JEDDAH/RIYADH: The intensive preparations for the 12th edition of Souq Okaz are almost over and the finishing touches are being put to the event, which takes place in Taif from June 27 to July 13 under the patronage of King Salman.
The site has been a hive of activity as workers build and prepare the Souq’s attractions, including a theater, Souq Okaz Avenue, Culture Avenue, venues for shows and events, and areas for support services.
The souq is organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in cooperation with a number of governmental bodies in Taif, including the municipality, secretariat, the transport, health and civil defense ministries, and many others dealing with the Souq’s services and infrastructure.
There are more than 30 facilities equipped to host the shows and events, in addition to the Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Theater, the open stadium for popular art, auctions and souvenir shops. The souq will also feature shops for craftsmen, restaurants, a media center and a mini horse-racing track. The organizing committee has decorated the site with flags and a lighting in keeping with its nature.
Okaz Avenue for Culture, organized by SCTH, is one of the souq’s most important features, which this year will host more than 150 attractions, including heritage and cultural events, theater performances, and arts and crafts.
New events this year include presentations of stories from the life of poets such as Amr bin Kalthoum, Antra bin Shaddad, Zuhair bin Abi Salma, Emreo Al-Qais, Tarafa bin Al-Abd, Al-Asha and Qais Saeda, along with many other shows.
There will also be Arabian camel and horse convoys, an equestrian school for children, camel races, interactive children’s events, poetry and historical photography displays, craftsmen, cultural tents and much more.
Bari to promote local art and craft
The National Handicraft Development Program “Bari,” a flagship program of the SCTH to promote handicrafts in the Kingdom by supporting local artisans, will organize a crafts competition during the festival.
“The Saudi Crafts Program will participate in the activities of the 12th Souq Okaz with a number of male and female craftsmen,” Majed Alshadeed, a spokesman at the SCTH, told Arab News.
The program will oversee the crafts competition with the participation of 24 craftsmen competing for prizes of up to SR300,000 ($80,000), he said.
He said that the Saudi Crafts Program will be involved in the activities of the Souq Okaz market, with 116 tents and 70 craftsmen from throughout the Kingdom, in fields including weaving, handmade carpets, crochet, embroidery, traditional costumes, manufacture, carving and carpentering of wooden products, as well as handmade palm products, painting, sculpture or manual decoration on any natural material — and other craft products of an innovative nature.
The tent will feature the participation of National Handicraft Development Program partners including Herfah Organization, Princess Noura Social Center, Fatat — Al-Ihsa Charity Association, Art of Heritage Company, Sleysla Center, Herafia Society, Agaa Training Society, the Taiba Association, the Atta Al Khair Center, and the Creativity Handicrafts Centers — as well as the contribution of 15 male and female craftsmen, master craftsmen and a tent for a fashion show.
The National Handicrafts Program recently signed an agreement with Prince Charles of Britain’s Turquoise Mountain Foundation to expand handicraft production as well as improve artisans’ ability to manage local products.
Bari is working on the design of a feasibility study for a Saudi Academy for Crafts that will integrate Saudi heritage designs with technical training.
The main objectives of the program are to build a skilled professional group that can produce products at local and global economic level, expand product diversity and quality as well as economic and tourism diversification of a sustainable economic industry, in addition to the expansion of operating craft creativity centers in the Kingdom.
Preparations for Souq Okaz almost finished as opening day approaches
Preparations for Souq Okaz almost finished as opening day approaches
‘Cake not hate’ campaign becomes ‘Dates not hate’ in Madinah
- Dan said he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality and that his family was warmly welcomed
- He said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam
LONDON: A British autistic and non-verbal boy who has been visiting UK mosques and distributing cakes to promote solidarity amid an increase in far-right support in the country has taken his message of love to Madinah.
Joshua Harris, or “The Joshie-Man” as the 12-year-old is known to his social media fans, has handed out hundreds of his baked goods to worshipers at mosques in major British cities over the last few months.
The “Cake not hate” campaign came about after an Islamophobic attack on a mosque in his home city of Peterborough in October 2025.
Harris and his father visited Masjid Darassalaam, the mosque that was targeted, with cakes that the boy had baked and distributed them to the congregation soon after the attack. Since then, Harris has visited dozens of mosques in the UK.
On a recent trip to the Middle East, he and his father visited Madinah. In a local twist that pays tribute to the holy city’s famous date varieties including ajwa and ambar, Harris handed out dates to people in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque. The “Cake not hate” campaign became “Dates not hate” for Saudi Arabia.
“He was greeted really, really warmly. There were some really touching moments where people were kissing his hands and his head. It was really lovely,” his father, Dan Harris, said.
Dan, the founder of global charity Neurodiversity in Business, said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam.
“We met people from all around the world. It was amazing. It’s like the United Nations there, you get people from different countries and it just goes to show you that the Muslim community, or the Ummah more generally, is not a homogeneous group,” he said.
“We saw people from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and it was really interesting for us.”
Dan said his visit to Madinah, considered the second holiest city in Islam after Makkah for Muslims, was “profound and life-changing.”
He added: “I would say it’s my favourite city in the world due to the peace and tranquillity I felt there.”
Dan added that he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality: “Everywhere we went, people were taking down my number and insisting that we come for dinner, insisting they pick us up from the location. They were extremely attentive to Joshie as well, making sure his needs were met. We felt a great sense of welcome, something Saudi Arabia is known for.”
