Saudis urged to show their ‘authentic glam’ on Founding Day with traditional costumes

Saudi Arabia’s regional outfits are designed and created according to the materials available and fit the area’s climate and surrounding area. (AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
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Updated 05 October 2023
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Saudis urged to show their ‘authentic glam’ on Founding Day with traditional costumes

  • GEA’s Turki Alalshikh offers free entry to two Riyadh Season zones for all those who dress up
  • Saudi Arabia has a rich history of diverse and colorful fashion when it comes to its traditional costumes

JEDDAH: People wearing traditional Founding Day costumes on Feb. 22 will gain free entry to two prominent Riyadh Season zones, as the country prepares to commemorate the establishment of the first Saudi state in 1727 by Imam Muhammad bin Saud.

The chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, tweeted last week: “On February 22, there will be free entry to #Riyadh_City Boulevard and #WinterWonderland for everyone who wears #FoundingDay clothing. We are waiting to see your authentic Saudi glam. #Riyadh_Season.”

There were positive reactions to his tweet.

One person (@ahmd_rl) said: “I am so excited to see everyone looking their best on the Founding Day at Riyadh City Boulevard,” while another (@saadss100) tweeted: “Appreciations for the brilliant idea Turki Alalshikh. This really reflects the authenticity and antiquity of our historical clothing and how proud we are.”

Alalshikh’s tweet followed a Feb. 15 Fashion Commission announcement about the 22 styles listed in the Saudi traditional costume guide on its website, which features clothing from the Kingdom’s five main regions for women, men, and children.

Saudi Arabia has a rich history of diverse and colorful fashion when it comes to its traditional costumes.

Each region has different tribes and each tribe has its own style, but only a few of those costumes are well-known as the rest have been forgotten due to the lack of proper documentation about them and tribal migration.

Nadia Alireza, a member of Mansoojat Foundation and one of the researchers of  "Traditional Costumes of Saudi Arabia,” previously told Arab News that the fashion people chose to wear was one way to identify who they were, the time they lived in, their social background, and where they were from.

Saudi Arabia’s regional outfits are designed and created according to the materials available and fit the area’s climate and surrounding area.

“There are many colors used in traditional Saudi costuming,” she said. “They used a lot of leather, metal and colored beads, and gold and silver thread for embroideries. In some cases, rubber from old tires is used to make footwear.”

The Founding Day fashion guide lists 22 styles of costumes as well as glamorous accessories, jewelry, shawls, bags, and sandals to go with each outfit.

The pieces and colors of each costume are carefully chosen and according to detailed research on the traditional fashions worn during the three previous centuries in the Arabian Peninsula’s regions.

Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 administrative regions, 46 cities, and five main regions.

The Fashion Commission tweeted: “Several factors affected traditional fashion in the Kingdom, each region has special characteristics that influence its costumes, and the surrounding environment also plays a role in the forms of inscriptions, material types, and colors. Traditional fashion, which is produced locally using the finest textiles and fabrics, is considered a major part of the Kingdom’s history.”

There are five types of agal, a key men’s accessory in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council region. The agal is a doubled-up black cord that is worn on top of the head and is traditionally made of goat hair, cotton, and golden thread.

Each region has tweaked the agal in its own way to reflect its individuality. In some areas it is thick, in other areas it is thin with golden clips.

Men in the eastern regions wear a two-piece outfit, a white thobe and an outer cloak known as a bisht. The same goes for men from the central region, but they call it a mroden and it is usually worn on special occasions. Men in the south wear the same piece and they call it a jabbah as it features a solid cloak without any golden trim.

There is also a piece of clothing called the sdiri and this is similar to a vest worn over the thobe by men of the western region. It has the same features of the bisht but is shorter.

Another piece worn over a thobe by men from the central and southern areas is called the daglah. It is made out of cotton or wool, sometimes leather, and has beautiful embroidery on the chest area made from copper, gold, silver, or cotton thread to add a glamorous touch as the costume is worn on formal occasions.

A leather belt is worn over thobes by men from the central and southern regions as an accessory. Some like to add a third belt around their waist with an ornamental dagger hung in the middle of it to reflect power and wealth.

