JEDDAH: Najran, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, is hosting a number of cultural and social events during the next few weeks.
The region has experienced attacks from Houthi militias across the border but now, however, it is once again business as usual.
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) has prepared archaeological and historic sites to receive visitors during the mid-semester break of the current academic year.
Several cultural and social activities will be taking place in the city, but the sites are expected to take the lion’s share of attention.
SCTNH General Director in Najran, Saleh Bin Mohammed Al-Moreeh, has confirmed that the area’s archaeological and historic sites will receive visitors, both local and foreign, during this year’s mid-semester break.
The most famous archaeological site is Al-Ukhdud and the most popular markets are in the historic district of Aba Al-Saud. There are, according to Al-Moreeh, other interesting archaeological and historic sites outside the city. He said that SCTNH staff was assigned to receive visitors and give them information about the sites.
“Working hours will be in two shifts: Mornings starting at 9 a.m. and evenings starting at 4 p.m.,” Al-Moreeh said.
As part of the celebrations in Najran, the Ministry of Culture and Information’s Najran branch is sponsoring the “Family and Community” festival at Rihana Mall.
The festival includes both cultural and social activities in addition to special areas dedicated to “productive families” and social development projects. There is also a theater for families and children.
In a separate event, the Najran Culture and Arts Association recently held a three-day workshop for women entitled, “How to Design and Implement Training Programs.” The aim of the workshop was to acquaint women with the concept and elements of designing training programs and choosing appropriate methods of training. In addition, the participants were shown what was needed for preparing and implementing such training programs.
At the same time, the Office for Call and Guidance in Al-Mishaliah district of Najran has just concluded an intensive practical course for 50 students at the Prince Mishaal bin Saud Mosque.
Najran’s archaeological and historic sites ready for visitors
Najran’s archaeological and historic sites ready for visitors
Is sourdough Saudi Arabia’s latest craft food?
- Saudi home bakers point to a practice that was once routine, not artisanal
- Naturally fermented bread reflects a broader shift toward process-driven, premium food culture
ALKHOBAR: Sourdough has started to shift from a niche interest into a mainstream feature of home kitchens, cafes and specialty bakeries across the Kingdom.
The rise of sourdough is part of a wider shift in Saudi Arabia’s food landscape, where artisanal production and slower preparation methods are gaining traction.
Specialty coffee seems to have set the early template for this transition, normalizing premium pricing, craftsmanship and an interest in process.
Bread is now undergoing a similar shift, with fermentation replacing extraction and roasting as the central point of differentiation.
In both cases, the appeal is rooted in the product’s perceived authenticity, reduced additives, and a clearer link between raw ingredients and final consumption.
Home bakers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province have adapted natural yeast cultures to the Saudi environment, adjusting feeding schedules, hydration ratios, and fermentation times to accommodate higher temperatures and lower humidity in the summer months.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Home bakers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province have adapted natural yeast cultures to the Saudi environment.
• They adjust feeding schedules, hydration ratios, and fermentation times to accommodate higher temperatures and lower humidity in the summer months.
Cafes and specialty bakeries have responded by adding sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia to their menus, often positioned as premium alternatives to conventional commercial bread.
For younger home bakers, the appeal lies in the craft and the learning curve rather than nostalgia. “It feels more real and more intentional,” home baker Sarah Al-Almaei told Arab News. She began experimenting with natural yeast at home after watching starter tutorials online.
The technical aspect — hydration percentages, fermentation control and starter maintenance — has become content in its own right, with TikTok and Instagram compressing trial-and-error learning into short videos and recipe cards.
But the practice of maintaining a natural yeast culture is not new in Saudi Arabia. Long before sourdough became a global trend, Saudi households kept what was commonly referred to as the “mother dough,” a natural yeast starter fed and used daily.
“We used to maintain it every day and bake with it,” said Hessa Al-Otaibi, 56, a Saudi home baker with more than four decades’ experience. “People today call it sourdough. For us, it was simply bread.”
Her comment highlights a cultural continuity that has remained largely unrecognized, partly because the practice was not framed as artisanal or health-oriented, but as a routine household function.
The modern sourdough trend differs in its market positioning. While the older model was practical and domestic, the current model is commercial, aesthetic and often health-coded. Bakeries justify higher pricing through longer fermentation times, higher ingredient costs and smaller batch production.
Consumers justify their purchases through digestibility, perceived health benefits, flavor and product integrity.
“Once you get used to it, it’s hard to go back,” said Amina Al-Zahrani, a regular buyer of sourdough from specialty bakeries in Alkhobar.
Digestibility and texture are often cited as reasons for substitution, especially among buyers who report discomfort from standard commercial bread.
Another consumer, Majda Al-Ansari, says sourdough has become part of her weekly routine, noting that availability and quality have improved significantly in the past year.
The social media component has played an outsized role in accelerating adoption. Home bakers document starter feeding cycles, cold proofing and first bakes, turning a once-private domestic process into visible public content.
This has also created micro-markets of home-based sellers, where individual bakers offer loaves to local buyers, often fulfilling orders through direct messaging.
What remains to be seen is how far the trend will scale. If specialty bakeries continue to expand and consumers maintain willingness to pay premium prices, sourdough could establish a long-term place in Saudi food culture.
If not, it may revert to a smaller niche of committed home bakers and specialty cafes. For now, however, sourdough occupies an unusual position: both a newly fashionable trend and a quiet continuation of an older Saudi baking practice.
