Jeddah’s 'Al Attarin' Street...History from Artistic Perspective

Papers from the 'Roaming Walls' art work displayed at the Amaken Exhibition at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) - Asharq Al-Awsat
Papers from the 'Roaming Walls' art work displayed at the Amaken Exhibition at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Jeddah’s 'Al Attarin' Street...History from Artistic Perspective

Papers from the 'Roaming Walls' art work displayed at the Amaken Exhibition at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) - Asharq Al-Awsat
Papers from the 'Roaming Walls' art work displayed at the Amaken Exhibition at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) - Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi artist Asma Bahmim takes part in the Amaken Exhibition held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) with her special work “Roaming Walls,” which depicts scenes from her childhood in the heart of Jeddah.

“Long time ago, people in Hejaz used to put papers that feature Quran verses and holy texts inside walls’ cracks in respect of the words written on them. They also used to hide love letters inside the walls, which had long caught my attention as a kid in Al Attarin street,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

About the idea, she said: “I thought I knew myself through time, but I discovered that my knowledge was formed of scattered memory pieces that assembled with past events that took place in my hometown. My idea is inspired from the house I was born in, its walls that are filled with my dreams, thoughts, and scraps featuring verses from our holy book that were folded and preserved between stones’ cracks. That collection of successive pictures in my head has long provided me with balance.”

In her work, the Saudi artist focuses on the tradition of placing papers between the cracks of walls, and bricks. Bahmim noticed this tradition for the first time when she was visiting her aunt’s house in the historic region, which motivated her to document it in a work inspired by her spatial memory.

- Al Attarin Street -

Asma Bahmim holds a lot of memories from Al Attarin street. “I know all the places there, and I remember many prominent figures that I used to see in that street, where I studied in a language institute. All these things engraved the street in my memory,” she explained.

The artist took advantage of the demolition of the random properties in that region to collect ancient stones, which she used as a major part in her newest artwork “Roaming Walls” made of wastes of construction materials from the historic region of Jeddah, including pieces of bleached coral, stones, and wood.

- Paper making -

Interestingly, Bahmim has long worked in handmade paper. She makes her own papers using banana leaves she dries on the roof of her house, and color them with natural dyes. When asked about the craft, she said her mother used palm leaves in paper making, like a lot of people did at the time.

“Paper making in Hejaz is almost extinct, but I am trying to keep it alive using banana leaves, and I hope to expand it, but the project requires large potentials.”

Bahmim’s works reflect her interest in Islamic arts, such as medieval manuscripts including ‘Maqamat Al Hariri’ and the Panchatantra stories. Her project consists of collecting paper scraps to build a wall with cracks in which she plans to put her personal letters with hand-written words or gold papers.

Asma Bahamim was born in Jeddah, 1979, and studied fine arts at the Jeddah University, where she currently works as a professor. She also partook in the 2018 Islamic Art Festival in Sharjah.



King Charles Thanks Medics for His and Kate’s Cancer Care

Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Britain's William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte walk to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the Royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain December 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Britain's William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte walk to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the Royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain December 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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King Charles Thanks Medics for His and Kate’s Cancer Care

Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Britain's William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte walk to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the Royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain December 25, 2024. (Reuters)
Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Britain's William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte walk to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the Royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain December 25, 2024. (Reuters)

King Charles thanked the medics who have cared for him and his daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent treatment for cancer this year, in a Christmas Day message that touched on global conflicts and the summer's riots in Britain.

In his third Christmas TV broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal seasonal message, a tradition that dates back to a radio speech by George V in 1932.

The year has been traumatic for the royals after Buckingham Palace said in February the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

A month later, Kate, the wife of his son and heir Prince William, said she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer that concluded in September. William has said the year has been brutal for the family.

"All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical," Charles, who became king in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth, said.

His words were accompanied by footage of a visit he made to a cancer treatment center on returning to public duties in April and of one of Kate's first engagements when she resumed working.

"From a personal point of view, I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed," Charles said.

"I am deeply grateful too to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement," he said in the pre-recorded broadcast that was filmed at an ornate chapel of a former London hospital.

Last week, a palace source said the king's treatment was progressing well and would continue into next year.

Earlier on Wednesday, Charles was joined by his family, including Kate, William and their children, for a traditional church service on his Sandringham estate in eastern England.

Charles' brother Prince Andrew, who was embroiled in another scandal this month when a close business associate was banned from Britain over government suspicions he was a Chinese agent, was a notable absentee from the royal get-together.

The king spoke about nationwide riots, which broke out following the murder in July of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, and mainly targeted immigrants.

"Diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provide strength, not weakness", he said.

"I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors, but to repair, to repair not just buildings, but relationships," he said.

Charles also referenced ongoing wars.

"On this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the Middle East, in central Europe, in Africa and elsewhere, pose a daily threat to so many people's lives and livelihoods," he said.