ThePlace: Saudi Arabia's mountain village of Al-Habala
Al-Halaba Park provides a panoramic view of the Al-Halaba and Tihama valleys
Updated 06 April 2019
Arab News
The mountain village of Al-Habala is one of the most important tourist sites in the Asir region, 55 km from Abha and home to a variety of attractions.
Chief among these is the “Cable Car,” a key tourist attraction that takes people from the foot to the top of the mountain and back again.
At the summit, Al-Halaba Park provides a panoramic view of the Al-Halaba and Tihama valleys, while the entertainment zone offers different types of activities such as a swimming pool, tents for men and women, gardens, restaurants, playing areas suitable for children of all ages, and provides plenty of car parking facilities.
Inaugural Food Festival offers workshops and diverse cuisine with a relaxed vibe
Updated 11 sec ago
Jasmine Bager
DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, launched its inaugural outdoor Food Festival on Monday, turning part of its grounds into a lively culinary space in view of the iconic building.
Music, laughter and the smell of cooking fill the area, guiding visitors toward the festival site.
Music, laughter and the smell of cooking guide visitors toward the Food Festival site organized by Ithra. (AN photo)
The festival program includes four specialized cooking workshops — taco, pizza, steak and sushi — each running for three days and powered by Filmmaster. While registration is required to participate, visitors can watch the chefs prepare dishes in the open-air kitchen.
Beyond the workshops, visitors can explore 10 food stations offering a range of cuisines, including Saudi, Indian, Egyptian, Mexican, Japanese and Lebanese.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The Food Festival program includes four specialized cooking workshops — taco, pizza, steak and sushi — each running for three days and powered by Filmmaster.
• While registration is required to participate, visitors can watch the chefs prepare dishes in the open-air kitchen
One such booth is Whoa Tea & Desserts, which was bubbling with excitement on opening night. Its founder, Liu Yang, who also goes by the name of Edwin, told Arab News why his business chose to participate.
Music, laughter and the smell of cooking guide visitors toward the Food Festival site organized by Ithra. (AN photo)
“I found the Saudi market is very good and they have so many young people here, so me and my two friends we decided to resign and we started a business here targeting the young people,” he told Arab News.
The Chinese entrepreneur has now lived in Saudi Arabia for more than four years, spending the first half of that time working for a Chinese company before deciding to branch out.
Music, laughter and the smell of cooking guide visitors toward the Food Festival site organized by Ithra. (AN photo)
The company brought their own brand of Chinese milk tea, fruity and matcha drinks as well as an assortment of snacks, and even board games, to their shop.
“Now we, in two years, have more than 10 branches in Riyadh and we decided to come to Alkhobar, so soon we will have three shops here which will open in the Eastern Province; one at the end of January and two in February,” he added.
Music, laughter and the smell of cooking guide visitors toward the Food Festival site organized by Ithra. (AN photo)
Since they are opening locally next month, the festival was the perfect way to introduce their products for customers to sample.
Ekin, who moved to Saudi Arabia last year from the US, told Arab News why she chose to bring her family, which included two young children under 10, to the festival.
“We are members at Ithra, we love Ithra. So that is why we trusted that this event was going to be a success,” she told Arab News.
“This is the perfect weather — I love the outdoors eating option. It’s also spacious; there are picnic tables. I think the variety makes it even better because you don’t have to wait in the line for a long time to just grab food,” she said.
