Azernews.Az

The annual Saudi National Heritage and Cultural Festival, known as Janadriya, which kicked off in 1985 at the initiative of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has expanded its scope by the year, turning into an event celebrated not only by the Saudi people but also into an all-Islamic and international cultural event.
This 25th festival, entitled ``One World - Multicultures``, was organized by the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), a military establishment with a mandate to promote the glorious culture and heritage of the Kingdom.
Janadriya is a colorful national event representing the history, heritage and tradition of the country since the modern Saudi state was founded by King Abdul Aziz. The festival aims to preserve and celebrate the unique and timeless nature of the Arabian Peninsula in a world where globalization risked making the individual lose a sense of his identity, ancestral heritage and history.
More than 400 statesmen, science and art figures, as well as literary men from around 50 countries, attended the festival this year. Participants included Bahrain`s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, UAE`s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Interior, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, a UNESCO delegation led by its Director General, Irina Bokova, French Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand, and Russia`s former Prime Minister, former Foreign Intelligence Service director and Arab studies scholar, Yevgeni Primakov. Invitees from Azerbaijan were two Orientalists -Dean of the Baku State University`s Oriental Studies Department, PhD Elkhan Azizov, and Editor-in-Chief of AzerNEWS Weekly and General Director of AssA-Irada international independent news agency, PhD Fazil Abbasov.
The festival provides an 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.
A large number of programs have been lined up and over one million visitors attended the two-week-long cultural extravaganza.
About 1,000 artists from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, as well as France, the guest of honor at the Janadriya Festival, have been invited to take part in the event.
The festival, which staged about 150 cultural programs, has been designed this year to showcase the achievements of the Kingdom.
The festival has turned into one of the most important events of its kind in the Arab world.
``This cultural fair is a realization of our nation`s identity and features our values and heritage with a mission to make it known to one and all,`` said Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah, Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Executive Affairs who is also Deputy Chairman of the Festival`s Higher Committee.

Glittering ceremony
With a grand glittering ceremony, King Abdullah opened the festival, where a large number of Arab and international guests were invited to take part in the cultural and intellectual events held on the sidelines of the festival.
A reception was hosted by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz at the royal palace and a banquet was held by Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah in Janadriya, a village located some 45 kilometers north of Riyadh where the event is taking place.
The festival opened with a spectacular camel race. The 25-km grand race was a major highlight of the festival`s opening ceremony.
More than 1,000 contestants from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries participated in the race, the festival`s main attraction since 1995 following a royal decree.
The camel ``Hadaj``, owned by Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, came first in the race.
Cash prizes worth SR1 million were distributed among the winners.

Cultural extravaganza
As part of the ``One World - Multicultures`` festival, which opened on March 17, ancient cultural samples derived from a number of Saudi Arabian regions were displayed. Also, Arab and foreign experts delivered lectures on inter-cultural dialog, co-existence of nations, poverty reduction and other key topics.
A variety of cultural dances and a massive open-air operetta entitled ``The Unity of the Nation`` were among the highlights of this year`s Janadriya festival that lured hundreds of thousands of Saudi and expatriate visitors.
Visitors were delighted to see a replica of the heritage village again, as well as folklore shows, sword dances and poetry sessions at the festival.
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.
Each province of Saudi Arabia selected a range of food and crafts for display at the festival along with groups to represent the diverse folklore, tribal and family traditions of each region.
About 250 artists, including Saudi carpenters, blacksmiths, cobblers, weavers and other craftsmen, presented their handmade products.
Since poetry is the most important art in Arab culture, it holds an important place in the festival. The audience has taken more interest in popular poetry, also known as ``nabati``, a genre of rhymed poems written in colloquial Arabic. There were 26 Saudi female poets participating in the festival from across the Kingdom this year.
The poetry sessions were accompanied by folk dances by troupes representing different Gulf states and regions of the Kingdom. The famous ``Aradah Sword Dance`` - one of many traditions that Saudis refer to collectively as Al-Funun Al-Sha`abiyyah - was staged on the inaugural day. Those who participated in this dance wore regional costumes and dance with props such as swords or bamboo canes.
A balloon carrying the King`s photo and the Saudi flag was launched during the festival. It will fly over a number of countries during its year-long flight and be flown at several international events. The balloon is launched to highlight the King`s call for interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence of nations.

The Guest Of Honor
At the opening of the Janadriya Festival, King Abdullah toured the pavilion of France, the guest of honor at the Festival, where he was received by the French Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand.
A chorus of Pays-Basques singers greeted King Abdullah when he visited the French pavilion, decked out by mini-Eiffel Towers and French-style cafes.
In his address Mitterrand, the son of the former president, praised the King`s promotion of traditional Arab culture. The French minister said the King`s interfaith initiative was ``inspired by humanity`s highest values as expressed by the Muslim faith.`` It was also an expression of the ``noble tradition`` of Arab courage, honor and generosity - values which, he said, made men free.
France is parlaying its own music, film and museum-heavy culture for closer ties between the two countries.
During past festivals, Turkey and Russia were named the Guests of Honor.