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[Bedouin Boy]

For those of you looking for a fun outing on the weekend, consider a visit to the cultural village at Al-Janadriya, just outside of Riyadh. The Saudi government has recreated various regions of the Kingdom in a setting that feels much like an American small-town carnival, except there's no ferris wheel or merry-go-round. There are full-scale buildings that reflect the diversity of architecture within the Kingdom. You can go to the Abha section and walk inside a tower trimmed with all the correct architectural details. Many of these buildings are manned by artisans and craftsmen from the region featured. You can watch them making dallahs, baskets, and leather goods as you stroll along a promenade of shops. And for those of you who love to shop, the best part is that you can buy the handicrafts on the spot!

There are also food stands as you come in, so you won't have to worry about taking in the sights on an empty stomach. I highly recommend that you try the kleija, the popular round cookies that have a delightful filling of dips, which is made from date paste. You can buy a whole box of kleija, baked fresh right there on the premises, for SR10. I'm a big fan of kleija, so I always stock up when I go to Al-Janadriya. You can buy them all over the Kingdom, but I have yet to find any that rival these. They tend to be a bit on the dry side, so be sure to get yourself a cup of tea to wash them down with.

You can also enjoy some live entertainment if you get there early enough. There are traditional dances, including the sword dance, performed by young Saudi men donning traditional garb. There's also the famous camel race for those of you who prefer a faster pace.

The first thing you see as you approach the entrance to the cultural village is the �unofficial� traditional market set up in front of the main gate. Here you will find all sorts of goodies as you walk from booth to booth. The vendors come from all over the Kingdom and even from Yemen just to set up shop here for the duration of the celebration. If you're in the market for a dagger, colorful baskets or old Saudi coins, this is the place to come. There are bearded men selling old jewelry, daggers and swords. One of my favorite vendors is the man from the South who sells honey. He's always very colorfully dressed and has a good selection of different kinds of honey. If you haven't tasted Saudi honey, you're definitely in for a treat! First of all, it's dark brown instead of the pale yellow that you're probably used to. It's sold by weight, and it doesn't come cheap. I paid SR150 for a kilo, but it was worth every halala.

Be sure to check out the bakhur, balls of incense made by Saudi women. You'll need a mabkhara (incense burner) and some charcoal to burn it, so pick up a mabkhara from the same vendor. These balls of incense are called ma'amulat in Arabic. I love incense and have tried many different kinds of ma'amulat, but the ones that I bought at Al-Janadriya are the best by far.

I always pick up a dallah or two at this market. I only collect old ones, the ones that were actually used at some point in time. With 25 in my collection already, I certainly don't need any more, but I find it hard to resist the temptation to add another one if it's an unusual style. The most intriguing ones come from the South. Another favorite style of mine is the Quraishi variety, which has a flat lid instead of a rounded one.

If traditional textiles are your thing, you will also be in your element here at Al-Janadriya. There are quite a few Bedouin women who weave rugs on the traditional Saudi loom. These looms are pretty narrow, so the end result is a narrow rug. They sometimes attach two rugs together to make a larger one. I commissioned a rug from one of these women one year, making a sketch of what designs and colors I wanted. When I came back the next year, it was all ready for me. I was pleased with it, except for the fact that she had made it from synthetic yarn instead of wool yarn. This turned out to be a good thing when I discovered that these women don't clean the wool before making it into yarn. Their homespun yarn is full of bugs that hatch out and devour the wool fibers! I found this out the hard way when I bought a Bedouin carpet at this market and put it in my bedroom. While I was away in the summer, these bugs hatched out in my hot apartment and found their way to my expensive Persian carpet in another room and had a field day. Needless to say, I was not pleased when I returned to the Kingdom and found these black bugs everywhere! This was a lesson well-learned.

Al-Janadriya is only open for two weeks every year between the two Eids. I don't know the exact dates for this year's program, but if you ask around, I'm sure you'll find someone who knows. Most Saudis are very familiar with Al-Janadriya, so asking one of your students would be the best bet. I encourage all of you to go to it at least once. I've been twice, and I would love to go again. There's always a good turnout for this exhibition, mainly young Saudi guys from Riyadh. As this is a more conservative area than the Eastern Province, you won't find many guys wearing Western clothes, which means that the expats there are easy to spot. There are certain days for families and certain days for singles, so be sure to go on the right day. This is worth the drive from the Eastern Province, so bring a friend and enjoy a uniquely Saudi cultural experience!

[Hod]

One at a time, please.

Judging by the responses, Saudi sounds a blast, a veritable cultural banquet.

[Tomton]

And things get even more exciting at the annual Janadariya Festival held for a couple of weeks in late February.