Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The “Saifein wa Nakhla” (Two Swords and a Palm Tree) festival organized at Emaar Square here last Sunday marked an astonishing celebration that combined culture and art.

Productive families, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs were given platforms to showcase their talents and products. The platforms were given by Emaar Square for free.

One of the musicians who participated in the festival, Shatha Al-Thaqafi, was playing the piano perfectly. “I have been playing piano for six years. My love with the piano started when I was a little girl. I have admired it then and now I have become a real pianist. I came here today to share the joy of the National Day with the people,” the Saudi girl told Saudi Gazette.

The art and the music section was conducted by Arbab Al-Heraf (The Masters of Crafts), a group of Jeddah-based youths interested in art and craft.

The founder of Arbab Al-Heraf, Abdullah Al-Hodaif, said: "We are an organization that brings together youths interested in arts and crafts. We welcome everyone who has a craft. We conduct workshops for arts and music, and we organize events. Today we displayed piano, Arabian music Al-Oud, sculptures, portraits, traditional dance and a silent drama. We meet at Arbab Al-Heraf coffee shop in Al-Salamah district, where we have our own gallery and workshops.”

Al-Hodaif added: “We are here today for our motherland, to express our love for our country, and every artist among us expressed his love through his art."

Hana’a Shahbar, one of the artists who participated from Arbab Al-Heraf, expressed her love for her country by painting the greatest landmarks of Saudi Arabia, including the Holy Kaaba, Al-Faisaliyah Tower and the Red Sea.

The event was hosted by Emaar Properties Company, as part of their corporate social responsibility programs. The festival was conducted at Emaar Square, one of the projects of Jeddah Gate, an integrated luxurious community that Emaar was building at the heart of Jeddah.

'Our Country Calls on Us'

Meanwhile, the University of Business and Technology, in collaboration of Saudi Telecom Company (STC), celebrated the National Day in a unique way with the students of Jeddah College of Advertising.

As part of the “Our Country Calls on Us” campaign, 104 students and faculty members flew to 13 different destinations in Saudi Arabia to explore and document the most important historical and modern landmarks in the country and share them on various social media channels.

Among the most impressive landmarks visited were the Masmak Fort in Riyadh, the Gulf region's largest bird park in Buraidah, Jabal Al-Manjor and Raat at Shuwaymis in Hail, the Black Mountain in Asir, the rock-shaped skull in Baha, the ancient castle of Sakaka in Al-Jouf, Quba Mosque in Madinah and many other attractions.

The initiative came within the vision of the institution's Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Abdullah Sadeq Dahlan, to promote internal tourism as a national duty. Dean of Jeddah College of Advertising Dr. Haneen Mohammed Shoaib expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the efforts put into the success of the campaign and the great support the University of Business and Technology received from the government and the private sectors in organizing the national trips.