Jeddah Consulate visits Historic Jeddah Festival
in Balad District
21 January 2015 – Philippine Consul General in Jeddah Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr., led some of his officers, staff, including attached agencies and spouses in visiting the historic Jeddah area of Balad Tuesday evening during the 2nd Historic Jeddah Festival, which runs for a week or until 24 January.
The festival, with this year’s theme: “Your Sun Shines”, aims at making people, Saudis and expats alike, aware of the Kingdom’s invaluable heritage at the Balad District, listed recently as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The festival focuses on the history and culture of “old Jeddah”. Places of worship and commerce as well as dwellings of hardened earth and wood illuminated by spotlights highlighted the festival. The group marveled at these and took souvenir photos when they had the chance.
The visit gave the group (and other visitors) an insight into the more than half a century of the glorious history of the “Bride of the Red Sea” the City of Jeddah. The festival’s different sections that displayed mementos of Jeddah’s distant past, offered folk dishes/delicacies for sale in kiosks along the streets provided an ambiance fitting to a festival on history. There were also different cultural presentations and activities as well as display of handicraft items and paintings by local artists.
Most importantly during the visit, the officers and staff of Post earned several “Jeddawi” friends, who could in the near future be handy and helpful in making ones tour of duty in Jeddah successful and memorable.
The Consulate invites all Filipinos in the Kingdom to visit the 2nd Historic Jeddah Festival to appreciate and learn about the history of the town and the culture of the area. The festival will run until Saturday, 24 January 2015 from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. END.
