Janadiriyah Cultural Festival, Saudi Arabia

To get a feeling of the culture of somewhere, of the history, you need to travel a lot. To all the parts of the country as each area may have different traditions and practices. Thankfully, to make it all easier in Saudi Arabia, all of these come together once a year for a period of two weeks at the Janadiriyah Cultural Festival.

This festival is held in a specially designed area, showcasing the unique elements of Saudi Arabian culture, architecture, and way of life. It hosts exhibitions not only from the various regions, but also from the largest Governmental agencies and gives an insight into their role in the running of the country.

The first few days are male only, but after this it is open to everybody. It is an extremely large area and takes a lot of walking around to try to get to see everything. Below is a highlight of some of the reasons why you should go to the Janadiriyah Cultural Festival.

 

Regional Areas

Saudi Arabia is a large country. Made up of thirteen different regions, Riyadh in the centre and the Eastern Province which extends from Iraq to Oman being the two largest. Bahah and Jizan, both on the West coast, are the two smallest.

The grounds in Janadiriyah are broken up into areas named after the regions in Saudi Arabia. For instance you will find a Najran area, a Mecca region, and many others.

In each region there are buildings built showing the typical traditional architecture used in the areas.

You will also find many shops selling the local produce of these regions and in some cases even see how they make these products. These can range from foodstuffs and sweets, to leather goods and wooden toys.

All of the areas have stages set up, and here you can witness the different traditional dances of each region.

 

Governmental Departments

Various Governmental Departments have sections within the grounds where you can go inside and see how they operate. In the Saudi Customs building they show examples of items that were confiscated in smuggling attempts, and how they figured out that there was illegal produce hidden within.

They also have a section where they show how they search cars coming into the Kingdom to make sure there is nothing hidden inside.

The Saudi Security Forces display some of their vehicles outside, and we have to admit, it was great to see how keen they were that people see into the vehicles and were very open to any questions. You could sit in the vehicles if you wanted and there was no problem taking pictures of you in there.

Inside their building they had a display of all the different weapons they use and examples using mannequins of various counter terrorism techniques.

In the Ministry of Interior building they had a driving simulator for kids where they could ‘drive’ a car with the image of the road projected in front of them. The car was a real car hooked up to the simulator and we could see plenty of enjoyment in this for the families.

They also had various monitors set up showing some of the cameras that are around the Kingdom and how they are monitored. Again, the staff on hand were very obliging to answering any questions and were extremely helpful.

Other departments included Ministry of Finance. For anybody unsure about the new tax laws.  The passport office was also represented for anybody with passport queries.

 

Traditional Buildings

It’s always interesting to see how different cultures or civilizations adapt to their surroundings. How they use the raw materials available to them. Naturally, building materials is one, which, depending on where you live has an important role on making the home comfortable for the occupants. In desert areas, it is reliant on the availability of materials. Also how cool the material can make the buildings for whoever is living in it. Stone and sand being the most prominent, and in some cases, the only available material, these are of course the most widely used.

In the majority of areas, the main material used in the traditional buildings is clay and water. This  is then made into bricks. These are then covered on the outside by a clay and water plaster.

To show how this is done, in one area there was a mason working in the traditional style constructing a house in this method.

Other areas in the country will use stone. Not unlike stone walls that are done all over the world.

In the older areas of the cities and towns it is possible to see how date tree leafs are used as a form of reinforcement for the clay and water mix, especially in staircase building.

 

Traditional Farming

Another difference throughout the world is the use of animals in the daily life. While this has changed throughout the years, especially in the last few hundred years with the rise of the industrial age, it is still an important aspect of the rural life in every country in the world.

In Saudi Arabia, the animals used will of course depend on their adaptability to the climate and how they can cope and survive in the harsh elements of the region. Camels are of course, the most adaptable, and therefore the most widely used for most tasks. Whether it’s to transport produce across the sands, or to work the wells, the camel plays an extremely important part in desert life.

Other animals commonly used are donkeys, goats, sheep, and cows. These are not the same type that you would see in colder climates. The cows for one are smaller. The sheep and goats have longer ears than in other continents.

 

Traditional Foods and Crafts

In each ‘region’ of the grounds, there were many shops and stalls. The majority of these hosted suppliers and manufacturers from the regions specializing in their local trades.

The foods and sweets were generally very alike. Dates are used a lot in the production of the sweets, and are often covered in chocolate or biscuit. What is nice is that you are free to try many of the foods before purchasing. That way if you don’t like something, you don’t have to buy it. Trying the foods and sweets before purchasing gives you an opportunity to try many different things you may never have tried before. Or would not consider trying.

In the trade areas, it ranged from leather goods, to carpenters, to artists. All had their own products on display, and in some cases were working on their goods. It is good to see that at least in some parts of the world production isn’t totally taken over by robots.

 

Other shops were selling antique items; these could be decorations that women used in the old days, or ceremonial swords and daggers.

Conclusion of the Festival

The festival is huge; it is really hard to get through the whole lot of it in one day. You need to plan the day out if you are going there. If you get there early, you will have more time. However a lot of the shops don’t open until one in the afternoon. So you may end up going back over areas to see things you missed early on in the day.

However, the drawback on getting there in the late afternoon, is trying to get parking. As we were leaving, the road was full coming the other way. Getting there in the morning has its drawbacks, but it’s definitely worth it just to avoid the traffic.

The festival is definitely worth going to at least once if you get a chance. It’s a great way to learn about the culture and to mix with the locals. You see how the locals barter and bargain with the sellers. Try it for yourself. Although you might only get a fraction off the asking price, you will still feel proud of yourself for getting something off!

This festival is a chance to learn more about a culture that to a lot of us is still something new. It’s a chance to see how the old Saudi Arabia was, before American cars, and McDonalds came to the country. It was a self-dependent society then, and it thrived. A lot can be learnt from the simple ways of life. This is a good place to witness some of them.

 

Information if you are planning the trip

Cost: Entrance to the festival is free of charge. The only cost you will have is for food and souvenirs.
When to do: The festival takes place for two weeks during the month of February.
Duration of trip: Save a full day for the trip including approximately 45 minutes travel each way from Riyadh.
What to bring with you: Nothing special required to bring to enjoy the festival. Water and drinks you can purchase inside the festival.
Location: In Janadiriyah north of Riyadh. Click here for map.

 

Our Saudi Arabia Travel Guide

• For our Saudi Arabia Travel Guide with information for people looking to travel to Saudi Arabia please click here.

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