Home decor items and furniture on sale at the shopping festival in Dammam. (Saudi Gazette photo by Faisal Aboobacker Ponnani)DAMMAM: Thousands of visitors have been flocking to a spring charity festival being held at an open area near Dhahran-Khobar Highway, in the Abdullah Fouad area in Dammam. The tented pavilions are a major attraction, especially for families, because they can buy certain items not available at normal markets. Clothes, abayas, toys, gift items, blankets, antiques, kitchen utensils and cleaning equipment, accessories for women and children, traditional Saudi clothes, dried herbs with medicinal qualities are all on sale at the festival. The authorities have arranged a special play area to keep children entertained while their parents stroll around the pavilions. Syrian traditional items such as sun dried figs, rose petal jam, various berry jams, and olives are a major attraction at the festival. Mustafa, who sells such items, told Saudi Gazette that many of his customers are from various Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. “Syrian olives and dried figs are very popular and these items are in great demand. This time, many people are buying our home made jams made of fresh rose petals and apricots,” he said. Mustafa, who is from Syria, said he was happy at the response from customers. Abu Omer, a Saudi national, said: “Traditional items of many Arab countries are on sale here like Yemeni honey, Egyptian confectionary, Syrian food items, Saudi dates and other herbs. Many of these items are available in the Kingdom only at these exhibitions and that is the main reason why I try to visit here as many times as possible.” Exhibition organizers said that due to the huge turnout, they have extended the festival until the end of March.
