day Al-Jouf Olive Festival came to an end with immense glory. The annual festival proved to be a profitable platform for local farmers and business entities, and an interesting and fun-filled event for visitors and residents. The festival highlighted the role and importance of olives, olive trees and its byproducts in the economy and how its production positively affects the lives of the people of Al-Jouf region and in general to the world. Farmers were thrilled to sell 70 percent of their olives and their derivatives by its last day. It was not only business at the festival, various forms of entertainment, too, enthralled the crowd as it was packed with a number of cultural and recreational events such as folklore songs and dance items, sports, artistic competitions, lectures on olive cultivation, and a photography competition with olives as its theme. The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts Association in Al-Jouf announced the winners of the photography competition that was organized during the festival. Thirteen contestants submitted their brilliant photographic work. After much analyzing of each photograph, the judges selected the winners. And, the three proud winners were — Nader Fahd Al-Shammari who bagged the first prize, and Abdulrahman Mubarak Al-Faleh and Hussain Jassem Al-Jassem who were awarded the second and third runners-up respectively. The winners received prizes and certificates of appreciation during a celebratory ceremony attended by the director of the association, Dr. Nawaf Bin Dhuwaiban Al-Rashed. A professional photographer and member of the judging panel for this contest, Ahmad Al-Jarwan, said, “The goal of this competition was to motivate amateur photographers to learn more about photography, develop their skills, and improve the quality of their work. Many young men and women show great interest in photography, and contests like this help them reach higher standards. The photographer was required to tie into his/her photos the spirit of the olive festival. All photographs submitted were impressive and rich in hidden emotions, but the top three photos were absolutely astounding.” Moving ahead, let's look at the various benefits of olives and its products. Before scientists analyzed the nutritional content of olives, Muslims had already known that olives are a great source of healing because Allah has sworn by the olives in the Holy Qur'an. Olives are an excellent source of fiber and they contain important minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Olives are very high in anti-oxidant vitamins, A and E. Anti-oxidants are good for the body because they neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals found in your body as a result of pollution or metabolism of unhealthy fats and other compounds. Recent research shows that free radical damage is the culprit of many diseases, including cancer, inflammatory illnesses, and accelerated aging. That's why nutritionists recommend eating olives to enjoy the rich taste and its valuable health benefits. Olives are moderately high in fats as well, but the fats they contain are good mono-unsaturated fats. Unlike saturated fats which are bad for your heart, mono-unsaturated fats have been found to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. As for the aromatic olive oil that is squeezed from olives, it is being touted for its ability to reduce blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol levels, help diabetics in controlling blood sugar levels, and decrease the severity of asthma and arthritis. Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. It is the oxidized cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and forms the plaque that narrows and hardens the arteries; increasing the chance of heart attack. Replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack. Mothers are encouraged to massage warm olive oil onto a distressed baby's tummy to ease colicky pain and calm the baby. It can be used on tired muscles in general to soothe aches and pains. The oleic acid found in olive oil is especially powerful in preventing breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Olive oil can also lower the incidence of gallstone formation, soothe gastric ulcers, and can be used as a natural treatment for constipation. Ibn Umar narrated, that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Eat olive oil and anoint yourself with it, because it is from a blessed tree.” __
