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Crown Prince Launches Saudi Architecture Characters Map

The Saudi Architecture Characters Map features 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s diverse geographical and cultural characteristics. SPA
The Saudi Architecture Characters Map features 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s diverse geographical and cultural characteristics. SPA
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Crown Prince Launches Saudi Architecture Characters Map

The Saudi Architecture Characters Map features 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s diverse geographical and cultural characteristics. SPA
The Saudi Architecture Characters Map features 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s diverse geographical and cultural characteristics. SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has officially launched the Saudi Architecture Characters Map, featuring 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s diverse geographical and cultural characteristics.

It highlights Saudi Arabia’s commitment to celebrating the country’s architectural heritage, enhancing quality of life and modernizing the urban landscape in Saudi cities as part of Vision 2030.

As Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Saudi Architectural Design Guidelines, the Crown Prince emphasized that Saudi Architecture reflects the cultural and geographical diversity of the Kingdom. He further highlighted the importance of sustainable urban planning that harmonizes with the local environment while integrating traditional architectural elements into modern designs.
"Saudi Architecture blends our rich heritage with contemporary design thinking. We are enhancing urban landscapes and quality of life as well as building an architectural framework that balances the past and the present. This model will serve as a global source of inspiration for innovation in architectural design,” the Crown Prince said.
"Saudi Architecture will indirectly contribute to economic growth by making our cities more attractive to visitors and tourists, which will stimulate sectors such as tourism, hospitality and construction. It also envisions a future where our cities and communities thrive."
Saudi Architecture aims to enrich the urban architectural diversity of the Kingdom, elevate urban landscape in cities and empower local talent. By 2030, it is expected to contribute over SAR8 billion to Saudi Arabia’s cumulative GDP and create over 34,000 direct and indirect job opportunities across the engineering, construction and urban development sectors.
Designed with flexibility in mind, Saudi Architecture provides developers with guidelines that allow for modern building materials without imposing additional financial burdens. Each of the 19 architectural styles offers three design typographies: traditional, transitional and contemporary – encouraging creative expression while preserving the authenticity of local architecture.
The implementation of Saudi Architecture will unfold in a phased manner. The first phase will focus on Al-Ahsa, Taif, Makkah and Abha, where initial applications will target major projects, government buildings and commercial structures.
The Saudi Architecture Characters Map highlights 19 architectural styles inspired by geographical, natural and cultural characteristics, derived from urban and historical studies of building traditions passed down through generations. These styles include Central Najdi, Northern Najdi, Tabuk Coast, Madinah Rural, Inner Madinah, Hejazi Coast, Taif Highlands, Sarawat Mountains, Aseer Escarpment, Tuhama Foothills, Tuhama Coast, Farasan Islands, Abha Highlands, Bisha Desert, Najran, Al Ahsa Oasis, Al Qatif Oasis, East Coast and Eastern Najdi.
Efforts to implement Saudi Architecture are driven by partnerships across government agencies, engineering firms and real estate developers. Architectural design studios will support engineers and designers through engineering guidelines, training workshops and skill development programs to ensure the highest standards of sustainability and quality.

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Culture

Mexican Art Historians Weigh in on Upcoming Kahlo’s Auction That Could Fetch up to $60 Million 

"El sueno" by Frida Kahlo is pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York on November 8, 2025. (AFP)
"El sueno" by Frida Kahlo is pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York on November 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Mexican Art Historians Weigh in on Upcoming Kahlo’s Auction That Could Fetch up to $60 Million 

"El sueno" by Frida Kahlo is pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York on November 8, 2025. (AFP)
"El sueno" by Frida Kahlo is pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York on November 8, 2025. (AFP)

Frida Kahlo’s “El sueno (La cama)” — in English, “The Dream (The Bed)” — is causing a stir among art historians as its estimated $40 million to $60 million price tag would make it the most expensive work by any female or Latin American artist when it goes to auction later this month.

Sotheby’s auction house will put the painting up for sale on Nov. 20 in New York after exhibiting it in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Paris.

“This is a moment of a lot of speculation,” said Mexican art historian Helena Chavez Mac Gregor, a researcher at UNAM’s Institute of Aesthetic Research and author of “El liston y la bomba. El arte de Frida Kahlo.” (The ribbon and the bomb. The art of Frida Kahlo).

In Mexico, Kahlo’s work is protected by a declaration of artistic monument, meaning pieces within the country cannot be sold or destroyed. However, works from private collections abroad, like the painting in question, whose owner remains unrevealed, are legally eligible for international sale.

“The system of declaring Mexican modern artistic heritage is very anomalous,” said Mexican curator Cuauhtemoc Medina, an art historian and specialist in contemporary art.

