Egyptian culture is celebrated in Riyadh to end Global Harmony

As part of Riyadh Season, the Global Harmony project ends its third year with a week-long celebration of Egyptian music, art, and tradition in Suwaidi Park.

The Ministry of Media organizes the event, which runs from November 24th to the 30th and offers a variety of cultural activities for people to learn about Egypt’s rich history.

Tarek El-Meligy, the Egyptian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, discussed the deep connections between the two countries in an interview with Arab News. “The Egyptian community is the most peaceful, accepting, and understanding in a good way in Saudi society,” he said.

Sarry Shaaban, an executive and consultant at the General Entertainment Authority, said, “The park gets millions of visitors every year, both Saudis and people from other countries.” It gives people in the area a chance to learn about your culture, colors, arts, food, crafts, and traditional industries, whether I live there, am Saudi, or am from the country holding the event.

With the beat of drums and flutes and dancers dressed in traditional Egyptian clothes, live music and dance shows have brought the life and spirit of Cairo’s streets to Riyadh.

There is now a different bazaar area with Egyptian food, traditional clothing, and items made by hand.

El-Meligy said, “An event like this sends positive messages and brings to light something we try to stress every day: that we are one people, linked by love and affection.”

Sameh Nabil, an Egyptian, talked about the sense of unity: “This project brought Egyptians closer together, and with Saudis here, I feel like we are brothers.” I never feel like we’re expats.

Khaled Zahir, a visitor, said, “This event shows how much love, connection, and affection there is between Egyptians living in the Kingdom and Saudis.”

The Saudi Census reveals that 11% of Saudi Arabia’s population is Egyptian. This means that exhibitions like these are important for spreading peace and respect between people.

El-Meligy said that Saudi Arabia had the biggest population of Egyptians living outside of Egypt. He stated that Egyptians residing in the Kingdom contributed significantly to Egypt’s income.

“Remittances from Egyptians living abroad have grown a lot in recent months,” he said. “This is because of the good relations between the two countries and people’s trust in both the Saudi and Egyptian economies.”

The political ties between Saudi Arabia and Egypt are getting stronger thanks to deals in trade, tourism, energy, and culture. During his trip to Cairo in October, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to talk about business prospects and the creation of a supreme coordination council to improve ties between the two countries.

The General Authority of Statistics says that trade between Saudi Arabia and Egypt grew by 35.16 percent each year in the first half of 2024. Saudi imports from Egypt increased by 73.44 percent, accounting for $4.18 billion of the rise.

Egypt is also becoming more interested in trading in Saudi Arabia. Egyptian companies received 71 percent more licenses in the second quarter of 2024.

Since it started in October, the event has been showcasing the lives, contributions, and cultural integration of the people who live there. So far, it has celebrated Indian history, as well as traditions from the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.