RIYADH: As we center our days around fasting in Ramadan, it can be fun to spice things up. Here are a few unusual and memorable ways you can experience iftar this month.

A desert experience  

Take a journey back to how our elders used to break their fast with this unique experience in the desert.

The journey starts at a camel farm where a guide will share more about the treasured animals and their significance in Saudi culture.

Sit down and relax afterwards at a traditional Kashta, an outdoor picnic, to break your fast with dates and laban before heading to the tent for the main meal.

The cost per person is SR700 ($187) through the WeBook app.

24-hour escape to Hofuf

Known as one of the largest date-producing areas in the world, Al-Hofuf is the perfect place for a day of serenity in the midst of nature’s beauty.

Departing from Riyadh, this experience takes you to the city in the Eastern Province where you will enjoy the sunset at Al-Asfar Lake to break your fast.

You will then depart to the Old Souk for a traditional iftar at a local restaurant, to immerse yourself in the authentic flavors of the region.

It also includes a trip to the historic Ibrahim Palace. The next morning, you will discover the unique rock formations of Al-Qara mountain and its caves before returning to the capital.

The price per person is SR2,500 through WeBook.com.

Iftar at a family farm in Muzahmiya

This year, the Ftoon family are opening up their home to guests.

This memorable Ramadan experience is a chance to break your fast with the family before enjoying a peaceful horse ride on the premises.

You will then head back for the main meal, a home cooked dish prepared by Umm Ftoon.

The experience is SR500 per person via WeBook.com.

Break your fast on a traditional mud house rooftop

Gaze at the stars atop a traditional mud house in Diriyah before the summer heat sets in.

A culinary expert will guide you through a traditional Saudi Arabia dining experience, explaining the significance of each dish, as you mingle with new faces in an intimate setting.

The price per person is SR300 through WeBook.com.

Unique Ramadan experience on Red Sea with AROYA Cruise

If you are looking for an unforgettable way to enjoy iftar or sahoor this Ramadan, AROYA Cruise, the first-ever Saudi Arabia cruise line, offers a truly special experience.

Throughout the holy month, AROYA will be anchored in front of the prestigious Jeddah Yacht Club, welcoming guests to break their fast or enjoy a late-night meal while surrounded by the serene beauty of the Red Sea.

From 4 p.m. until noon the next day, visitors can explore the ship’s luxurious facilities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center and one of the largest kids’ clubs at sea.

Special Ramadan-themed activities include guest speakers and wellness programs, adding to the immersive experience.

For those who want to extend their evening, “Ramadan Along the Horizon” offers the option of an overnight stay.

Tickets start at SR499 for adults and SR299 for children under 17 through Aroya.com.

JEDDAH: Saudi artist Lulua Alyahya’s “Nafs,” running at Jeddah’s Athr Gallery until March 25, is her first solo show in her homeland.  

“The title means ‘self,’” Alyahya tells Arab News. “I thought that would be suitable for my first Saudi solo. I’ve exhibited loads in the UK, but the work takes on a completely different meaning when it’s home. The work is very much about the Gulf in general, but specifically Saudi in a lot of ways.” 

The 26-year-old is a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art and Goldsmiths, University of London. Her work blends personal and collective narratives to explore identity through introspective, minimalist paintings.   

Alyahya’s process is intuitive. Her latest works, primed with black gesso, embrace darker tones and undefined backgrounds. Here, she talks us through five pieces from her current show — something she says she doesn’t find that easy.  

“It’s kind of hard to speak about my work because what I hope is that people see it and see themselves in it. That’s kind of the story behind the title too. I wanted a word that people could literally see themselves in and for that to be the underscore behind all the images.” 

‘Jubbah Petroglyphs’ 

I made this painting in 2023. At the time, I was really fascinated by pre-Islamic petroglyphs in various parts of Saudi Arabia. This one is from Jubbah, near Hail. My family is originally from Hail and when Saudi started to take all these incredible initiatives of uncovering our pre-Islamic history and integrating those stories into our national identity, I just got super interested in looking through, like, Aramco’s archaeology archives and all these different things. I spoke to friends and family about their experiences of these places. I really wanted to make a painting of this specific rock where there are these repeated carvings of camels; I’m interested in camels as a symbol as well, because they’re obviously visually linked to this part of the world. If you go to a tourist shop in the Gulf, you get camel keychains and stuff. I don’t know if ‘kitsch’ is the right word — probably not — but it’s just feels very obvious; it’s very on the nose. And I’m interested in taking symbols that feel on the nose and making them mysterious or playing with the effect of that imagery. I pull from different things all the time; there’s never just one thing that I’m looking at, it’s more that I’m living, reading, speaking and then the paintings come out. There’s a painting I have at Hayy Jameel called “Boardroom” which has these men sitting at a meeting table and looking at a wall which has one of these petroglyph camels on it. Sometimes, there are references to other paintings — little callbacks. There are a lot of inside jokes. Humor is such a big part of the work. 

‘Smoke Break’  

The titles always come after the paintings, and I often leave things untitled — but this one kind of lends itself to the title because the guy’s having a coffee and smoking a cigarette. This is just a painting about rest, but there’s a lot of energy in the way that I’ve painted it; it’s very gestural and there are lots of these marks and splotches of paint.  

‘Magic Chocolate Ball’  

These girls are very funny. Like I said, humor is a big part of my work and this is a piece where I had fun and it was fun to show people. It’s based on a memory of a dessert that I think is so familiar to people living in the Gulf; you order this chocolate ball and the waiter comes over and pours hot melted chocolate on it and the ball melts and reveals something inside of it. I’ve seen it so many times and it just came to mind as I was painting, super-impulsively. What I’m interested in is how people see themselves, or others, in the imagery — or how they don’t. It’s a satirical approach to what’s happening in society. Satire is super-important, but it’s never just one thing or the other — it’s always a combination of various different tones and positions that I’m taking. Like, this is funny to me and I’m choosing to show it, but obviously there’s an emotional connection happening as I’m painting it. 

‘Untitled (2024)’  

It’s this guy on his phone sitting near a pool. He’s a solitary figure. Then there’s two horses and two palm trees. This took me quite a few months to paint. Sometimes I’ll have an idea and paint it and it doesn’t work out at all. That happens a lot more than you’d think. So, I’ll cover something over, then add something new and then cover that thing and then add something new, just waiting for this moment where the elements carry some kind of poetic logic that I trust will translate to the viewer. It’s always hard to articulate — but very easy to know — when it hits that point. 

‘Guard Dog’ 

I love dogs. I paint them a lot. This one is a German Shepherd, which is a guard dog. It’s based on a sketch — it’s very similar to a lot of other works I made. Sometimes, I get stuck on something and it repeats itself across multiple works and other times it’s a one-off thing. I prefer not to try and control it and just let things direct me.