Saudi’s Al-Sayahid Desert Retreats in High Demand during King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
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Saudi’s Al-Sayahid Desert Retreats in High Demand during King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)
Al-Sayahid Desert retreats in Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant increase in demand during the ongoing King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. (SPA)

Tents and hotel rooms in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Sayahid area, currently hosting the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, have reached full occupancy in the past few days due to increased demand driven by the pleasant weather and enhanced charm brought by rainfall, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
The festival's diverse events and associated activities have spurred a surge in the rental of tents and mobile rooms, which are now offering services akin to those of desert resort hotels.
Habish al-Habish, a camp renter interviewed by an SPA reporter, said there has been a significant increase in tent occupancy over the weekend, exceeding 100%. He highlighted the range of accommodation options available in the festival area, from standard rooms to desert resorts offering extensive services and organizing family events tailored to the region's ambiance.
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is a major global event that brings together camel enthusiasts and owners, showcases the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula, and emphasizes the cultural importance of camels in the Kingdom, reflecting Saudi pride in heritage, and the special significance of camels to the Saudi culture.



UAE Heritage Conference Recommends Documentation of Travel Literature

The conference was held under the theme "Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others." WAM
The conference was held under the theme "Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others." WAM
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UAE Heritage Conference Recommends Documentation of Travel Literature

The conference was held under the theme "Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others." WAM
The conference was held under the theme "Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others." WAM

The "Second Heritage Conference," organized by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage has issued several scientific and cultural recommendations to enhance studies on travel literature and representations of the "other" in popular heritage.

The conference held under the theme "Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others" took place at the Arab Heritage Center in the university city of Sharjah, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Saturday.

Participants urged a reevaluation of the writings of travelers and Orientalists using contemporary scientific criticism methodologies, WAM said.

They advocated for analytical comparisons between groups of travelers from various geographical regions and similar time periods to derive a more realistic portrayal and compare it with available local studies, it added.

According to WAM, the attendees stressed the need to establish practical laboratories for translating Western research and studies on travel literature and forming scientific committees to review untranslated travel accounts, particularly Russian works.

Among the recommendations was the proposal to extend the conference from two to three days and to publish the presented research in a scientific book.

They also suggested creating an online library featuring works of travelers and Orientalists, along with a specialized database for researchers and translators in this field.

The recommendations further called for stimulating critical studies addressing representations of the "other" in popular heritage through various approaches, including anthropology, semiotics, narratives, and post-colonial studies.

Additionally, they highlighted the need to examine the interaction between oral and narrative cultures as described by travelers, questioning the ideological and epistemological backgrounds that shaped their representations and deconstructing the positions of self and other in their writings.

"The recommendations from the Second Heritage Conference embody our vision at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, which aims to establish awareness of the importance of reading popular heritage from multiple perspectives, especially through the writings of travelers and Orientalists,” said Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam.

“Through this conference, we sought to initiate a critical intellectual dialogue with these records, opening new horizons for understanding the self and the other, and enhancing the presence of our heritage in the global cultural sphere with a scientific spirit and objective approach,” he added.