Saudi Arabia revamps ancient port to lure tourists

Record ID: 1142518

  • Title: Saudi Arabia revamps ancient port to lure tourists
  • Date: 25th July 2018
  • Summary: AL-UQAIR, SAUDI ARABIA (JULY 20, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OLD STRUCTURES AT AL-UQAIR OLD PORT SIGN READING (ARABIC): "Uqair historical port archaeological area / Uqair beach" VARIOUS OF OLD BUILDINGS IN PORT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SAUDI COMMISSION FOR TOURISM AND NATIONAL HERITAGE IN AL-AHSA, KHALED AL-FREIDAH, SAYING: "The Commission for Tourism and National Heritage is working on establishing Uqair tourism company through which we will be able to utilise these major touristic destinations, (including) historical buildings that were used for customs, passport controls, the municipality building, a historical mosque as well as some hills (built on which was) Abu Zuhmoun tower which used to supply Uqair area with drinking water. We have a huge number of archaeological hills where the tourism authority worked for three seasons and discovered an old city dating back to the 10th hijri century (according to the Islamic calendar)." VARIOUS OF OLD BUILDINGS IN PORT VARIOUS OF LAMP HANGED IN CEILING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SAUDI COMMISSION FOR TOURISM AND NATIONAL HERITAGE IN AL-AHSA, KHALED AL-FREIDAH, SAYING: "When oil exploration operations started, (Uqair port) was the main port that supplied the exploration tools to operations in Bahrain and Manama at this time. During the exploration, the port (waters) were found to be shallow, and the search began for another port that can accommodate the huge ships coming in. (Saudi) resorted to Dammam and Ras Tanura ports for exports." OLD BUILDING VARIOUS OF ANCIENT MOSQUE VARIOUS OF OLD BUILDINGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SAUDI COMMISSION FOR TOURISM AND NATIONAL HERITAGE IN AL-AHSA, KHALED AL-FREIDAH, SAYING: "In the year 1370 or 1372 (according to the Islamic calendar), (Uqair port) was no longer a commercial port. It used to supply al-Ahsa with fish products because the water at Uqair port is clean and pure, unlike the polluted water around Dammam. In Uqair, the water is pure, clean, and full of mineral salts which make fish very delicious. Due to the nature of the region as a coastal area, it became a base for border police, so the area thrived."
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2018 14:56
  • Keywords: Saudi Ports Authority al-Uqair Port UNESCO World Heritage Site tourism in Saudi Arabia Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage
  • Location: AL-UQAIR, SAUDI ARABIA
  • Reuters ID: LVA0018Q8XS2D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A Saudi tourism body is working on transforming a centuries-old port in the eastern region into a tourism destination as part of the country's efforts to lure more tourists into the conservative kingdom.
    The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) is to establish a company to develop the Ottoman-era Uqair port, home to ancient structures that once represented the Kingdom's oldest port.
    "The Commission for Tourism and National Heritage is working on establishing Uqair tourism company through which we will be able to utilise these major touristic destinations," said the head of Saudi Commission For Tourism And National Heritage in al-Ahsa, Khaled al-Freidah.
    The company's budget is projected to reach nearly three billion Saudi riyals ($800 million) to cover development projects stretching over 24 kilometres on the Arabian Gulf, according to a report by SCTH in 2015.
    SCTH is yet to announce a timeline for the development project.
    Uqair region is linked to the ancient city of Gerrha and derived its historical importance from being the location of the 1922 Uqair Protocol defining the borders of modern Saudi.
    The historical port is currently part of al-Ahsa region, recently announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    Under reforms pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has vowed to promote a more moderate form of Islam and loosened strict social rules like a ban on women driving, the kingdom has allocated $1 billion to preserve its heritage.
    Many of the cultural areas date back to thousands of years and the attention given to them could risk a possible backlash from religious fundamentalists.
    Saudi Arabia hopes reviving such sites will bolster national identity while attracting tourists - local and foreign - as part of a bid to diversify the economy of the world's top oil exporter away from crude. Reforms aim to lift total tourism spending to $46.6 billion in 2020 from $27.9 billion in 2015.
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