Lailah Al-Bassam, a Saudi expert in traditional fashion and textile heritage, told Arab News: “The progress of nations can be measured through their heritage and traditional arts, and our country is characterized by a long history that extends back thousands of years. Our civilization and the many fields of our traditional arts are ramified.

“Our Saudi costumes are full of different elements that express our special taste in lifestyle practice, as well as what fits with our environment and stems from our customs and traditions.”

Dresses are an essential item in the Saudi woman’s wardrobe.

All the listed regions feature elegant but modest dresses in many colors and cuts, with names such as almohothal, alsidrah, alnashl, kurtah and almasdah. They come in brown, black, blue, red, pink, and beige. Women’s outfits have head coverings, and central region women wear a stylish face covering made from black fabric, drawing attention to the eyes.

Women from the central region used to have a very distinctive piece of jewelry for the head, chest, and waist called the hzam and hamah.

Al-Bassam said that fashion could be considered one of the most important heritage elements. 

“By reviewing what our ancestors left us with including the clothing heritage, distinguished by the richness of its colors, the simplicity of its lines, its modesty, and the splendor of artistic beauty that reaches a high degree of perfection and accuracy in work.

“Despite the primitiveness of tools and the lack of capabilities back then, it is important for us to preserve it and to use it as a source from which we derive our distinctive personality and our special character.

Preserving our traditional costumes help us to reach the ultimate level of authenticity and harmony with the ways of living in a developed society concerned with preserving its ancient traditions.”


Live show at Expo 2025 celebrates shared Saudi-Japanese maritime experience

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Live show at Expo 2025 celebrates shared Saudi-Japanese maritime experience

  • Deep-rooted cultural connection in the spotlight 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has used the stage at Expo 2025 in Osaka to tell a story of Saudi-Japanese relations which spans the oceans.

In a live performance titled “Tales of the Sea,” the Kingdom’s pavilion brought together the seafaring traditions of Saudi Arabia and Japan, spotlighting a deep-rooted cultural connection anchored in pearl diving, patience, and poetry.

Held at the Saudi Courtyard Theater, the show centered on the figure of the nahham, a traditional Gulf singer whose role was to inspire pearl divers with his voice during long months at sea.

Japan’s ama divers, skilled women known for their sea diving expertise, were also featured to showcase their abilities and the risks they took in search of sea treasures. 

The performance told the story of a Saudi diver on a six-month journey to find the largest pearl, combining performance with visual storytelling projected across five towering 13-meter walls.

Interactive exhibits showcasing traditional diving tools and cultural artifacts invited visitors to engage more deeply, sparking conversations about resilience, tradition, and the Kingdom and Japan’s shared maritime legacies.

The audience responded with enthusiasm, drawn by the show’s emotional depth and the unexpected parallels between the two cultures.

The show captured the maritime memories of both nations, which were enhanced by Gulf chants blended with traditional Japanese music to help create an experience that reflected the partnership.

The Kingdom’s pavilion — the second largest at the expo after Japan’s — will host more than 700 events during the six-month fair, including concerts, films, and storytelling performances.

“Tales of the Sea” stood out as a clear example of how cultural exchange can be both meaningful and memorable.


Supreme Court calls on Muslims in Saudi Arabia to sight Dhul Hijjah crescent moon on Tuesday evening

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court called on Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of Dhul Hijjah on Tuesday evening.
Updated 11 min 39 sec ago
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Supreme Court calls on Muslims in Saudi Arabia to sight Dhul Hijjah crescent moon on Tuesday evening

  • Court requested that anyone sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye or through binoculars report to the nearest court and record their testimony

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court called on Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of Dhul Hijjah on Tuesday evening, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Tuesday is the 29th of Dhul Qadah and if the crescent moon is sighted that day, the month of Dhul Hijjah, during which Hajj takes place, will start on Wednesday May 28. In this case, the first day of Eid Al-Adha will take place on Friday June 6.

If the crescent moon is not sighted on Tuesday evening, Dhul Hijjah will start on Thursday and the first day of Eid will be on Saturday June 7.

The court requested that anyone sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye or through binoculars report to the nearest court and record their testimony, or contact the nearest center to assist them in reaching the nearest court.


