Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition
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Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

The Saudi Ministry of Culture has launched a competition to design a logo for the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy, "Dar Al-Qalam".

It is open for all interested designers, calligraphers and artists, and the winning logo will receive a prize of up to SR100,000 ($27,000).

In its statement, the ministry said the competition’s main goal is to choose the best logo for Dar Al-Qalam. But it also aims at establishing an educational and developmental environment for artists and calligraphers, and founding a creative community.

The competition includes three phases starting with open registration on the competition’s website; sorting and qualification of applications, assessing primary proposals, and holding many workshops and seminars with experts in this field; and finally, the presentations of final contestants before the jury and selection of the winning logo.

The ministry noted that the competition comes in light of the Life Quality Initiatives, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs, and as part of the ministry’s efforts to help Dra Al-Qalam achieve its strategic goals to enhance calligraphy, provide a cultural and educational environment that meets the best local and global practices that bolster international cultural exchange, and support experts and talented in the field.



Holy Kaaba ‘Kiswa’ Cover Is Replaced in Annual Tradition

The installed Kiswa weighs around 1,350 kilograms and is 14 meters high, (SPA)
The installed Kiswa weighs around 1,350 kilograms and is 14 meters high, (SPA)
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Holy Kaaba ‘Kiswa’ Cover Is Replaced in Annual Tradition

The installed Kiswa weighs around 1,350 kilograms and is 14 meters high, (SPA)
The installed Kiswa weighs around 1,350 kilograms and is 14 meters high, (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque adorned on Sunday the holy Kaaba in Makkah with a new cover, or Kiswa.

Replacing the Kiswa is an annual tradition. A team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa, consisting of 159 craftsmen, carried out the operation.

A team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa, consisting of 159 craftsmen, carried out the operation. (SPA)

The installed Kiswa, weighing around 1,350 kilograms and standing 14 meters high, consists of four separate sides and a door curtain. The belt was aligned in a straight line along the four sides and sewn into place.

The Kiswa is made of around 1,000 kilograms of raw silk, dyed black within the complex, 120 kilograms of gold threads, and 100 kilograms of silver threads. The Kiswa belt consists of 16 pieces, along with seven pieces below the belt.

Replacing the Kiswa is an annual tradition. (SPA)

The King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa employs around 200 craftsmen and administrators.

The complex includes several departments: dyeing and automated weaving, hand weaving, printing, belt-making, gilding, sewing, and assembly of the Kiswa.

The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque adorned on Sunday the holy Kaaba in Makkah with a new cover. (SPA)

It houses the world's largest sewing machine, measuring 16 meters, and operating with computerized systems. Additionally, there are supporting departments such as the laboratory, administrative services, quality control, public relations, health services for workers, and occupational safety.