Culture & Education | Sunday 4 August, 2019 4:00 am |

Okaz Avenue attracted visitors at Souq Okaz, which was launched last Thursday as part of Taif Season’s “Masyaf Al-Arab.”
It represents an aspect of daily life for ancient Arabs through creative live shows including more than 2,000 actors and professionals who receive guests in modern Arabic and traditional clothes, and perform stories and improvizations based on a dialogue between actors and visitors.
Okaz Avenue showcases the historic status of Taif by bringing back the past and representing it in a cultural and recreational way using artistic creativity and ingenuity. Time travelers watch the most famous Arab poets, such as Nabigha Dhubyani, Imru’ Al-Qais, Amr Ibn Kulthum, Tarafa ibn Al-’Abd and Antara Ibn Shaddad, as well as duels with swords and spears and the departure of horse and camel convoys, reception of delegations and showcasing of ancient auctions and business deals.  
Souq Okaz was famous for hundreds of years — predating Islam — it may go back more than 1,500 years. Arabs used to flock to it annually; tribes and poets gathered, deals were done, war reconciliation sessions and truces were declared, and the most important items from abroad exhibited, transported by convoys from Damascus and Yemen. That scene vanished over the years but was revitalized 13 years ago in Souq Okaz and is presented in a new form this year with the launch of its first edition during Taif Season.
Taif Season consists of more than 70 events in areas including Souq Okaz, near the camel festival, Sadat Al-Beed, and Ward Village. Events throughout August cover trade markets and tourist and historical monuments to enhance Taif’s historic and tourist status as a summer destination for Arabs and to promote the Kingdom as an international destination.