The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronized the opening ceremony of the 27th National Festival for Heritage and Culture, an event organized annually by the National Guard, in Al-Janadriyah yesterday afternoon. Upon arrival at the venue, King Abdullah received Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. He also met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, whose country is the guest of honor at this year’s festival. After the playing of the Saudi national anthem and the reading of verses from the Quran, the guests took their seats and the camel races began. Upon their conclusion, King Abdullah awarded trophies to the winners.

Later on, King Abdullah, King Hamad and President Lee attended a dinner banquet held in honor of the occasion. The event was also attended by Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz; Riyadh Governor Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz; Prince Faisal bin Saud Al-Kabeer; Deputy Riyadh Governor Prince Mohammed bin Sa’ad bin Abdulaziz; Chief of General Intelligence Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz; and a number of other princes, ministers, distinguished guests, senior civil and military officials and citizens.

Today, the Commander of the National Guard and President of the Supreme Committee of the National Festival for Heritage and Culture, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, opened the cultural activities of the 27th Janadriyah Festival. During a speech, Prince Miteb welcomed the festival participants, wishing them a pleasant stay in the Kingdom. The opening ceremony was attended by Acting Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Yusuf bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen.