Sukhari, Kalas, Hashishi, Aseela, Rothana… may all sound Greek to many. But for the date farmers at the just-concluded Buraidah Dates Festival they are some of the varieties of dates they thrive on. There are some 40 different classy varieties of dates, with the Sukhari variety accounting for much of the produce in Saudi Arabia. The three month Buraidah Dates Festival offered a remarkable experience for the thousands of visitors and traders, who came to sell, buy or simply watch. The Sukhari and Kalas selections are hot favorites among the local populace and formed the bulk of the estimated 300,000 tons of dates sold during the festival. Dates have been a staple food in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around the Gulf region.
Arabs introduced dates around northern Africa and into Spain. Today, an image of a date palm tree forms part of the national emblem of Saudi Arabia. The Buraidah Dates Festival brings out this very essence of the fruit’s historical origins. The open air market remains unchanged in many ways from what date markets were decades ago.
Traditional sellers shout out their wares and display their varieties in well defined heaps. Rows and rows of well-stacked pick-ups line up, doubling as make-shift sales outlets.

The significance of the festival can be gauged from the fact that it was inaugurated by no less a person than Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Governor of Qassim Province of which Buraidah is the capital. The prince fittingly referred to the festival as an important platform for marketing the dates not only in Saudi Arabia, but all over the world.
Quality dates in labeled cartons seen at the festival are often destined for foreign markets. As an illustration of the price these cartons fetched this year, a three-kg box of Sukhari dates went at prices ranging from SR 55 and SR 130.
There’s more to the festival than just dates. Competitions are held for the Best Farm, Best Service to the Dates Industry, and Best Scientific Study on Dates – all toughly fought contests, with the winners personally awarded by the governor.
With Saudi Arabia being a world leader in date production, there is little wonder that the fruit is given such an exalted position in the country. Not only does it hold tremendous economic value to the country, but also bears religious significance. Dates and date palms find mention in the Holy Quran several times. Breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan is often done ceremoniously with dates and water.
Moreover, dates spin out a variety of delicacies, the most famous of them being Mamoul, a kind of cookies filled with date paste. Then there are chocolates, plain biscuits and even pickles. But a word of caution for those on a sugar-free diet: The sugar content in dates is high, real high.
Buraidah’s fertile soil makes it ideally suited for agriculture, which remains the mainstay of the region’s economy. In support of the fruit that matters so much to Saudi Arabia, the Qassim Province is putting in its best to help produce and market the product in the country as well as in export markets. Research is being constantly conducted to increase yield and reduce farming losses by creating new methods to eliminate pests, including the dreaded red palm weevil beetle.
Scores of vehicles, estimated to be more than 2,000 a day, drove into Buraidah everyday during the festival. Sales are projected to have crossed the SR one billion mark, making the event a boon to farmers, traders and consumers – and of course, to the lay visitor for the unique experience.
Buraidah is just about four hours’ drive from Riyadh, and is well connected by air to all international airports in Saudi Arabia. It’s worth a visit.

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