JIZAN: The Heritage Village at the Jizan Winter Festival – the region's own “mini-Janadriya” – is proving popular with visitors from Jizan, Abha, Khamis Mushayt and neighboring provinces, with 15,000 people joining in the celebration of Jizani culture over the first two days of the annual event. The Heritage Village's activities, which commence after Asr prayer, offer theater, fireworks, traditional food, and a host of other events. “We really didn't expect it to be this good,” said Ali Khalid who had brought his family along to the village. “With the buildings and the setting the whole place brings the region's history to life. All the sites and attractions make you want to explore Jizan more.” Sa'ad Al-Mansouri is also a first time visitor to the festival. “This is only going to be a beginning for me, I'm going to be making a lot more visits after all the amazing things I've seen in Jizan and Farsan that you can't find in any other region,” he said. The month-long festival was opened Thursday by the Emir of Jizan, Prince Muhammad Bin Nasser, who described the region as having “huge tourism potential”. This third year of the event saw the completion of the second stage of plans for the Heritage Village, which now boasts a media center, two mountain houses, a traditional market and restaurant, a women's restaurant, and a handcraft exhibition.