Judas in bed “El sueno (La cama)” was created in 1940 following Kahlo's trip to Paris, where she came into contact with the surrealists.

Contrary to contemporary belief, the skull on the bed’s canopy is not a Day of the Dead skeleton, but a Judas — a handmade cardboard figure. Traditionally lit with gunpowder during Easter, this effigy symbolizes purification and the triumph of good over evil, representing Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.

In the painting, the skeleton is detailed with firecrackers, flowers on its ribs and a smiling grimace — a detail inspired by a cardboard skeleton Kahlo actually kept in the canopy of her own bed.

Kahlo “spent a lot of time in bed waiting for death,” said Chavez Mac Gregor. “She had a very complex life because of all the illnesses and physical challenges with which she lived.”

Although Kahlo’s painting is being auctioned alongside works by surrealists like Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, she did not consider herself a member of the movement, despite having met its founder, Andre Breton, in Mexico and had an exhibition organized by him in Paris in 1939.

“Breton was fascinated by Frida’s work, because he saw that surrealist spirit there,” said Chavez Mac Gregor.

Kahlo, a committed communist, considered surrealism — a movement proposing a revolution of consciousness — to be bourgeois. As Chavez Mac Gregor noted, “Frida always had a critical distance from that.”

Despite this, specialists have found elements of surrealism in Kahlo’s work related to the dreamlike, to an inner world and to a revolutionary freedom — a concept visible in a bed suspended in the sky with Kahlo sleeping among a vine.

‘Crazy-priced purchases’

“El sueno (La cama)” was last exhibited in the 1990s, and after the auction, it could disappear from public view once again, a fate shared by many paintings acquired for large sums at auction.

There are exceptions, including “Diego y yo” (“Diego and I”), which set Kahlo’s record sale price when it sold for $34.9 million in 2021.

The painting, depicting the artist and her husband muralist Diego Rivera, was acquired by Argentine business owner Eduardo Costantini and then lent to the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (Malba) where it remains on exhibit.

Medina, the art historian, regretted that the “crazy-priced” purchases have reduced art to a mere economic value.

He lamented that when funds purchase art as mere investments, like buying shares in a public company, the works are often relegated to tax-free zones to avoid costs. Their fate, he said, “may be worse; they may end up in a refrigerator at Frankfurt airport for decades to come.”

The current sale record for a work by a female artist is held by Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1,” which fetched $44.4 million at Sotheby’s in 2014.

However, the auction market still reflects a profound disparity as no female artist has yet exceeded the maximum sale price of a male artist. The current benchmark is “Salvator Mundi,” attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which was auctioned by Christie’s for $450.3 million in 2017.

Culture

Islamic Affairs Ministry Pavilion at Sharjah Int’l Book Fair Highlights Saudi Efforts in Serving Islam 

Visitors are seen at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance’s pavilion at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025. (SPA)
Visitors are seen at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance’s pavilion at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025. (SPA)
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Islamic Affairs Ministry Pavilion at Sharjah Int’l Book Fair Highlights Saudi Efforts in Serving Islam 

Visitors are seen at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance’s pavilion at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025. (SPA)
Visitors are seen at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance’s pavilion at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance’s pavilion at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 drew numerous visitors keen to learn about the Kingdom’s efforts in serving Islam and promoting moderation, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The pavilion showcased a range of scholarly publications and printed materials highlighting the ministry’s work in preserving the holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, as well as its Dawah and guidance projects in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

The pavilion features a range of modern technologies, including virtual reality (VR), allowing visitors to engage in an interactive educational experience to explore the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, as well as aspects of the life of Prophet Muhammad.

Culture

Saudi Arabia to Participate in Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition 2026

Saudi Arabia to Participate in Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition 2026
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Saudi Arabia to Participate in Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition 2026

Saudi Arabia to Participate in Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition 2026

Saudi Arabia will participate in the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 2026 that will be held in Venice from May 9 to November 22, 2026, reflecting the Kingdom’s thriving and evolving creative scene, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

The Kingdom’s participation will be represented through the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia, organized by the Visual Arts Commission of the Ministry of Culture.

Saudi artist Dana Awartani has been selected to take part in this global art event, showcasing works that highlight cultural heritage and revive traditional crafts. She is the fourth artist to represent Saudi Arabia in the Biennale’s history, underscoring the pioneering and influential role of Saudi women in the visual arts.

The pavilion will be curated by Director of Art Jameel Antonia Carver, with the support of Assistant Curator Hafsa Al-Khudairi, to develop the pavilion’s national artistic content.

This marks Saudi Arabia's fifth participation in the International Art Exhibition and the fourth time a Saudi female artist represents the Kingdom through its National Pavilion. Details of the artwork to be presented by Awartani will be announced in 2026.