Saudi Arabia's Winter at Tantora festival gets underway at Al-Ula

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The landscape in Al-Ula. (Winter at Tantora)
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One of the petroglyphs in Al-Ula. (Winter at Tantora)
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Tantora, a sundial located in Al-Ula’s Old Town. (Winter at Tantora)
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The Wadi Al-Qura (the Valley of Villages), a lush oasis valley that runs through Al-Ula, sheltered by sandstone mountains. (Winter at Tantora)
Updated 21 December 2018
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Saudi Arabia's Winter at Tantora festival gets underway at Al-Ula

  • Festival visitors will be able to experience a range of activities including a celebration of the winter planting season

JEDDAH: The Royal Commission for the Governorate of Al-Ula on Thursday launched the Winter at Tantora cultural festival in the presence of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture.

During a series of themed weekend events, festival visitors will be able to experience a range of activities including a celebration of the winter planting season and weekly cultural events.

The new Maraya platform, which was built as the festival's main center, was opened during the opening ceremony. The platform will host eight international artists, including Mohamed Abdo, Andrea Bocelli and a virtual performance by Um Kulthum, over the course of seven weeks in the winter.

Winter at Tantora features other experiences such as, a souq featuring local crafts, a sculpture trail of temporary art installations, and pop-up restaurants and food trucks. Also, several excursions were planned for visitors to see the most that Al-Ula has to offer.

The festival will continue until the Feb. 9, and includes several activities inspired by the heritage of Al-Ula, which is considered a main archeological site in the north of the Arabian Peninsula and the meeting point of many past civilizations.

 


Saudi envoy to Spain discusses tourism cooperation with UNWTO chief

Updated 05 March 2026
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Saudi envoy to Spain discusses tourism cooperation with UNWTO chief

Saudi Ambassador to Spain Princess Haifa Al-Mogrin met with Shaikha Nasser Al-Nowais, secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organization, at the organization’s headquarters in Madrid, on a courtesy visit following her assumption of office.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the sustainable development of tourism and ways to strengthen cooperation in this area, the Saudi Embassy in Spain wrote in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Abdulmajeed Al-Samary, undersecretary of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received the credentials of Mohamed Amin Sheikh Osman, the newly appointed ambassador of Somalia to the Kingdom, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.