Riyadh is geared up to celebrate the Eid-Al-Adha festivities with religious gaiety and aplomb. Cattle markets in Riyadh were swarming with buyers and sellers ahead of the the Eid-Al-Adha festivities which starts on Saturday. The festive season has set in with the week-long holiday starting Friday as citizens and expatriates throng the shops and malls to do last-minute shopping and flock to the cattle market to buy a sacrificial animal of their choice or check out potential animals to slaughter, an important ritual during this festival of sacrifice. The city's streets are wearing a festive look with lights adorning the trees, bushes and light poles sporting Eid greetings. Riyadh municipality has announced a number of activities lined up to celebrate the occasion including events organized at the King Abdullah Park in Malaz district and National Museum at the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center. The local fairgrounds and parks have been readied to welcome the next few days of fun for families, with the parks and fairgrounds being popular haunts during the holiday. Gearing up for the auspicious occasion the Riyadh governorate and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, have made elaborate civil and security arrangements to ensure a peaceful Eid-Al-Adha celebration. According to Riyadh police all the security arrangements are in place as per administrative instructions to ensure the public safety at large. Moreover, the Department of Mosques, which functions under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, has issued the necessary instructions to make arrangements for the commencement of the Eid Al-Adha prayers. The prayer will be held in more than 400 mosques throughout the capital with some special grounds prepared for the purpose, which have been given a fresh face-lift before the advent of the annual prayer. Separate arrangements for women, who will also join in the Eid-Al-Adha prayers, have been made with improvised partitions placed in mosques and special prayer grounds for the auspicious occasion. In addition, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has intensified monitoring visits to hotels and residential units in Riyadh to ensure a hassle-free stay during the week-long holiday. Saad Al-Mahana, SCTA director general in Riyadh, said: "Our branch for the region has stepped up its inspection visits to the hotels and furnished apartments throughout the region during the Haj holiday." Al-Mahana clarified that the inspection teams will carry out visits to accommodation facilities according to a specific program in order to ensure commitment by these facilities to set practices, like displaying approved price lists, displaying operating licenses and degree of classification in a conspicuous place in their reception halls. Many expatriates were also seen at King Khaled International Airport catching flights to return home to celebrate the holiday with family and friends. According to the travel agents, flight tickets were not available for some destinations especially for countries with large numbers of expatriates like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh due to the heavy rush of passengers preparing to go home.
