TAIF: Souk Okaz, this year part of Taif Season, features more than 10 shops showcasing traditional swords and daggers, giving visitors more information about these famous historic weapons and how they are made. Formerly instruments of war, in modern times swords and daggers are used in popular games, traditional displays, and on special occasions such as wedding ceremonies as a source of pride.
Weapon makers regularly exhibit their craft at festivals and events such as Souk Okaz, where they are a popular attraction.
Descended from primitive implements made from such materials as stone, wood and bone, weapons evolved as civilization advanced and favored metals such as copper, bronze, iron, steel, and featuring gold and silver. Today’s swords and daggers are made by skilled craftsmen who have often inherited the profession from their fathers and grandfathers.
Prices vary according to the level of manufacturing, with modern weapons featuring elaborate designs and inlays featuring rare and expensive materials, and often being made to order.
The traditional weapon-making industry is an important part of the tourism sector, with visitors to Saudi Arabia considering it one of the country’s most important handicrafts, and it is an important economic contributor to the Kingdom.
Swords and daggers on display wow visitors at Souk Okaz
Swords and daggers on display wow visitors at Souk Okaz
- Prices vary according to the level of manufacturing, with modern weapons featuring elaborate designs and inlays featuring rare and expensive materials, and often being made to order
Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day
- Project Masam aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 4,235 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices in a single day from Bab Al-Mandab region in southwestern Yemen, as part of its mission to protect civilians.
Osama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s director general, said it aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people.
On Wednesday, the project’s teams destroyed 33 anti-tank mines, 31 anti-personnel mines, 86 miscellaneous shells, 2,750 assorted rounds, 1,291 breakers and valves used in devices, 12 grenades, two Katyusha rockets, a missile, 15 shell arrows, and 14 other explosive devices.
Masam’s teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and areas around schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project trains local people to become demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment to do the job, and also offers support to Yemenis injured by explosive devices.
