Each Spring before it gets to hot in Riyadh, the country hosts an annual festival celebrating the culture, custom and tradition of Saudi Arabia and each of its provinces. We caught it on it’s last weekend and were glad we grabbed it before it was gone. It was like the best of the kingdom all in one spot. People were jovial and relaxed, happy to be out in the desert air with their families. It was refreshing to see the true culture of Arabia at the forefront and not the culture that has been over ridden by religious imams and a monarchy not willing to yield to their corrupted form of Islam, the culture that one experiences on the daily in Riyadh. It was lovely. People were warm and kind, the smells of oud and kabsa filled the air, women selling their wares. And then literally on our way out, the Mutawa told me to cover my head, cover it! And just like that, the loveliness of real Arabian culture disapeared. What a disappointment.
A henned mule…
We were there during prayer time. It’s a rarity that you get to see large groups of men praying as it usually happens inside a mosque and more unusual still to capture a photo. It’s a beautiful thing to watch really.
Traditional Saudi sword dance.
And when have we ever left anywhere without a souvenir?
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