Souk Okaz showcases attractive programs to woo tourists

The sixth Souk Okaz cultural festival in the summer resort of Taif would be a milestone for young generation in the Kingdom, said intellectuals and scholars from different corners of the Saudi society.
The festival, which is organized under the patronage of Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, will be opened on Sept. 11. The event will be unique with its dynamic media seminar on youths.
According to Makkah governorate sources, Prince Khaled, four ministers, and a number of youth leaders and media specialists will participate in the seminar, which is titled “what do we want from the young and what do the young want” will lay foundation for a permanent discussion platform between rulers and the youth.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Subail, adviser at the Education Ministry said that the new generation should make their own history and do not lean on the laurels of their fathers and grandfathers. “If the organizing methods and modernizing strategy continue in this manner, I am confident that after a few years Souk Okaz would progress beyond Saudi and Arab borders to reach global levels,” he said.
He continued that Souk Okaz represents history as well as present and future.
“We have much pride in the past and we stick on this heritage. At the same time, we look more to the future and foresee its horizons. Our sons should look back a little but watch forward too much. We must not be a prisoner of the past. This is the vision of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal,” Al-Subail added.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Sulami, chairman of the board of directors of Jeddah Literary Club, said that Souk Okaz is a cultural, civilizational and national project, which emerges from the country’s historical roots and is embedded with Arab culture.
He added that what we have seen in the past years in Okaz a variety of programs, activities, enthusiasm and presence of a large number of visitors is an evidence of its growing importance.
Al-Sulami wished that the Souk could be converted as an Arab assembly and a destination of tourists as it gives an opportunity for Arab intellectuals to visit the Kingdom’s tourist resorts and historical sites.
Abdullah Al-Tahzi, the Director of Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts at Jeddah Governorate stressed that Okaz market has become a unique forum with a variety of cultural activities.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Habib, professor of journalism and media at King Abdulaziz University, said Souk Okaz with its current form and future plans has become a model for cultural and heritage tourism, which attracts a large number of tourists.
Mohamed Suwaileh, chairman of the Young Businessmen Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said about the panel discussion on youths that this dialogue would provide an outlook on the role of youth in the development of Makkah, and the country as a whole.
Mohammed bin Abdul Khaliq Saeed, the member of Young Businessmen’s Committee, pointed out that the seminar would emphasize the need to listen by rulers to the ambitions and hopes of young men and women, noting that it will open a new approach in transparency between officials and citizens.
Rania Salamah, the chairperson of the Young Businesswomen’s Committee at JCCI, said that the seminar would ensure greater involvement of youth in building the Kingdom. She noted that young people have demonstrated their ability in the business sector, where according to reports, 90% of small businesses are owned by them.
Dr. Abdul Elah Al-Saati, dean of the College of Business Administration in Rabigh, said that the seminar would highlight the role of youth in the development, education and media, adding that the program is an important event awaited by the Saudi youth with great expectations.
The historic Souk Okaz, which was established 12 centuries ago in the pre-Islamic period Arabia, has been recently revived. For the last five years, Souk Okaz has been an annual meeting point for Arab poets, thinkers and men of letters, as it provided them a suitable venue to exchange their views and thoughts and creative ideas. Souk Okaz is located 40 km northeast of Taif. On the initiative of Prince Khaled, a number of prizes with cash awards have been introduced to honor outstanding poets, craftsmen, folk artists, photographers, calligraphists, and painting and sculpture artists.