Province
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Song & Dance
| In this gentle mountain retreat, you'll find an outstanding tradition of locally manufactured handicrafts that reflect the taste and the cultural aspects of the area |
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There is a wide range of creative endeavour in Al-Baha which is reflected in the province's distinctive style
Weaving and decoration of the woollen abaya. This is mainly centralised in Al-Qaran village in Bani Salem. Winter blankets, coats and cloaks, as well as saddlebags for keeping luggage and provisions are also made.
Embroidery and Tailoring is popular here, particularly in Al-Suffra, Baidan and Al-Musana’a villages in Beljerchi district where they create elaborately embroidered are women’s garments, especially wedding dresses and jellabias.
Iron work such as the manufacture of traditional weapons like daggers and swords. The blades are made of iron, the handles are decorated with silver and the belts are made of colored leather. In Beljerchi district, particularly in Al-Musanna’a, smiths also manufacture agricultural tools like ploughs, axes, spades and sickles and take care of their maintenance as well - if you need.
Tanning of leather goods is practiced in Al-Baha to cater for various house needs like water skin, leather buckets and others.
Woodcarving, especially decorated doors, roof decorations, stools, and wooden plates for keeping honey, butter oil or for serving soup
Al-Makhwah, Qalwa and Nimra are the main centers for frond industries. Here they make baskets, trays, hats, mats, brooms, fans, and napkins.
It's easy to imagine that a region which grows such a large variety of food, would develop some unique recipes. Here are a few that Al-Baha is famous for:
Al Daghabis is a delicious dish common in Al-Baha, which consists of flour dough cut in round loaves and cooked with meet and soup.
Al-Khubza is a basic food for the local people. It is a type of bread prepared by putting dough on flat piece of rock heated in fire. The dough, buried ash and live coal, is covered with a thin potter or iron container known as mushaffah.
Al-Asida is one of the most common dishes in the region. It is well-stirred watery dough boiled on fire and served with meat and soup.
Al-Muthria consists of boiled separated pieces of flour dough served with butter oil and honey.
Fattah of Butter Oil and Honey: This delicious and nutritious dish consists of small crumbs of local bread blended with butter, oil and honey. The dish is served hot.
Along with the culinary traditions, there are also some cultural ones which have been preserved through the generations. Many of these have become famous through displays given at the annual Janadriyah Festival in Riyadh.
Al-Ardha is a show of the tribal individuality and force. A number of men line up in a semi-circle. A drummer stands in the middle along with a poet, who reads out a poem - loudly. After the poet finishes, the men in the queue repeat many times in unison the last verse of his poem in the same rhyme. Concurrently, the men move agilely brandishing swords and daggers. Al-Ardha is usually held on feast days.
Al-Musahabani contestants stand in two lines opposite each other and poets stand in the middle competing for poetry amid drumbeating. The footsteps are produced in slow stream with an agile shaking of the bodies while repeating the verses of the poem. Al-Musahabani is one of the most beautiful and popular arts in the region. Poems are judged for their rhyme, rhythm and emotional content.
Al-Laib (Playing) is performed in strong rhymes and movements. It is a popular art form because the energizing rhythm gets everyone involved.
Al-Baha National Museum for Monuments and Heritage
Admission: free
Visiting hours: 8:00am - 1:00pm & 4:00pm - 10:00pm
Al-Salim Heritage Museum (Private)
Motellat Al Baha
Visiting hours: 4:00pm -11:00pm
Ibn Zouma Museum (Private)
Beljarchi
Visiting hours: 4:00pm - 9pm
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Musabbah Museum (Private)
Beljarchi
Visiting hours: 4:00pm - 9:00pm |
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