Amman, August 30 (QNA) - The events of the 25th edition of the Al Khalidiya Festival for Nabataean Poetry kicked off Tuesday in Jordan with participants from the State of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq.
The three-day festival aims at spreading and generalizing the message of the Jordanian culture; hosting iconic Jordanian and Arab Nabataean poets and granting them platforms to express the values that enhance and entrench the national identity as well as the continued communication with the Jordanian heritage.
The opening ceremony that started with a welcoming poem also saw poetry readings, the inauguration of a heritage exhibition for homemade and women-made products and folk foods in addition to songs, musicals and folklore shows.
Head of Al Mafraq Culture Directorate Faisal Al Sarhan said the festival, the oldest festival in the Arab Mashreq, has hosted numerous Jordanian and Arab poets over the past 24 editions.
Head of the Women's Union in Khalidiya Fadl Al Khalidi praised the festival as a cultural window and an Arab gate that shoulders the responsibility of preserving the national identity and deep-rooted folk heritage.
The last edition of the festival saw the participation of 17 poets from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. (QNA)