“On a fine morning I was summoned by the Mayor of Jeddah, architect Mohamed Said Farsi to accompany him on a marathon drive about the city to monitor the artworks being erected. International artists, sculptors and painters including architects had been encouraged to contribute to the intended beautification programme.” Pages 12-17

Continuing our archives series, posting articles on projects in Jeddah by international architects and firms. This article was featured in MIMAR issue 19, published in March 1986. It is one of the few examples of Egyptian architect Abdel Wahed El-Wakil’s writing.  The text and photographs are by El-Wakil himself. The main themes of this issue were regionalism and architectural identity. The early issues of MIMAR featured beautiful cut-outs on the cover page of one of the reviewed projects, in this case, a view into the dome from below of the recently completed Island Mosque, commissioned by then-Jeddah Mayor, Arch. Mohamed Said Farsi.

References:

1. Khan, Hasan-Uddin. (1986). An island mosque in Jeddah. In Mimar 19: Architecture in development (pp. 12–17). Concept Media Ltd.