“A beautiful cultural, visual, and human overview of what Saudi Arabia is about to offer us”

Al-Soudah… It’s normal not to know the name! I will try to make you discover more about this region of southern Saudi Arabia, through “Al Soudah Season”.

The Al-Soudah mountains rise to an altitude of 3000m, with Abha as its regional capital, which is located at an altitude of 2300m. It is here that the Flowermen Festival was organized in August, in order to make the region a little more known, with a view to opening up to tourism in a few years’ time.

This region has a lot to offer, the kindness of the local population first, then its temperate climate (it is about twenty degrees during the day, and much cooler in the evening! All this in the middle of August !), and finally its magnificent landscapes: breathtaking views, in which various activities are organized (zip line, bungee jumping, paragliding, hiking, etc.).

In terms of gastronomy too, the offer is abundant, whether it is with local cuisine, but also very good international restaurants, Greek or Italian for example.

Rome was not built in a day

On the other hand, the organization is still far from perfect and ready for major tourism, judging for example by the lack of punctuality of the drivers on-site. This huge problem caused us to lose half a day, and more than several hours during the 2 days. This is a concern that the organizers will have to remedy in future editions of the festival.

Multitude of activities

On the spot, the program is particularly varied, with the possibility of discovering vertiginous spaces, almost devoid of buildings, as well as more modern cities like Abha.

The visit also takes us on the trail of modern architectural jewellery, such as Villa Al Sahu, built by the architect Khalid Henedy for his father, or villages with much more traditional architecture, such as Rijal Alma’a, where the Flowermen Festival takes place (named after a village where men wear flower wreaths for festivities).

Already magnificent in itself, the village sublimates itself at nightfall, when the show of sounds and lights begins. That’s when the magic happens! I really fell back into my childhood, with all those lights, and the fireworks that accompanied my return to the hotel in Abha was a perfect end to this 48-hour stay. A stay that will have given me, once again, a beautiful cultural, human and visual insight into what Saudi Arabia is about to offer us in a few years’ time.