Pakistani Embassy celebrates International Day of Mountains
Pakistani Embassy celebrates International Day of Mountains/node/2626038/saudi-arabia
Pakistani Embassy celebrates International Day of Mountains
The Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh — together with the UN Tourism Regional Office — has hosted a celebration of the UN-designated International Day of Mountains. (Supplied)
Pakistani Embassy celebrates International Day of Mountains
The event brought together diplomats, members of civic society, mountaineers, and artists to highlight the ecological, cultural, and economic significance of mountain ecosystems
Updated 56 min 46 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: The Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh — together with the UN Tourism Regional Office — has hosted a celebration of the UN-designated International Day of Mountains.
The event brought together diplomats, members of civic society, mountaineers, and artists to highlight the ecological, cultural, and economic significance of mountain ecosystems both globally and within Pakistan.
The evening commenced with “Mountains of Pakistan,” a documentary showcasing the beauty and ecological importance of Pakistan’s mountain landscape.
Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq said that mountains were not just landscapes but life-giving ecosystems, repositories of culture, and sources of inspiration. He said the event was a celebration of their beauty and stressed the shared responsibility to protect them for future generations.
He spoke of the critical role of mountains in sustaining water, food, and livelihoods, and highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to sustainable mountain development and meeting the challenges amid glacial melt.
The program also included a speech from the director of the UN Tourism Regional Office, which emphasized international cooperation in preserving mountain ecosystems. A second documentary, “Spirit of Mountaineering, ” which celebrated the courage, resilience, and achievements of Pakistan’s mountaineers, was also featured.
Ethiopian Cultural Days brings aroma of coffee, flavorful food to Alsuwaidi Park in Riyadh
The Global Harmony Cultural Series is open to visitors every day from 4:00 p.m. until midnight
Updated 22 min 57 sec ago
Haifa Alshammari
RIYADH: Ethiopian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muktar Kedir Abdu attended the opening of Ethiopian Cultural Days at Alsuwaidi Park in Riyadh on Thursday.
The Ministry of Media and the General Entertainment Authority organized Ethiopian Cultural Days as part of the Global Harmony Cultural Series, which has focused on several other countries so far, including Yemen, Indonesia, Syria, and Uganda.
The event witnessed the presence of the Ethiopian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Muktar Kedir Abdu. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
The Global Harmony Cultural Series is open to visitors every day from 4:00 p.m. until midnight.
During Ethiopian Cultural Days, guests will see Ethiopian dance groups showcasing diverse folk dances from various regions of Ethiopia.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
“What caught my attention the most was the DJ. My friends and I come almost every day for the DJ,” Turki Mesmeh, a frequent visitor to Global Harmony, told Arab News. “They brought their cultures to us, all the way to the Alsuwaidi neighborhood.”
Ethiopia has an enormously rich history. According to National Geographic, the ancient African kingdom of Aksum was based in what is now northern Ethiopia and parts of Eritrea. It emerged as a powerful and wealthy civilization from the 1st to the 10th century CE, controlling the trade routes between the Roman Empire, India, and the Arabian Peninsula. Ethiopia was also among the first countries in Africa to adopt Christianity.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
Guests to Ethiopian Cultural Days will also discover a range of Ethiopian cuisine.
“The most important dishes are tibs and kitfo. Tibs is meat, fried with tomatoes and other ingredients,” Welday Meles, owner of the Ethiopian restaurant Lucy, told Arab News.
The Global Harmony Cultural Series opens its doors for visitors every day from 4:00 PM until midnight, welcoming visitors from all nationalities and age groups to enjoy food, culture, live performances, and more. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
Kitfo is raw minced beef mixed with chili and clarified butter, and is similar to steak tartare.
Another popular dish is beyaynetu, a dish — or series of small dishes — made from a wide variety of ingredients and served with injera — Ethiopia’s famous spongy flatbread made from fermented teff flour.
It is widely known that Ethiopia is the origin of coffee, the beverage that dominates global consumption, and this goes back to an ancient story about a goat herder named Kaldi, who noticed his goats becoming unusually energetic after eating red berries from a particular tree. These red berries were coffee beans. (AN photo Huda Bashatah)
And no celebration of Ethiopia would be complete without coffee. Not only because the coffee plant originated there — legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee when he noticed that his animals became unusually energetic after eating red berries from a particular tree — but also because the country has preserved its traditional rituals, diverse varieties, and deep cultural connection to coffee, remaining one of its most significant global producers.
Rahika Mohammed, a participant at the event, explained that, in Ethiopia, coffee is commonly served with “popcorn and mastic incense,” adding that “the cup must be full when served.”
