Saudi Arabians have been witnessing a rise in cultural and entertainment festivals across the Kingdom over the last two years, and one latest event has sprung up in the eastern province of Al-Ahsa that is sure to bring a smile to all. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in the governate, which is named after the Kingdom’s Al-Ahsa iconic oasis, has just launched the first flower festival.
According to Arab News, the event was held in Juatha and was attended by Al-Ahsa’s undersecretary, Moaz bin Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, along with the ministry’s office director in Al-Ahsa, Ibrahim bin Khalil Al-Khalil, and other top officials from both the public and private sectors. Attendees enjoyed a beautiful display and were introduced to the various events and activities being implemented during the inaugural edition of the festival.
The Al-Ahsa flower festival is not the only one of its kind in the region. In November last year, for instance, the municipality of Qatif organized its first flower festival, which reportedly drew in around 115,000 visitors in eight days from across Saudi Arabia. Festivalgoers were presented with over a million species of seasonal flowers, and enjoyed various activities, pavilions, the Qatif Museum, local crafts, food, and more.
Indeed, flowers are an important cultural element in some parts of Saudi Arabia, such as in the Asir region of the country, where local men are known for wearing fragrant crowns of flowers in their hair. In fact, the region also hosts its own flower festival, which celebrates this centuries-old tradition of the “flower men,” reportedly descendants of ancient tribes in Rijal Almaa, an ancient village in Asir.
