Historic Jeddah Festival opens with fanfare

January 16, 2015

Jeddah, Jan 16: Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed, chairman of the Tourism Development Council, opened the second Historic Jeddah Festival here Wednesday, which will feature 89 heritage, recreational, cultural and marketing events.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), was also present. After the opening ceremony, Prince Mishaal and Prince Sultan toured the festival venue. “The festival is aimed at making people aware of their invaluable heritage and to help preserve it,” Prince Mishaal said.

The prince said the festival would contribute to the promotion of historical Jeddah projects because the old city has been listed as a World Heritage Site by the United bNations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He said the festival is being held under the slogan, Your Sun Shines.

He pointed out that the historic district has many distinctive features, especially its development projects. He hoped that it would be a memorable and successful event and praised the organizers for helping to set it up.

The events this year include art programs and forums. There would also be shopping from the Nada Souk, passing along Al-Kabeer Souk and ending at Qabil Street. Visitors can benefit from discount sales, draws and gifts offered, he said. Visitors can also view 20 handicraft products and 20 folk dishes that were popular in ancient times.

The opening event featured an operetta called Your Sun Shines performed by 100 folk artists. The operetta portrayed the social life of Jeddah residents of the past based on mutual support and cooperation, how later generations drifted away from the ways of their forefathers, and then how the sun started shining again over Jeddah with its heritage achievements under UNESCO.

The organizing committee expects over 1 million visitors. Those who spoke at the opening function included Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Saleh Kamel, Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras and SCTA Director General in Makkah Muhammad Al-Omri.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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