JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Janadriyah Festival has emerged as a creative project that is wholly Saudi. It reflects the leadership’s care for the history of the Kingdom and its keenness to introduce the Islamic civilization and shed light on folk arts, culture and heritage.
Visitors to the Janadriyah festival can explore the great cultures and heritage of its small villages, with participants who have come from across the Kingdom to play a part in this national event. The festival captures the great history and heroism of the Saudi people since the unification of Saudi Arabia by King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud.
Since it was first held in 1985 (1405 AH), the Janadriyah festival has offered a variety of activities and programs, including the establishment of a heritage village that presents the cultural history of all provinces in the Kingdom, and includes a commercial market and exhibitions of objects and tools used by Saudis in the past.
The second Janadriyah Festival in 1986 (1406 AH) was even more ambitious and attracted more than 500,000 visitors in 14 days. During the festival the Cultural Committee organized a number of seminars, lectures and poetry evenings, in which more than 100 Arab intellectuals and writers were invited to participate.
The success of the event motivated its organizers to hold the third festival between March 19 and April 2, 1987. They also decided to organize an annual symposium to discuss the festival’s Arabic literary subjects.
The fourth festival opened on March 31, 1988, and over the following fortnight other GCC countries also took part in a number of events and activities. Sixty professions and folk trades were displayed from across the Kingdom, and the first Saudi book fair was held with the participation of 16 government and regional bodies and 22 Saudi publishing houses.
During the fifth Janadriyah National Festival for Heritage and Culture, which opened on March 9, 1989, an exhibition presented a number of political, social and historical documents that highlight important milestones in the history of Saudi Arabia and the struggle of the founding king, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Six seminars were also held on topics that included the global phenomenon of rediscovering heritage, the Palestinian Intifada, and drugs.
The 10th festival, which kicked off on Oct. 26, 1994, saw the participation of Saudi women in cultural activities, in addition to a book fair and an exhibition that included about 300 documents and over 120 photos.
The 11th Janadriyah was held on March 1, 1996 with an agenda that included camel and horse racing, operetta, folklore performances, folk dances and plastic arts. The festival also saw the largest seminar on “Islam and the West,” in which Western intellectuals and Muslim scholars participated.
The 14th festival, which was launched on Feb. 22, 1999, coincided with the centenary of the founding of the Kingdom. Its activities had a different organizational theme that befitted the importance of the occasion. In addition to the Saudi Ardha dance, the festival’s programs included the “Fares Al-Tawheed” (The Knight of Unification), a poetic drama that captured the struggle, the unification and the construction of Saudi Arabia in a show of creative poetry and unrivalled innovation.
The 15th Janadriyah Festival, which kicked off on Feb. 2, 2000, attracted more than 1.6 million visitors.
The 16th festival was launched on Jan. 18, 2001 with cultural and heritage activities that reflected the identity of Saudi Arabia. The festival saw the participation of Bahrain in a museum in the souq, as well as a book fair.
On Jan. 23, 2002, the 17th edition of the festival was launched, and the most prominent cultural activity was a lecture delivered by Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz under the title “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Palestinian Cause.” Several seminars were also held, including Palestine: Man and Land, Globalization: An Islamic Vision, The Question of Palestine: Palestine and the Western Media, Creativity in Literature, and Islam’s Position on Terrorism.
The 19th edition kicked off on Dec. 17, 2003 with many cultural and heritage activities, including the “Areen Assad” (The Lion’s Den) operetta, which showed the stages of the Saudi state’s establishment and the accompanying political and social transformations. The number of guests invited to the festival was 114 from the Kingdom and 90 from other countries.
On March 10, 2010, the 25th Janadriyah Festival was launched and attended by King Abdullah and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. To mark the occasion, a photography exhibition, in which France participated as a guest of honor, was organized.
The 26th Janadriyah Festival was inaugurated on April 29, 2011, at which Japan was the guest of honor. More than 350 intellectuals and writers from across the world attended seminars that included topics such as the Information Society and the Knowledge Economy, the Axis of the West and Islamophobia, and the Kingdom and Science: A Strategic Vision for the Future.
The 27th Janadriyah Festival kicked off on Feb. 9, 2012 with South Korea as a guest of honor, along with the participation of all Saudi provinces and other GCC countries. The entertainment events were canceled upon the directives of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz out of sympathy for the tragic events that had taken place in some Arab countries.
China was the guest of honor at the 28th Janadriyah Festival, which kicked off on April 3, 2013 and attracted more than 5 million visitors. The festival also saw the development of the Bedouin display, where the inclusion of many small details from the past helped to foster a great sense of realism and break many stereotypes.
The United Arab Emirates was the guest of honor at the 29th Janadriyah Festival, which was launched on Feb. 13, 2014.
