RIYADH: An Indonesian folklore arts theater at the 33rd Janadriyah Festival of Saudi heritage and culture, reflects Indonesian cultural diversity through dance and other artistic performances. At the festival, the theater showcased tribal, royal and folk dancing from various Indonesian regions. Indonesia’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Agus Maftuh Abegebriel, visited the pavilion of the Kingdom’s Al-Qassim province at Janadriyah. He explored the pavilion’s various sections on Al-Qassim’s past and present, and viewed craftwork, folklore and visual arts. Abegebriel praised the efforts of the festival’s administration and participants, and said the pavilion reflects the province’s historical depth and the Kingdom’s cultural diversity. Indonesia is the “guest of honor” country this year at the Janadriyah Festival, the Saudi celebration of heritage and culture Dr. Alwi Shihab, the Indonesian president’s special envoy to the Middle East and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told Arab News that it was a “privilege” for his nation to be invited by Saudi Arabia to take part in the event, and said it would further strengthen the bond between the two countries. Shihab said: “We are proud of this appointment, which many countries aspire to, and we are thankful to the king and to the government of Saudi Arabia.” More than 90 percent of Indonesia’s 260 million population is Muslim, and Shihab said he expects the festival to strengthen the religious and historical links between the two countries. Saudi Arabia was among the first countries in the world to acknowledge Indonesia’s independence in 1945, and there have been regular top-level governmental visits between the two nations ever since. Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Saudi Arabia in 2015. During his trip to Indonesia in 2017, King Salman pledged $1 billion for social aid there as part of a $13 billion package of funding for business, education and religion. Shihab said: “Due to our cultural and religious relations, thousands of students study in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is funding universities and institutes in our country.” “The two largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia, Al-Muhammadiya and Nahdhat Al-Ulama, each having memberships of more than 100 million people, are headed by prominent scholars who received their education in Makkah.” He said: “Saudi Arabia was, and will continue to be, the source of Islamic teachings.”