Atop a string of green mountains in Saudi Arabia, a monthlong festival drew a medley of yoga enthusiasts, extreme venture seekers, tourists and tritional Saudi families — many wearing colorful flower crowns native to region as kingdom looks for ways to revamp its im and build up tourism. 

Everything about al-Soudah festival 

al-Soudah festival, which ran throughout month of August, gave visitors a chance to experience a unique region in Saudi Arabia and take part in outdoor sports like hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, horseback riding, zip lining and bungee jumping. Thousands also attended concerts by Middle Eastern superstars. 

Scenes of women zip lining and young Saudis at concerts, while neverless in a remote vill, are a stark departure from ultraconservative policies that for deces barred concerts and mixing, as well as shunned women’s sports in kingdom. 

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Attempt to revamp country’s ecomy

reforms are being pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, king’s powerful 34-year-old son. He is looking to revamp country’s ecomy to become more resilient in face of lower oil prices. Boosting domestic spending and opening country to foreign tourists are seen as ways to create more jobs for millions of young Saudis who will be entering workforce and looking for jobs in coming years. 

al-Soudah festival attracted between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors per day, said Husameddin al-Mani, who oversaw event. Most visitors to festival were Saudi citizens, but it also drew foreign tourists. 

Unlike Saudi Arabia’s major cities — which have limited outdoor s for sports, especially for women who must wear long flowing robes kwn as abayas in public — Saudi women in al-Soudah wore fitted jeans and sneakers under ir rolled up abayas to hike up mountain. Or Saudi women were seen zip lining between cliffs. In keeping with local custom, many kept ir faces and hair covered. 

wear in August in vill of al-Soudah, located in southwest Asir province, is a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit) in August, unlike capital, Riyh, or coastal city of Jiddah, where temperatures exceed 43 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit) throughout summer. In winter, parts of mountain range see sw. 

Al-Soudah sits on part of Sarawat Mountain range in southwest of Arabian Peninsula, some 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) above sea level. Its highlands are covered in green of juniper trees. area is also home to baboons, who were kept away from festival with help from Human Wildlife Solutions based in Cape Town, South Africa. 

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Jiddah city resident ura al-Moammar said she was surprised by region’s climate. “I never thought, honestly, that my country is that rich with nature,” she said. “It’s amazing for us to discover and see different cultures and landscapes and wear in our beautiful Saudi.” 

In nearby vill of Rijal Almaa, men wore flower crowns, or garlands, me from local flowers and herbs. Visitors here were treated to garlands of ir own, local tribal dances, coffee, tea and evening lightshows displayed on vill’s 500-year-old distinct natural clay, stone and wood structures. 

festival also drew extreme sports enthusiasts, including wingsuit base jumpers. Saudi media reported that British venturer and astronautical engineer Angelo Grubisic died during a jump off side of a cliff at festival when he experienced difficulties reaching landing site at speeds of around 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. 

Amid war, visitors say y felt extremely secure

festival took place less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from airport in Abha, capital city of region of Asir, which has been targeted by Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels. Saudi Arabia has been waging war in Yemen against rebels, also kwn as Houthis. “I couldn’t feel safer, honestly,” visitors at festival 

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Still, visitors at festival said y felt extremely secure. “I couldn’t feel safer, honestly,” said Paris Verra, a 24-year-old American visitor. “ city is vibrant, and I was walking down streets at like 1 and 2 a.m. and having tea with locals.” 

“Coming from America, re’s obviously a lot of misconceptions ... but I’m here to show and prove it’s thing but incredible ... I hope everybody gets a chance to visit this place one day,” she ded.So serene was vibe at festival that Alwaleed al-Keaid, who runs a Saudi hiking company, led morning mediations atop mountain. 

“We start our mornings with a mediation session in this gorgeous environment where we thank God for this blessing and meditate,” he said. “When we’re done, we try local bre with honey... and help people enjoy nature, forget about rest of world and live in moment.” 

festival of glitz and glamour 

festival also h its share of glitz and glamour with concerts by Middle Eastern mega stars, including Emirati singer Ahlam and Iraqi singer Kazem al-Saher. ir performances drew thousands of fans and al-Saher’s concert alone generated 1.5 million Saudi riyals ($400,000) in ticket sales, festival 

al-Soudah festival is one of 11 taking place in different parts of country this year. initiative, dubbed Saudi Seasons, is aimed at developing tourism and providing Saudis with temporary and permanent jobs.Al-Mani, CEO of al-Soudah festival, said at least 515 young men and women were hired from local community to assist in monthlong event. Local businesses also got a boost by contributing to food trucks and or services. 

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