JEDDAH: Madinah will launch a Caravan Festival on Thursday in Al-Ola to highlight the rich history of this mode of travel and trade in the past.

The event will be held under the auspices of Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), and Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, president of the Council for Tourism Development in the region.

The festival, which will be held from Nov. 19 to 25, will include various heritage and cultural programs, said Saad bin Marzouq Al-Suhaimi, governor of Al-Ola.

He thanked the two princes for setting up the event, and said it would boost tourism in the region and preserve its rich historic and cultural landmarks.

The opening ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. in Al-Motadal, north of Al-Ola, and will include an operetta focusing on the history of caravans, said Sultan Al-Anzi, the director of the SCTNH in the governorate.

He said the event would boost tourism in the area, and highlight the importance of Madinah in the past as a meeting point for caravans traveling along ancient routes.

The program will include an exhibition of ancient caravans, poetry evenings for men and women, fashion shows on traditional clothing, exhibitions for handicraft products, and shows for families and children.

Meanwhile, at a recent meeting, Prince Sultan bin Salman emphasized the importance of the fifth National Built Heritage Forum to be held in Al-Qassim from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.

He said Al-Qassim was the ideal place to hold the event because of the cooperation between the public and private sectors to protect the region’s architectural heritage.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, on the website of the forum, said this event has been held over the years in various parts of the Kingdom to connect citizens with the cultural and other achievements of the country’s ancestors.

Since the first event was held in Riyadh in May 2010, he said he had been thinking of making it a national gathering, which would “allowing us to revisit our built heritage annually.”

Individuals interested in learning about the forum’s program activities can visit the following website



http://www.nbhf.org.sa/NewsIndexAr.aspx.