The original Souq Okaz, about 40 km northeast of Ta'if, was the most important commercial and cultural gathering of pre-Islamic Arabia, a month-long fair where merchants traded, tribes settled disputes, and poets competed. The site is now home to an annual cultural festival, usually held over two weeks in summer, which combines reconstructed traditional crafts, camel races, theatrical performances and a high-profile Arabic poetry competition.
Outside the festival period, the site itself is quiet — open archaeological remains and a small visitor centre. If you can time a visit for the festival, it is one of the most distinctive cultural events in the Kingdom.