The Federal Republic of Germany was the guest of honor at the 30th Janadriyah, which kicked off on Feb. 4, 2016 to introduce the festival’s visitors to the cultures and heritage of other countries.
In the 31st edition of the festival, which was held on Feb. 2, 2017, Egypt was the guest of honor and the Janadriyah smartphone app was launched to introduce users to the festival and provide them with a map for the Janadriyah’s pavilions and corners.
Janadriyah festival celebrates the best of Saudi heritage
Janadriyah festival celebrates the best of Saudi heritage
- Since it was first held in 1985, the Janadriyah festival has offered a variety of activities and programs, including the establishment of a heritage village
- The annual Janadriyah festival opened on Thursday
Saudi authorities issue severe weather warning
- Schools, universities in some regions switch to remote learning after storms, high winds forecast
RIYADH: Saudi authorities warned residents that most parts of the Kingdom will experience severe weather until Friday.
The National Center of Meteorology on Monday forecast moderate-to-heavy rain in the Madinah, Makkah, Jeddah, Baha and Najran regions, accompanied by high winds, hail and thunder.
Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense also issued severe weather warnings accompanied by safety instructions as the country braces for heavy rainfall in coming days.
The Civil Defense said that most parts of the Kingdom will experience moderate-to-torrential thundershowers, accompanied by strong winds, until Friday.
Regions to be affected include Asir, Baha, Makkah, Madinah, Jazan, Qassim, Jouf, Hail, Tabuk, Northern Borders, Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense has urged people to take precautions, remain indoors during stormy weather, and adhere to its instructions.
Schools in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah regions switched to online classes through the Madrasati remote-learning platform on Monday after authorities warned of storms and possible floods this week.
The King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, University of Jeddah, University of Taif, and Umm Al Qura University in Makkah were closed on Monday and postponed scheduled exams until further notice.
Taibah University in Madinah and Saudi Electronic University’s branch in Jeddah also suspended in-person classes on Monday, and switched to remote learning.
Jeddah Municipality implemented a field plan to deal with the weather conditions, and urged residents to show caution and stay away from flooded areas.
Bandar bin Saleh Al-Hadiya, director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture branch in the Northern Border region, inspected dam safety in Arar ahead of the rainy situation.
Riyadh region was also hit by a heavy sandstorm accompanied by high winds on Sunday night, leaving the city skyline enveloped in dust.
On Monday, the NCM issued a red alert for dust storms in parts of the Riyadh region, including the capital, and Al-Aflaj, Al-Sulail and Wadi Al-Dawasir governorates.
GCC holds Gulf-US Joint Ministerial Meeting to advance regional security
- In Riyadh, Blinken is expected to meet with senior Saudi leaders and hold a wider meeting with counterparts from five Arab states
RIYADH: Secretary Anthony Blinken participated in a joint US-Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting to advance coordination on regional security on Monday in Riyadh.
“There really are two paths forward for the region as a whole. One driven with division with destruction, with violence with permanent insecurity. The other, greater integration, greater security, greater peace,” Secretary Anthony Blinken said.
“ I think the region today shows that many more of us want to pursue that affirmative path, and I’m grateful to our colleagues in the GCC for working in partnership to advance in that direction,” he added.
During his opening remarks, Secretary Blinken expressed that the meeting serves as an opportunity to advance efforts to promote greater stability in this region.
Blinken arrived in Riyadh Monday morning as a part of a 3-day visit from April 29-May 1 to meet with regional partners.
The secretary highlighted that in the upcoming days as he travels to Jordan and Palestine he will meet with humanitarian groups and the Israeli governemnt to discuss the developments in Gaza.
During his remarks Secretary Blinken highlighted the current U.S. interventions such as the increased value of aid delivered to Gaza and the building of the US maritime corridor.
“It is not enough we still need to get more aid in and around Gaza,” he explained.
During his speech, Blinken underlines that the U.S. will continue to work with its GCC partners to “build just and lasting peace.”
“We are focused on addressing the greatest threat to regional stability and regional security, Iran,”
“ This is the first meeting since Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel, The first direct attack from Iran to Israel with more than 300 projectiles including over 100 holistic missiles," Blinken explained.
Blinken underlined that the attacks from Iran stress the importance of working together in integrated defense.
He highlighted that this will be the discussion topic in the upcoming US-GCC meeting in a few weeks on integrated air, militry defense and maritime security.
The other discussion topic underlined by Blinken was the “ ways to preserve freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,”
“The Houthi attacks not only undermine security but they undermine the lives and livelihoods of people throughout the region including in Yeman, the very people they profess they want to represent, The cost of goods have gone up, and it’s harder to get things into Yemen, to the north we’re people so desperately need it,”
“This needs to stop and we are being resolute in doing everything we can to put a stop to it,” Blinken sid.
