Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, giving away prizes to winners of the camel race held on the opening day of the National Heritage and Culture Festival in Janadriya on Wednesday. — SPA Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – Showcasing rich traditions and cultures of Saudi Arabia, the 29th annual Janadriya National Heritage and Culture Festival had a grand start in a colorful ceremony Wednesday afternoon. On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, opened the 17-day festival in the Janadriya village, 45 km north of Riyadh. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the ‘Guest of Honor' at the festival, organized by the Ministry of National Guard. The opening ceremony was attended by several prominent figures, including Sheikh Hamed Bin Zaid Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain; Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah, Minister of the National Guard; Prince Sultan Bin Salman, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities; Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Emir of Madinah. A large number of scholars, thinkers, intellectuals, poets, singers and artists from the Kingdom and abroad also attended the inaugural ceremony. The guests watched the start of the traditional grand camel race. Around 1,200 participants from the Kingdom and other Gulf states are participating in the four-day race. The inaugural ceremony also included speeches of prominent figures, besides, an operetta, staging of Ardha, and an event to honor prominent Saudi men of letters – Saad Al-Bawardi and Abdullah Shabat.
