Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) and head of the supreme supervisory committee of Souq Okaz honored Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Makkah governor and adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in appreciation to his great efforts in Souq Okaz over its previous 10 sessions and the development it witnessed since its establishment.
Prince Khalid Al-Faisal described the opening ceremony on Wednesday as (an event of excellence and creativeness ), stressing on the fact that Souq Okaz witnessed a quantum leap over its course, and hailing the efforts made by Prince Sultan bin Salman the president of SCTNH I in developing Okaz.
“What I saw was a productive effort amounted to the level of excellence and creativeness, and a quantum leap in the march of Souq Okaz and I only hope this continue because our people deserves the best of everything and our Saudi citizen should hold his head high in pride. On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques I want to thank each and every person contributed to this creative unique work led by Prince Sultan bin Salman, and was made further glamorous by the creative poet and distinguished human being Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen,” said Prince Khalid Al-Faisal in a press statement after the opening ceremony.
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said: “We take pride in the sponsorship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Souq Okaz in its eleventh session, and cherish that the leader of this cultural event Prince Khalid Al-Faisal is here among us, and we take pleasure in hosting a number of ministers from friendly countries and Saudi Arabia, as well as citizens, intellectuals and Okaz audience.”
He added: “This is an important occasion for everyone; being the first time we celebrate Souq Okaz under the umbrella of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cultural Heritage Program.”
He said Souq Okaz in an international event and occasion.
The most prominent surprise of Souq Okaz and its most successful work came in the form of an artwork written by poet Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen which is basically a theatrical performance of singing and poetry entitled “Tamathor.”
The play written by Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen from his rich poetic imagination where he has chosen the poem of Imru al Qays “Arabian Girl” to be the theme of the play.
The story events happen in the house of a middle class Saudi family about the daily life and its requirements through a dialogue between a father and his daughter on the past and its roots, and the present with all its events and differences, moving to talk about the promising future.
The play was built on noble messages on heritage and civilized values, how to maintain national identity, on innovation and the future, on arts and creativeness and concludes with a message of hope.
The opening ceremony saw new poems by Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen, sung by a number of artists, including a poem written specifically for Souq Okaz entitled (Dahshat Al-Ward – meaning – Roses are surprised) composed by artist Yasser Abu Ali and sung by artist Abdulmajeed Abdullah. Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen also wrote a poem entitled “Ya Dar, meaning – Oh Home,,” which was performed and composed by artist Hussein Al-Yami and his Orchestra.
The concert also included a poem entitled “Etr Elnas, meaning the perfume of people” written by poet Mohamed jabr Alharbi and performed by artist Ramy Abdallah, composed by Dr. Abdul Rab Idris
Meanwhile, the general secretariat for Souq Okaz estimated the number of people who participated in the opening ceremony which kicked off yesterday with some 60, 000 people, around 2500 people attended the events on Okaz theater.
The specialized team tasked with the mission to count the number of visitors who entered through the gates of Okaz from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. toward estimated their number at 59954 visitors not to mention the organizers and partners and members of State institutions and the private sector whose number was more than 10 thousand people, in addition to 400 volunteers from the community institutions.
The number of persons who participated in the opening ceremony under a VIP invitation cards and intellectuals and the public was approximately 2500 people.
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for tourism and National Heritage Committee and head of the supreme supervisory committee said the number of people who attended the opening ceremony was unexpected and reflects the confidence of citizens in the programs offered by SCTNH and their trust in the efficiency of the state institutions and its pivotal role. He expected this year Okaz to receive unprecedented numbers of visitors.
More than 1000 media representatives from 116 Saudi, Gulf and foreign media institutions participated in broadcasting the opening ceremony, in addition to 218 of social networking celebrities on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.

Source: Arab News