During his opening remarks, the GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al-Budaiwi called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and called for an international conference on implementing a two-state solution.
He also underlined the need for effective international measures to end the violence in the West Bank.
He also expressed the importance of ensuring the security of relief corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Al-Budaiwi emphasized that the continuous escalation between Iran and Israel threatens the security and stability of the region.
The GCC Secretary General also expressed concern over the Houthi attacks on the Red Sea.
Following his visit to the Kingdom, Blinken will be meeting with counterparts in Jordan and Palestine.
As a part of his visit, the secretary will discuss various topics including the ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages.
Other topics in the meetings will include humanitarian aid to Gaza, limiting the spillover of conflict and ongoing efforts to achieve regional security.
A pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel will also be one of the topics of discussion during his visit.
On the sidelines of the meeting, The Saudi Minister of foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Secretary Blinken. The two discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip, the importance of a ceasefire, efforts to ensure entry of urgent humanitarian aid, and joint efforts.
Saudi FM discusses two-state solution with French, Turkish counterparts
- The discussions took place on the sidelines of a ministerial consultative meeting to discuss Gaza war
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held talks with his French and Turkish counterparts on Monday.
The discussions took place on the sidelines of a ministerial consultative meeting of the six-party Arab Committee to discuss developments in the Gaza war, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Talks with Hakan Fidan of Turkiye and Stephane Sejourne focused on coordinating efforts to advance the two-state solution and acknowledge the Palestinian state, SPA added.
Saudi crown prince receives world officials after WEF special meeting in Riyadh
- Two-day special meeting of the World Economic Forum ended on Monday
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received officials from around the world in Riyadh after a special meeting of the World Economic forum ended on Monday.
The officials included Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif.
The officials attended the two-day special meeting during which the crown prince called for global collaboration to help build a more resilient and integrated global economy.
Blinken is visiting the Kingdom on his seventh trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which responded with a relentless offensive in Gaza that has drawn global criticism.
Saudi Arabia, UNEP launch World Environment Day campaigns
- Faqeeha noted that on the occasion of World Environment Day, Saudi Arabia will shed light on the urgent need for global investments in conserving nature, restoring lands, and working toward sustainability
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the UN Environment Programme have announced campaigns to combat desertification, restore ecosystems, and strengthen drought resilience ahead of World Environment Day celebrations on June 5 in Riyadh.
The announcement was made at the opening of Saudi Arabia’s Environment Week on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli inaugurated the annual event that aspires to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection.
During the event, Deputy Minister for Environment Osama Faqeeha emphasized the shared responsibility in addressing land degradation and combating desertification. This responsibility extends to policymakers, the private sector, and civil society organizations globally, who must work together to restore agricultural areas, rehabilitate land, and tackle desertification and drought, he said.
Faqeeha noted that on the occasion of World Environment Day, Saudi Arabia will shed light on the urgent need for global investments in conserving nature, restoring lands, and working toward sustainability.
This year, we are calling on people — from the grassroots to governments — to help tackle the climate and extinction crisis we face by restoring the ground we depend on for survival.
Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy executive director, UNEP
He highlighted the importance of uniting national and international efforts to safeguard and rehabilitate ecosystems across the globe, aiming to fulfill sustainable development objectives.
“Without action, 95 percent of land on Earth could be degraded within the next 30 years, which could spell disaster for humanity and the planet,” said Elizabeth Mrema, deputy executive director of UNEP, launching the global campaign at a Saudi Environment Week event in Riyadh.
“We have seen how previous campaigns have catalyzed climate action across the globe. This year, we are calling on people — from the grassroots to governments — to help tackle the climate and extinction crisis we face by restoring the ground we depend on for survival,” she added.
Countries worldwide have committed to restoring 1 billion hectares of land, aiming to protect 30 percent of land and sea for nature and restoring 30 percent of the planet’s degraded ecosystems.
Supporting the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, World Environment Day 2024 will boost climate action efforts by gathering support for ecosystem restoration.
At the opening event of the Saudi Environment Week, Al-Fadhli emphasized that achieving the goals of environmental protection and conservation of the Kingdom’s natural resources requires active engagement from governmental and private sectors, as well as individuals.
He stressed the significance of adopting eco-friendly behaviors in daily routines and applying these practices across different sectors to reach sustainable development objectives.
“The continuation of this national event annually in the Kingdom reflects our wise leadership’s dedication to environmental protection and commitment to sustainable development, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” Al-Fadhli said.
“Moreover, the Kingdom’s dedication to environmental protection is evident at national, regional, and international levels. This is demonstrated by Saudi Arabia’s active participation in numerous environmental agreements and organizations, as well as its … initiatives like the Middle East Green Initiative and other significant global environmental efforts under the G20 umbrella,” he added.
