Saudi music festival illuminates pre-Islamic heritage

Monday, January 21, 2019

Inundated in light, musicians’ belt out melodies among the desert remains of pre-Islamic heritage in northwestern Saudi Arabia, a traditional trove at the centre of efforts to position the isolated kingdom on the tourism map.

Arranged by the Al-Ula governorate – where Nabatean tombs and art are cut into caramel-hued rock – in the Islamic kingdom, Winter at Tantora is the recent music carnival, where events of such caliber were unheard of just two years back.

Spread over eight weekends until Feb 9, the main events are organized in a mirrored glass auditorium that has attracted international artists from Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi to French classical violinist Renaud Capucon.

And it stands out, a spotlight on the cut off area seen widely as an open-air museum.
“Saudi Arabia is turning a new page,” said Zainab al-Kadadi, a Riyadh-based banker.

The 29-year-old participated in a musical weekend that at the same time had sand dune bashing – an adventure sport comprising driving across challenging desert and a tour of an Ottoman-era train station.

The festival is witnessed as a soft opening of Al-Ula, an area approximately the size of Belgium that is being advertized as Saudi Arabia’s centerpiece. The conservative petro-state is all set to open up to overseas visitors.

Developing a tourism industry from scratch is the prime focus of a government plan to prepare world’s biggest economy for a post-oil era, an ambition fraught with many disputes.

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