Work in progress Monday to prepare for the opening of Souk Okaz Festival in Taif next week. The Souk, located some 40 km north of Taif amidst rolling desert plains, is the re-birth of an ancient Arabian economic and cultural festival dating back to Pre-Islamic times. Arab traders and Bedouins would bring their goods, including perfumes, spices, rugs and handicrafts to sell at the market. Arabs from all parts of the Arabian Peninsula would meet at Souk Okaz to compete and select the best poet. The poet represented the individual tribe's prestige and importance.
