The Western Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah is no ordinary airport terminal. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and a winner of the 1983 Aga Khan Award, it became a port of entry and junction point for hundreds of thousands of Muslim
JEDDAH: As a Saudi arts professional, Sara Al-Omran has first-hand experience of the booming artistic scene in her home country. Since the establishment of its Ministry of Culture in 2018, Saudi Arabia has launched an international film festival, hosted concerts by internationally renowned musicians, and is creating the world’s largest open-air museum at the ancient Nabatean
Arabic calligraphy will soon fill the city of Jeddah through murals and street paintings.
Following the United Nations Arabic Language Day last week, the Jeddah municipality announced its initiative to install 50 Arabic calligraphy murals across the city as a way to enhance its public spaces. The artwork will cover main roads, sidewalks, flyovers, buildings and squares in the Saudi Arabian city.
Some of the works will be more than 70 metres long and 3 metres high.
Jeddah’s mayor Saleh Al-Turki stated that the move also goes hand-in-hand with the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s establishment of 2020 as the Year of Arabic Calligraphy and is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.