Eastern Province Mayor Eng. Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Jubair yesterday inaugurated "Al-Talaqi Square" on King Salman Road in Khobar Governorate. The opening was attended by Dr. Talal bin Nabil Al-Mughlouth, acting CEO of the Eastern Province Development Authority, Abdullah Al-Fawzan, chairman of the board of the "Majassam Watan" initiative, and a number of officials.

"Al-Talaqi" (The Meeting) is the winning project of the seventh edition of the Majassam Watan initiative. The interactive architectural sculpture draws its design from the height of the palm tree, one of the Kingdom's foremost symbols of identity and heritage, and from the weaving of palm fronds.

The design rests on 13 main columns representing the Kingdom's 13 regions, while its center depicts the regions and their villages, expressing cultural and geographic diversity within one national identity. The elements surround an open, shaded central space where visitors can walk, gather and interact with the work, over a total area of about 6,000 square meters.

Al-Jubair said initiatives that draw on national identity and turn it into interactive urban works strengthen people's bond with place, describing the square as a model combining architecture, art and national identity. He praised the Al-Fawzan Program for Community Service for its contribution, through the Majassam Watan competition, to improving the visual landscape of cities, and affirmed the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing's continued support for such initiatives.

Al-Fawzan said "Al-Talaqi" tells, in a contemporary architectural language, the story of a nation diverse in its details, adding that Saudi identity was the starting point for the sculpture's design.