Diriyah Season's celebration of culture and heritage comes to an end
RIYADH: Diriyah Season 2024-25 concluded on Friday evening after more than 100 days of exhibitions, interactive experiences, live performances, and more. The event boosted cultural tourism and fostered cultural exchanges with visitors from around the world.
The season featured 10 main programs across various locations, based around history, arts, culture, architecture, design, poetry, storytelling, performing arts, and culinary arts.
It began with 'Enduring Resilience,' an audio-video exhibition celebrating 200 years of the Second Saudi State and the life of its founder, Imam Turki bin Abdullah.
Samri dance events added an authentic cultural touch, and allowed visitors to join performances of this ancient art, creating a unique interactive experience.
The Minzal program invited visitors on a luxury glamping trip in Diriyah's stunning nature, where they could enjoy local markets, traditional folk tales, and live music performances.
The 850 Interactive Experience allowed visitors to explore Diriyah's history and landmarks through engaging activities.
The Diriyah Storytelling Festival brought together writers and storytellers, publishers and bookstore owners for cultural activities, literary evenings, and panel discussions featuring more than 150 speakers.
The TYN Festival celebrated mud-brick architecture and its relevance to modern innovation.
Dragone introduced the Souq Wonders experience for the first time during Diriyah Season, with live performances featuring music, magic, trampolining, and tightrope walking.
Although the season may have ended, Diriyah's historic At-Turaif district — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and Bujairi Terrace will continue to welcome visitors to the area.
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Arab News
13-04-2025
- Arab News
Diriyah Season's celebration of culture and heritage comes to an end
RIYADH: Diriyah Season 2024-25 concluded on Friday evening after more than 100 days of exhibitions, interactive experiences, live performances, and more. The event boosted cultural tourism and fostered cultural exchanges with visitors from around the world. The season featured 10 main programs across various locations, based around history, arts, culture, architecture, design, poetry, storytelling, performing arts, and culinary arts. It began with 'Enduring Resilience,' an audio-video exhibition celebrating 200 years of the Second Saudi State and the life of its founder, Imam Turki bin Abdullah. Samri dance events added an authentic cultural touch, and allowed visitors to join performances of this ancient art, creating a unique interactive experience. The Minzal program invited visitors on a luxury glamping trip in Diriyah's stunning nature, where they could enjoy local markets, traditional folk tales, and live music performances. The 850 Interactive Experience allowed visitors to explore Diriyah's history and landmarks through engaging activities. The Diriyah Storytelling Festival brought together writers and storytellers, publishers and bookstore owners for cultural activities, literary evenings, and panel discussions featuring more than 150 speakers. The TYN Festival celebrated mud-brick architecture and its relevance to modern innovation. Dragone introduced the Souq Wonders experience for the first time during Diriyah Season, with live performances featuring music, magic, trampolining, and tightrope walking. Although the season may have ended, Diriyah's historic At-Turaif district — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and Bujairi Terrace will continue to welcome visitors to the area.
Arab News
24-02-2025
- Arab News
Tales of Founding Day come to life at Diriyah celebrations
RIYADH: A tale as old as time, Diriyah, heart of the Kingdom and the setting of its first chapter, celebrated Founding Day with an array of musical performances, shows and historical exhibits that ended on Sunday. Families and guests of all ages and nationalities were welcomed at Diriyah to learn all about the establishment of the First Saudi State. History lessons were available through shadow theater performances, Kahoot quizzes, interactive screens and palace-side projections displaying the Kingdom's journey. Guests were tailed by musical groups singing traditional and cultural songs walking around Diriyah, carrying with them the songs of battles fought and won. Vincent Pomer, a visitor from Boston in the US who is visiting a friend in the Kingdom, told Arab News: 'I feel kind of a sense of contentment and peace, seeing how everybody is respectful of their past. 'I will equate it to, as me being American, the Fourth of July. We celebrate Fourth of July not so much as our freedom but it is our short-lived history … Founding Day is the equivalent here for Saudi Arabia.' One of the highlights of the celebrations was a Samri show, a Bedouin dance and music that originated in Najd. About 300 years old, Samri was traditionally performed when families gathered on desert nights. Two lines of men would kneel, swaying and clapping while singing poetry and beating on a Daf drum. The celebrations also included workshops for children and families on various skills, such as perfumery, sketching, painting and bracelet making. Arab News spoke to Umar Sial, a Pakistani national who has lived in Saudi Arabia for the past six months, to ask about the highlights of his visit to Diriyah with his family. 'This is our first time here. We visited Bujairi Terrace and Al-Turaif area and I think it's very interesting, especially the old heritage they are showcasing' he said. 'Culturally, it's very enlightening for newcomers.' Sial's favorite attraction was seeing what the old houses were like in Salwa Palace and how people used to live, in addition to the singers and dancers presenting throughout the event. According to Sial, foreign nationals could greatly benefit from attending such events to strengthen their cultural ties to the Kingdom. 'These (events) are very important to understand how things work here, especially if you want to integrate into their culture, you see how they are raised, how they speak, what their songs are like, how they eat, how their family systems work, you see their families are all around them. 'I think these are very important if you want to understand how culture works in Saudi Arabia,' he said. Saudi Arabia is known for being proud of its food and this was showcased by real Saudi families on every route. Each of these families had their own booth and had prepared traditional dishes like saleeg, foul and more, given out freely to the wandering guests. Historical figures such as Imam Mohammed bin Saud, the founding father of the First Saudi State, and his wife Princess Modi bint Khalid Al Saud were given center stage as their stories were told through performances during the Diriyah Remembrance segments of the evening, detailing Imam Mohammed bin Saud's full journey in solidifying the early days of the Kingdom. Melissa Sarawi, a guest from the Philippines in Saudi Arabia with her family, told Arab News that the most exciting aspects of Saudi culture for foreign nationals to see were the food and the people. Sarawi said that as a Muslim it had been fascinating to learn about Islam from its birthplace and its historic associations with Saudi Arabia. 'Coming here and experiencing Founding Day is very good, it's very new to me. I am a Muslim in nature and by birth, and learning more about these things in Riyadh, like learning about the history of Islam and all these historical places … (it's) refreshing to know about these things.' Contestants from the Rawi Al-Diriyah competition, a storytelling competition produced jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Diriyah Gate Development Authority for school students reciting historic Diriyah stories, were also featured during these narratives. Other activities included a horse show and showcasing the Arabian horse, presenting traditional Najdi dress and live poetry sessions.
Saudi Gazette
22-02-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Founding Day celebrations continue with cultural showcases and traditional performances
Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The Founding Day celebrations in Jeddah continued on Friday at Prince Majed Park, where an evening filled with traditional performances, cultural exhibitions, and heritage showcases brought Saudi Arabia's rich history to life. The second day of festivities featured folk arts such as the Saudi Ardah, Mizmar, Samri, and Khobayti, along with horse and camel shows that immersed attendees in the Kingdom's storied handicraft displays and interactive exhibits also allowed visitors to explore the cultural legacy that has shaped Saudi Arabia for over three celebrations began Thursday at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, drawing large crowds eager to witness various heritage Majed Park carried the momentum into Friday, creating a lively atmosphere that emphasized the importance of national pride and cultural events are set to continue with more heritage activities designed to deepen public engagement with Saudi history and the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Development Authority launched its own Founding Day festivities in Laynah, as part of the Darb Zubaydah Winter Festival. The event included Arabian horse shows, Saudi Ardah performances, and a variety of cultural exhibits. Visitors were also given commemorative souvenirs to mark the occasion.
