The Al-Masmak Fortress, (Masmak means a high, strong and thick building), a clay and mudbrick fort located in the center of Riyadh, occupies a place of honor in the history of Saudi Arabia. From a military stronghold in the past, it was converted in 1959 into a museum showcasing one of the most important landmarks…
Category: guest blog
Zubala, reviving the Darb Zubaydah Hajj Route
Zubala is one of the most important historical villages in the Arabian Peninsula (the word “zubala” literally means a place that keeps water in it). It is an old station on the way from Hijaz to Kufa in which Banu Ghadira, a clan of the Banu Asad tribe, had several strongholds and a mosque. It…
Treasures from al-Andalus – the type designer’s perspective on Arabic calligraphy
Art can be read, and studied, from different perspectives and with different purposes. Arabic calligraphy is no exception to the rule. Such is the case of Therry Fétiveau and his Batutah typeface. His experience as a graphic and type designer literally opened a brave new world in front of my eyes: a world in which…