Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has merged two Riyadh districts and renamed them after his father in a tribute to his leadership of more than five decades.
Al Waha and Salah Al Din districts, which are located in the heart of the capital, close to King Salman Park, will now be known as King Salman Neighbourhood, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The areas will be redeveloped and equipped with proper infrastructure and recreational amenities in a manner designed to allow them to keep pace with the growth of the city.
Spanning an area of 6.6 square kilometres, the combined district will feature Salmani architecture.
The Ministry of Culture said Salmani architecture is characterised “by an aesthetic appeal with six core values carefully planned by King Salman through his direct supervision”.
The move to redevelop the districts is part of the kingdom's vision for the capital, which is reflected in the plans of the Riyadh mayor's office, the SPA said.
The plan aims to improve the environment and the quality of life in the city, as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
The kingdom plans to double the size and population of its capital and has set aside $800 billion under its 2030 road map to achieve this, apart from reducing its dependence on oil revenue.
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Now in its fourth year, the annual Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium brings together artists from around the world in Riyadh to create works in a live setting. All photos: Riyadh Art -
Continuous Points by Talal Altukhaes -
Expansion by Sylvain Patte -
Ocean Ripple by Liliya Pobornikova -
Permanence by Azhar Saeed -
Connection by Bertha Shortiss -
Door of Water by Tatsumi Sakai -
Riyadh's Eye by Mohammad Al-Faris -
Thirty local and international artists gathered in Riyadh to work on the latest collection of public sculptures to be exhibited in the city -
The event is part of the broader Riyadh Art programme, which seeks to turn the capital into a 'gallery without walls' with more than 1,000 artworks to be displayed across the city in the coming years -
The artists participating in Tuwaiq Sculpture this year were selected from an open call that had more than 600 applicants responding to the theme Energy of Harmony -
The Tuwaiq Sculpture 2023 event began on January 8, taking place in a purpose-built area opposite Durrat Al Riyadh Resort & Spa -
Over the course of 26 days, artists met on a daily basis in the sprawling open-air area, working on their sculptures and engaging with the public visiting the site -
The sculptures will be relocated to permanent locations within Qasr Al-Hukm, the historical district of Riyadh -
The artworks range from geometric to more fluid and organic shapes -
For the first time since the symposium was launched in 2019, participating artists exclusively used stones from the country’s quarries, namely granite and sandstone -
Another new component to this year’s Tuwaiq Sculpture is the scrapping of its competition aspect in favour of a more collaborative approach -
A close-up of The Gate of Light by Romanian artist Ana Maria Negara -
Energy of Water by Russian artist Vasilisa Chugunova -
The final sculptures were revealed in an exhibition on site that will be running until February 10, 2023 -
The 2023 Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium also featured its most extensive public engagement programme to date, with workshops, panel discussions and school visits -
The community was offered the chance to learn from the artists while witnessing their creations gradually taking shape
Earlier this year, Prince Mohammed launched the New Murabba Development Company to carry out an ambitious development project in central Riyadh, as part of the kingdom's plans to make its capital a global metropolis and diversify the economy.
“The New Murabba Development Company's project will include a museum, a technology and design university, a multipurpose immersive theatre and more than 80 cultural and entertainment venues,” the SPA reported.
The project is expected to be completed by 2030, in time for the World Expo that year, which Saudi Arabia is seeking to host.