Islamic military coalition hosts training in Mali to counter terrorist financing

Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition concluded a specialized training program on combating terrorist financing in Bamako
Updated 25 May 2025
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Islamic military coalition hosts training in Mali to counter terrorist financing

  • Program aimed to strengthen national capacities to counter terrorist financing and money laundering
  • Initiative is part of a broader series of strategic activities by the coalition to support its member states

RIYADH: The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition concluded a specialized training program on combating terrorist financing in Bamako, Mali, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Conducted in cooperation with Mali’s Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the program aimed to strengthen national capacities to counter terrorist financing and money laundering.

The initiative is part of a broader series of strategic activities by the coalition to support its member states, the SPA added.

The launch event was attended by Lt. Gen. Sadio Camara, Mali’s minister of defense and veterans affairs; Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Moghed, secretary-general of the coalition; senior diplomatic and military officials; and representatives from national and international organizations.

The program featured a scientific lecture, “Financial Investigations into Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering Crimes,” attended by more than 200 participants, including security, oversight, and judicial personnel.

The session covered methodologies for financial tracking, analysis of illicit networks, and shared relevant international experiences.

Additionally, a closed workshop, “Methods of Countering the Financing of Terrorist Organizations in the Sahel Region,” brought together specialists from key national and regional entities.

Discussions focused on shared challenges, successful models, ongoing initiatives, and mechanisms for enhanced cooperation.

The event concluded with a reaffirmation of the importance of sustained collaboration between the coalition and its member states.

Participants emphasized the need to expand training and capacity-building efforts to enhance institutional readiness and strengthen collective responses to security threats across the Sahel region.


Strict security in Makkah targets Hajj violations

Security patrols in Makkah arrested 2 Indonesian residents after they posted deceptive social media ads for fake Hajj campaigns.
Updated 25 May 2025
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Strict security in Makkah targets Hajj violations

  • Ministry of Interior reminded the public that entering Makkah without a Hajj permit from April 29 to June 10 is prohibited. (@makkahregion)

MAKKAH: Security patrols in Makkah arrested two Indonesian residents for fraud after they posted deceptive social media ads for fake Hajj campaigns, falsely promising accommodation and transportation within the holy sites.

In a separate case, Makkah police arrested two Kyrgyz residents for posting fraudulent ads targeting visit visa holders, misleading them into believing they could perform Hajj without a permit.

The suspects transported 87 visa holders and housed them in two rented locations in Makkah for a fee, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Legal action has been taken against them, and they have been referred to the Public Prosecution. The visa violators were also referred to the relevant authorities for legal penalties.

The General Directorate of Public Security urged all citizens and residents to follow Hajj regulations and report violations by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, Madinah, and the Eastern Province, or 999 in other regions.

Hajj Security Forces at Makkah’s entrances also arrested seven residents and eight citizens for transporting 61 individuals without Hajj permits, according to the SPA.

The Ministry of Interior issued administrative decisions against the transporters, accomplices, and those transported.

Penalties include imprisonment, fines of up to SR100,000 ($26,600), public naming, deportation of residents, and a 10-year re-entry ban after sentencing.

The ministry also called for the confiscation of vehicles used in unauthorized transport and fines of up to SR20,000 for those attempting to perform Hajj without a permit.

It urged full compliance with Hajj regulations to ensure pilgrim safety and reminded the public that entering Makkah without a Hajj permit from April 29 to June 10 is prohibited.


Food and drug checks intensify ahead of Hajj

Updated 25 May 2025
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Food and drug checks intensify ahead of Hajj

RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority is continuing its proactive inspection campaigns as part of preparations for the Hajj season.

The authority has conducted more than 1,329 field visits to food, medicine and medical device warehouses in Makkah and Madinah so far.

These ongoing inspections and awareness efforts have led to a notable increase in compliance among facilities storing food and medicine for pilgrims, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the visits, inspection teams identified several warehouses that breached approved technical requirements and took the necessary legal actions.

As a result, 44 warehouses were closed, and 349 violations were recorded, according to the SPA.

To raise awareness, the authority launched a multilingual campaign that includes brochures outlining key product-handling requirements. It aims to improve safety and compliance at all facilities serving pilgrims.

The authority intensifies efforts each Hajj season to ensure food, medicine, and medical products meet safety standards, helping minimize health risks and protect pilgrims’ well-being.