The world’s cultural body UNESCO has identified Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahsa as one of the most innovative towns in the world for the economic development of its arts and crafts. The city, which has a population of 1.3 million people and is located in the Kingdom’s southeast, has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
“The city has a historical legacy of handicrafts, which are both cultural and social traditions passed down from generation to generation,” according to UNESCO. Around 50 crafts and folk art expressions have survived throughout the city’s history and bear evidence to Al-scenic Ahsa’s wealth, including palm-tree fabrics, ceramics, weaving, and carpentry.”
Al-Ahsa, which also contains one of the world’s largest palm oases, holds 36 weekly open markets and various festivals throughout the year. According to the United Nations, these include the National Festival for Heritage and Culture Janadriyah, which attracts over 68,000 tourists each year.
“Crafts and folk art provide a significant contribution to the city’s economic development,” Ibraheem Al-Sheikh Mubarak, secretary general of Al-Chamber Ahsa’s of Commerce, said in an interview. The city has launched a National Project for Artisans and Handicrafts as well as a Human Resources Development Fund to reshape the crafts and folk art industry.”
The UNESCO Creative Towns Network was founded in 2004 and now includes roughly 250 cities from all over the world working to “put creativity and cultural industries at the core of their development strategies.”
Al-Ahsa was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2018, making it the fifth Saudi place to do so after Madain Saleh (2008), the Tarif district in Diriyah (2010), Al-Balad, Jeddah (2014), and the rock art in the Hail region (2015). The Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism has also named Al-Ahsa as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2019. The region is rich in archaeological and historical sites, some dating back to 6,000 B.C., and has won numerous Arab and international awards.