Abu Dhabi: Although he was raised outside Saudi Arabia and studied in Britain, 16-year-old Ahmed Al Musharraf promoted the heritage, history and customs of the Kingdom’s Najran region through videos posted on social media.
Wearing traditional clothing, Al Musharraf speaks several languages, introducing everything related to the region, inviting everyone to visit and get to know it.
In his Saudi traditional appearance, but with a British accent, Al Musharraf has garnered widespread attention not only at local level, but also abroad, due to the content he provides through spontaneous videos documenting Najran’s originality, history, culture, heritage, buildings and farms.
Al Musharraf was very attached to his region even though he grew up outside the Kingdomin Britain, and studied there from Grade 2. However, he was able to relate to the clothes, customs and originality of the people, and promote all those things to everyone inside and outside the Kingdom, especially European countries, the Americas, and East Asia.
After the spread of the videos, Najran Governor Prince Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz appointed Al Musharraf as head of a panel of volunteers to promote Najran landmarks and welcome non-Arab delegations at the Janadriyah Festival there, a nationwide celebration of the country’s rich cultural legacy.
Al Musharraf’s appointment follows his extensive work to promote the region’s landmarks and heritage.
Prince Jalawi expressed his pride in Saudi citizens’ contributions, saying their efforts will help the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Al Musharraf has been interested in photography from a young age, and when he spent his vacations in Najran, he was tempted to visit the historical region for documentation with his mobile camera.
Najran’s historical palace were specially attractive to Al Mushatrraf, who used to say, “I did not live in such mud buildings that were inhabited by our ancestors, but
for me, such historical mansions hide behind their walls, urban and architectural style, a lot of stories, lessons, and challenges. Those historical milestones
are not just mud houses but a way through which we travel through time to learn about the life of ancestors and how they responded to the challenges they
confronted at the time, that’s how civilizations are built.”
His father, Dr. Manei Al Musharraf, said of him, “He will be an upcoming national project to bridge the relationship with the other and open a window with which we can see the world. All possibilities are available to Ahmed to provide more. I say to my son Ahmed: The nation deserves more, and the 2030 journey, which is directed towards the future, will only be for dreamers.”
