JEDDAH — The 9th Annual Souk Okaz Festival showcasing the history and the cultures of the past will open Wednesday. The ten-day festival will include participation of storytellers, intellectuals, poets, academics, artists and traditional craftsmen from both the Kingdom and abroad.
The Souk, located some 40 km north of Taif is set amidst rolling desert plains, and represents a unique cultural experience in Saudi Arabia.
The Souk is designed to express the history and the cultures of the past, while reflecting the present day modern gloss, in which a visitor may find a paradox that combines modern technologies with past historical values.
The location has been carefully selected after extensive study of the mountains and surrounding valleys and comprehensive search of the available historical documents in order to locate the market and its precise settings on scientific grounds.
According to Abdullah Al-Sawat, director general of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in Taif, the commission and its partners are prepared for the festival, which include social events, heritage, sports and recreational programs in addition to many cultural activities that will entertain all segments of society.
He said SCTH organizes a number of activities in Souk Okaz and is considered as one of the major partners in the Souk along with other participants and partners in the event.
“SCTH plans to carry out remarkable and radical development in Souk Okaz site through establishing Souk Okaz Cultural City on an area of 12 million square meters,” Al Sawat said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdulaziz Banajah, head of the cultural committee, announced that visitors this year to Souk Okaz will enjoy a unique cultural background offered through series of lectures, seminars and events that brings to mind the glorious Arab past with the authentic heritage values, and especially the Al Mu'allaq't.
He added that each version of the Souk Okaz celebrates one of the poets of Al Mu'allaq't in an attempt to emphasize the importance of the role of culture in linking the past with the present.
The importance of the Souk lies in its historic symbolism as the original source of Arabic central culture, and as a destination for ancient Arab intellectuals and poets and people passionate about culture and literature. At the end of festivals, prizes are to be awarded to honor outstanding poets, craftsmen, folk artists, photographers, calligraphists, and painting and sculpture artists.
