His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah interacts with a falconer attending the festival.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah accompanied by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended the Kuwait National Heritage Festival at Al-Salmi area yesterday.

The Amiri convoy arrived at the festival and was received by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs and President of Sheikh Sabah Village Higher Committee Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, Amiri Diwan Advisor and Supervisor of the Village Mohammad Dhaif Allah Sharar, and President of the Amiri Administrative and Financial Affairs and Deputy President of the Higher Committee Abdulaziz Saud Isehaq.

Children from the village gave a performance, followed by poetic activities. The Amiri convoy then toured GCC and Arab wards at the festivals, including a visit to the handicraft heritage youth center, vintage cars museum, and various heritage sight scenes.

The ceremony was also attended by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, senior sheikhs, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, and President of Arab Parliament Ahmad Al-Jarwan.

Rich heritage

Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said meanwhile that His Highness the Amir's of the Gulf Popular Heritage Festival and the Sabah Al-Ahmad Heritage Village embodies the state's keenness on the copious, genuine and rich heritage and culture of Kuwait and the Gulf region.

The distinguished GCC participation in the Village, embodied in heritage museums, reaffirms the depth of the "brotherly" ties among the bloc's leaders and peoples. Sheikh Salman said. The Village has undergone major development, as several facilities, services and contests, both heritage and for amusement, were introduced.

The Village, with its museums, markets and other attractions, strengthens the Kuwaiti and Gulf people's linkage to their genuine heritage, inherited from fathers and forefather, which reinforces "values of belonging and loyalty, " he said.

For Sheikh Salman, the participation of state institutions, especially the Ministry of Information and Ministry of State for Youth Affairs and National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), conveys "an obvious message" of their keenness on maintaining national heritage. He also offered deep thanks to His Highness the Amir for his "unlimited support to culture and heritage in our dear nation, which is celebrating being chosen Capital of the Islamic Culture 2016.

History enriched

Meanwhile, Zayani underlined the momentousness of the Sabah Al-Ahmad Heritage Village for consolidating the Gulf popular heritage. The Gulf popular heritage has enriched the history and the present of the GCC states, Zayani told KUNA on the sidelines of the opening of the village.

He stressed the role of the Sabah Al-Ahmad Village for consolidating the Gulf identity among all peoples of the bloc. This distinguished event reflects the resemblance of the inherited customs and traditions, as well as demonstrating the strong linkage, among the six members of the GCC through history, he noted. Zayani appreciated efforts by the organizer committee of the event and the high-level arrangements for the opening of the Village. The GCC Secretary General arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday. - KUNA