SACD

A belated Ramadan, Kareem, wishing you all a blessed month.
In February, I visited the Islamic Art Bienalle in Jeddah and could not wait to return to share this beautiful experience with you. My father fell seriously ill, and with it, ‘I lost and found all direction.’ I felt so much pain that nothing else mattered.
A month later, I wish to share my soul experience of this event. I visited many Islamic Art museums, exhibits, and symposiums, but this experience was like no other. Choosing the Hajj terminal as a venue for the Bienalle was ingenious. This vital structure designed by Bangladeshi / American engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan at SOM in 1974, won an Aga Khan award in architecture in 1983. The project itself speaks volumes . Having SOM return after all these years to design the galleries as a homage to its predecessors was heartfelt. Every exhibit was like coming home. It was magical, and I can not commend the artists and curators enough. I have no favorites; however, there was a unique experience I care to share with you. As I entered the ‘Makkah Pavilion.’ I was overcome with so much peace that I cried. This monolithic space showcased two majestic Abbasid columns of such immense beauty that I froze; I felt so small in their presence. How can such grandeur be so modest? Inscribed with 15 lines of Kufi script, stand 4.5 meters tall. These white Marble columns are abundantly elaborate yet stand with humility. Rooted in strict geometry, they embody just enough decoration without a millimeter of excess. It is exactly this balance of beauty and precision, aesthetic and soul, majesty and modesty that has made Islamic Art my love-line.

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Meet Sonia Ashoor, a celebrated designer and a cultural ambassador for Saudi Arabia. Her works include a series of stunning embassies and royal residences all over the world and commissions for UNESCO projects.

Ashoor, talks to Al Sharkiah about her expertise and career milestones..
Read the article on our website .

“Courage is fear that has said it’s prayers” _Dorothy Bernard

There is no one fearless among us, and dark moments hide in corners to creep up on us when we are at our weakest. We must trust that there is a greater power watching over us with much love.
“ Love will sustain you when passions path takes unexpected twists and turns. Love will dissolve your fears by creating opportunities you couldn’t have imagined before you began the search to discover and recover your authentic self. And when doubt, despair, abd denial threaten to dismantle your dreams, Love will rear up in your defence.”
“I have come to the realization that feeling afraid is God’s signal to ask for grace and Power.” “Dreams are gifts of God meant to alter us. Trust that the same Power that gifted you with your dream knows how to help you make it come true.”...
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