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Riyadh: The annual Saudi National Heritage and Cultural Festival, known as Janadriya, the village some 43 kilometres north of Riyadh where the event takes place, was opened on Wednesday by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries from inside and outside Saudi Arabia. The festival has turned into one of the most important events of its kind in the Arab world.
This is the 22nd festival as the function, organised by the Saudi National Guard, first kicked off in 1985. A large number of Arab and international guests were invited to attend and take part in the cultural and intellectual events held on the sidelines of the festival.
Hundreds of guests from around 50 countries are attending this year's two-week-long festival.
The 20-km grand camel race is the major highlight of the opening day's ceremony. Janadriya village, which is spread over 1.5 square kilometres, houses over 30 replicas representing different regions of the country. It is open to the public twice a day.
The event has always been a big hit among Saudis, particularly youths, who throng the village to get a glimpse of their heritage and culture. The folk and heritage festival, moreover, gives Saudi and foreign visitors a chance to slow down and take a closer look at the social tableau of an earlier era.
Bygone era
It is true that the festival provides the opportunity for local and foreign visitors to see life as it was for previous generations of Saudis and how life was in Saudi Arabia long before the discovery of oil.
During the past few years, the festival used to introduce a controversial theme for debate. Last year's theme was the Unity of the Muslim Nation.
Although there is no specific topic this year organisers said that the programme is full of various interesting cultural and intellectual activities such as lectures, poetry sessions and seminars.
The festival includes much more too - carpenters, blacksmiths, cobblers, weavers and other craftsmen from an almost bygone era.
Stationed in front of shops constructed side-by-side on the inner perimeter of a mud-walled "fort" built especially for the festival, these artisans, all working at their traditional crafts, demonstrate how things used to be made and how to use them.
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