TAIF: In Saudi Arabia’s west, classic muzzle-loading rifles are carefully prepared for the traditional “Taasheer” war dance, a striking display of leaping and gunpowder blasts.

Men and boys take weapons laid out in the bed of a truck and fill the barrels with gunpowder before, one by one, they take centre stage to showcase their skills in what is also known as the fire dance.

Dozens of onlookers, including women and children, stand on the sidelines of a grassy clearing lined with gazebo tents. In a collision of the ancient and the modern, some hold up mobile phones to film the spectacle.

Barefoot and in their traditional thobe and ghutra headdress, the performers dance to traditional music against the backdrop of mountains in the western province of Taif.

They bounce up and down with their knees pressed close together, as they wave the gun and finally reach for the sky and fire at the ground, resulting in a blast of sparks and smoke under their feet.

A tribal tradition believed to date back hundreds of years, the dance is now performed at weddings, festivals and on other special occasions.

In a rapidly modernising kingdom, which is undergoing dramatic economic and social reforms spearheaded by the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudis are seeking to maintain some long-held traditions.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2021