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Riyadh: Public response to the annual Saudi National Heritage and Cultural Festival, known as Janadriya, has been overwhelming.
Hundreds of tourists and guests from more than 50 countries are attending the 22nd festival which was opened on Wednesday by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz .
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 Janadriya 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 the country long before the discovery of oil.
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.
The festival also includes artisans such as carpenters, blacksmiths, cobblers, weavers and other craftsmen.
Keeping alive
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.
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.
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