
As an architect and a photographer, I wrestle constantly with how to expand on the notion of seeing things from all angles. Often an angle least considered is the bird’s-eye view—straight down. This came to mind when I thought about photographing the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, designed by Arup and inaugurated May 1, 2014. Located on the north side of Jiddah, along Saudi Arabia’s west coast, it is now the second-largest stadium in the country.
From about 500 meters, in the moments after sunset when the sky was fading into dusk, the interplay of light and dark brought out lines, spaces and patterns. Isosceles triangles and V-frames fused the stadium’s references to Islamic geometry with futurism, creating a faceted symmetry, ringed with parking lot lights like beads, that shows how the stadium has earned its nickname, "al-jawhara al-mosha’ya”—“the shining jewel.”
—Saleh Alhathloul
From about 500 meters, in the moments after sunset when the sky was fading into dusk, the interplay of light and dark brought out lines, spaces and patterns. Isosceles triangles and V-frames fused the stadium’s references to Islamic geometry with futurism, creating a faceted symmetry, ringed with parking lot lights like beads, that shows how the stadium has earned its nickname, "al-jawhara al-mosha’ya”—“the shining jewel.”
—Saleh Alhathloul
You may also be interested in...
First Look: The Color of Nubia in Aswan
Arts
As a Saudi photographer with a passion for cultural, human and heritage themes around the world, I strive to make my images windows to the past as well as reflections of the present. When I came across this guesthouse on a visit to Aswan, Egypt, I was taken back to 3000 BCE to ancient Nubia.How South Africa Came to Popularize Luxury Mohair Fabric Around Globe
Arts
South Africa is the world’s largest producer of mohair, a fabric used in fine clothing. The textile tradition dates to the arrival of Angora goats from the Ottoman Empire in the 1800s.At Home in the World: A Conversation with Maryam Hassan
Arts
Growing up in London, at age 13, Maryam Hassan decided she’d move to Chicago one day. The city had glittered in her imagination because she was certain that it bore no resemblance to her hometown.