A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T
HIJAZ AND ITS UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE Saudi Arabia has a distinctive architectural heritage that has developed over centuries. Let's open this door and discover more. By Mohammed Mirza
The Kingdom encompasses a greater variety of architectural styles more than any other country in the entire Arabian Peninsula. The buildings of the Hijaz, the northern oases, the southern mountains, the central plains of Najd and the eastern Gulf Coast are entirely distinctive and local in their character. Historically, building designs and materials were dictated by the climate, geography and resources available. Builders in the central region of the Kingdom preferred adobe for its malleability, abundance and insulating qualities. In western Saudi Arabia, stone and brick were common, while in the Hijaz and other western coastal regions builders used coral from the Red Sea. Over the years Hijazi architecture has developed its own identity and is disparate from entire Arabia. Today it stands as a testimony to the region’s glorious past and is an epitome for coastal Red Sea architecture.
30 DESTINATION JEDDAH JANUARY 2015