The “Al-Maqtar” event in Darb Al-Saai witnesses a great turnout of visitors, especially families, as it is considered one of the most important heritage events in Darb Al-Saai, and aims to introduce visitors to the lives of grandparents closely, where AL Maqtar mimicked the old desert lifestyle. It is consisted of various accompanying activities and events that suit adults and children.
For his side, Abdel Rahman Ahmed Al-Badi Al Ma’adid, head of the Al-Maqtir and Ezbah activities, said that Al-Maqtar is an activity that embodies the life of the Bedouins in the past and refers to the Bedouin tent that come together in a straight line and when a person comes from far away, he sees the tents as if they are in a straight line and close to each other. Noting that the old Bedouin tents gathered different groups of people to talk, chat and pass on news.
Al Ma’adid added that the event includes a number of activities, including reciting poems and poetry puzzles, which is represented in reciting a verse of poetry, and the participants are asked to understand the meaning of this verse. And there is the competition of memorizing of a verse to be delivered for the first time consisting of difficult it may refer to the It may be pre-Islamic poetry, early Islamic poetry, or eloquent Arabic or Nabati poetry pointing out that the aim of these activities is to remind people that the people of the desert in the past had the intelligence to protect themselves from the danger surrounding them in the desert.
The head of the Al Maqtar activity in Darb Al-Saai explained that memorizing verses of poetry makes a person always aware of the content of the conversations of the men around him, and thus is considered a revitalization of memory and mind.
He referred to the camel riding activity, which comes within the activities of Al Maqtar and Ezba, and it witnesses children turnout in particular. This activity aims to connect the new generations with the life of fathers and grandparents due the expedients were the old mean of movement and transport at the same time it shall learn about suffering of fathers and grandparents in the past to build the present of this homeland for the new generations, and that despite this suffering, they were preserving their religion, customs, traditions, and love for their homeland.
Hence, it has become mandatory for the new generations, who are currently living a more luxurious life, to preserve and adhere to those customs and values.
Abdel Rahman Ahmed Al-Badi Al Ma ‘adid added that conditions may not always be favorable for families to take their children to ride expedients most of the time for reasons related to the nature of life at the present time, considering the activities of Darb Al-Saai, especially the Al-Maqtar event are providing everyone with this important opportunity.
Al Ma ‘adid hinted at several other activities within the Al-Maqtar event, including the activity of falcons and hunting which aims to introduce visitors to falcons, their types, and hunting tools.