Government | Thursday 11 August, 2016 7:54 am |

Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has unveiled an ambitious plan to develop Taif into a modern Saudi city.

“The Souk Okaz city, a technology park and a modern airport will be the major highlights of Taif,” he said while addressing an open forum with the guests after inaugurating the 10th edition of the annual Souk Okaz festival Tuesday night.

Prince Sultan Bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), and other dignitaries attended the forum.

Prince Khaled said the SCTH would build the Souk Okaz city on area spreading over 10 square kilometers. “Similarly, an agreement was signed with Prince Turki Bin Saud Bin Muhammad, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, to build a technology park adjacent to the Souk Okaz city. After finishing the technology project, the airport project will be implemented,” he said, adding that preliminary agreements were signed for the construction of the airport, which will start soon.

“Extensive studies have been carried out to link these three projects with the old Taif as well as with Al-Hada and Al-Shafa, and clubbing them together to build the “Taif of Future”.

“The new Taif will be a city in a garden, linking its east with west and north with south,” he said.

Prince Khaled, who is also chairman of the supervising committee of the festival, laid the foundation stone for the Jadat Al-Mustaqbal (Future Aavenue) project of Souk Okaz. Prince Sultan Bin Salman was also present on the occasion.

The SCTH will implement the project on an area covering 25,000 square meters. The commission will strive to reactivate the role of Souk Okaz in shaping the future of Saudi citizens, expatriates and visitors by displaying their products and encouraging innovators and thinkers through presenting their projects and thoughts at Jadat Al-Mustaqbal, which is designed to become an important tourist and cultural destination in the Kingdom with a special focus on spurring the economic development of Taif.

Prince Khaled launched on Wednesday the Okaz Arab Poetry Academy. Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi, Taif University President Hossam Zaman, and several other dignitaries attended the function held at the university auditorium.

Addressing an open dialogue with the youth, Prince Khaled said the academy will take care of the Arab poetry in the Arab world as a whole, in addition to printing an anthology of poems by Souk Okaz poets.

Meanwhile, Al-Turaifi described the Souk Okaz festival as a symbol of the Arabs, the tolerance of the Islamic religion and an expression of the wonderful image of Saudi Arabia through the eyes of the world.

Speaking to reporters after the inaugural session of the festival, he said, “Souk Okaz has become a global gathering where we saw Arab and international artists making their contributions and receiving awards.”