The 11th Saudi cultural festivity Souq Okaz opens with diverse folk programs

TAIF: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, along with Prince Sultan bin Salman — president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), and head of the supervisory committee of Souq Okaz — on Wednesday opened the 11th edition of the festival in Taif under the theme “Renewable Creativity.”
Held under the patronage of King Salman, the opening ceremony was attended by statesmen, intellectuals, poets, academics and artists from the Kingdom and the Arab world.
Prince Khaled and Prince Sultan watched a documentary about the revival of the ancient Okaz market over the last 10 years. They hailed each other’s efforts in developing the festival.
Prince Khaled expressed hope that the “quantum leap in the march” of the souq “continues because our people deserve the best of everything and our Saudi citizens should hold their heads high in pride.”
Prince Sultan said the festival “will host many cultural and economic activities. We move forward in accordance with a vision set by King Salman and the late King Abdullah, who saw Souq Okaz as an international occasion in light of the Kingdom’s international importance.”
The festival saw Makkah’s governor hand out various awards. The classical Arabic poetry prize of SR300,000 ($79,994) was given to Mohammed Abdullah Al-Turki from Saudi Arabia.
The Arabic narration prize of SR100,000 went to Mohammed Saeed Al-Rashdi from Saudi Arabia.
The SR100,000 prize for Arabic calligraphy was distributed to three winners: Masoud Hafiz Mohammed from Bangladesh received SR50,000, Ahmad Rafat from Egypt received SR30,000, and third-place Yaser Mahmoud Ibrahim received SR20,000.
The Okaz innovation award went to Iman Saad Al-Zahrani of Saudi Arabia, who received SR100,000.
The entrepreneurship award of SR200,000 went to Noha Anwar Al-Yousif from the Kingdom.
The Okaz young poet prize was given to Tariq Mohammed Sumaili from Saudi Arabia.
The opening ceremony saw new poems by Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen, and a poem written specifically for the festival titled “Dahshat Al-Ward,” (Roses are Surprised), composed by Yasser Abu Ali and sung by Abdulmajeed Abdullah.
Prince Badr also wrote a poem titled “Ya Dar” (Oh Home), which was performed by Hussein Al-Yami and his orchestra.
Prince Sultan said the high number of people who attended the opening ceremony reflects the confidence of citizens in the programs offered by the SCTH.
He said he expects the festival to receive an unprecedented number of visitors this year.
More than 1,000 media representatives from 116 Saudi, Gulf and foreign media outlets broadcast the opening ceremony, in addition to 218 social networking celebrities on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.
The general secretariat for Souq Okaz estimated that 60,000 people attended the opening ceremony, with around 2,500 VIPs attending the opening events at the Okaz theater.
This year’s edition will witness more than 100 functions, including contests and tourist journeys, which will provide a unique experience for visitors.
The cultural programs and their events will be held in different locations in the souq and Taif city.
This year, five Arab countries — Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Algeria — are participating in Souq Okaz Avenue.