable investment funds to transform Al-Ahsa into a regional world-class tourist attraction. Al-Ahsa is considered to be one of the richest regions in the Kingdom, rich in history and heritage that stretches for thousands of years, both before and after the Islamic era. This area, indeed, can be transformed into a regional world-class tourist attraction because of its extraordinary historical and cultural landmarks and natural resources. The mix between history and culture can be comingled and presented to tourists in support of the Kingdom's efforts to develop a tourism's economy which is currently limited to religious areas in Makkah and Madinah and some other historical places such as Madain Saleh and the city of Dir'iya near Riyadh. Last week I decided to travel with some friends to Al-Ahsa region to visit its famous attractions and historical places like the ancient Mosque of Jowatha, Ottoman castles, historical religious schools and mosques in the old district of Al-Koot. Al-Koot was the historical center of the province and headquarters of the government and religious authority. I was pleased to see quite a good number of foreign tourists, but I was quite dismayed by the relatively low standards of these tourist places. What we saw by far does not represent the historical importance of Al-Ahsa province and the cultural as well traditional image of our beloved country. We also visited several historical places that have existed for several hundreds of years and found them completely empty of life and soul. For example, the Ibrahim Pasha Palace in Al-Koot, the center of government in the Ottoman era, we found that, despite the rehabilitation efforts made by the Tourism Authority, it has only empty walls and rooms that give no indications of any civilization and historical events. The foreign tourists I mentioned earlier were just watching the walls and rooms of the palace without any meaning because there were no English quotations or remarks to give them an idea of what these were all about. Other ancient palaces and castles were either closed or deserted. The school of dome which was founded in 1609 has been restored but was not open to visitors. Old religious schools in Al-Koot and Al-Na'thil districts unfortunately have been abandoned or deserted. These schools were one day packed with students touring the Al-Ahsa province to learn about Islam from all places in the Arabian Peninsula. While walking around, we were imagining the life back then in this strategic central historical district and wondering at the same time how did we lose this great heritage? Similar things can be said about other great places such as the first government-established school in this city that was well restored but also closed to visitors. The popular flea markets in the city of Hufuf and surrounding villages lack proper management and, most importantly, hygiene. The same story can be said for other attractions such as the Jawtah mosque, the Yellow lake, the many famous natural springs and the mounting of Qarah, among others. I must mention here some commendable efforts by the Tourism Authority such as the restoration of the house of Allegiance, which hosted His Majesty King Abdul Aziz and his delegate when the people of Al-Ahsa gave their allegiance to the King and he accepted his role over the province. The house lack a parking lot, reception area and most importantly translation of the posted historical events. And let's no forget the historic port of Uqair and its development plans which, as announced earlier, will transform this historical port into a world-class sea-side attraction. I urged a speedy implementation of these plans and, with emphasis on excellence, in the maintenance of this port as a historical and cultural heritage after a proper design. In conclusion, I urge the Tourism Authority and the businessmen who will be attending the investment forum to focus on the tourism sector of this region and study the feasibility of rehabilitating and restoring the entire old district of Al-Koot as well as the other tourist attractions in the area into an attractive tourist landmark and promote its great history and culture to support the economy of this blessed region. — Dr. Sami Alnuaim is a Saudi writer. He can be reached at www.saudienergy.net and followed on Twitter@neaimsa
