Saudi Gazette

COLORS OF NAMAS is a group of 170 talented Saudis who are gifted in photography, art and calligraphy and who hailed from Al-Namas governorate.

Saleh Alshehri, the founder of the group, said there was a purpose behind establishing the group: introduce Saudis from all regions of the country to the beauty of Al-Namas.

Saudi Gazette sat with Alshehri to know more about the group and its goals as well as about Al-Namas.

“I am a photographer by profession. I like to take photos of my governorate because it is full of beauty. But after a while I realized that solo work was not enough to serve my governorate. Then I started to work on establishing the group, Colors of Namas, which has now more than 170 male and female artists with interest in different forms of art such as photography, drawing, painting, and calligraphy and who can represent our governorate in the best way possible,” he said.

It took Saleh more than 5 years to bring together all these talented men and women. "I then became the supervisor of the Colors of Al-Namas Festival. The festival lasts for a month and became one of the brands that made people across the Kingdom learn more about Al-Namas. It is considered one of the biggest festivals in Al-Namas promoting art and culture. We dream to make it an internationally unforgettable event, especially as we have all the ingredients for success.”

Al-Namas, a governorate in the southern Asir province, it is located in between Al-Baha and Abha. Al-Namas is a famous hill station on the Sarawat Mountains. Situated around 2,500 meters above sea level, it overlooks the coastal plains of Tihama. The city is known for its great weather in summer, which makes it a unique destination for tourists.

“We want to introduce not only Saudis but also the people of the entire world to the beauty of Al-Namas and its greatly appealing nature. The region has lots to offer in terms of farms, parks and beautiful clouds," Alshehri said.

Al-Namas also hosts a number of time-honored heritage sites such as the Tharban Palace, Al-Olayan Palace, and Civilizations Palace. "The Saudi Commission of Tourism and National Heritage has been taking care of these locations in terms of renovation and maintenance. Those sites became a destination for local citizens and tourists who come to see our history. One of the interesting facts about Al-Namas is that many families and tribes maintain very small tiny museums that house the antiques, products and accessories that they had inherited over generations.”

Al-Namas boasts of many public parks such as the Clouds Park, King Abdulla Park, Nasser Mountain Park, Mareer Mountain Park and Prince Sulan Bin Salman Park.