Upon announcing the shortlist for the AlMusalla Prize, a component of the Diriyah Biennale, Dr. Mashary Al-Naim, the Secretary-General of the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture, stated, 'We take pride in this partnership, which will undoubtedly contribute to achieving the objectives of both entities and showcasing excellence in architectural arts.' Al-Naim emphasized that this collaboration would have a significant impact at local and regional levels, given the extensive expertise of both parties in this domain. He further added, 'We eagerly anticipate witnessing the distinctive contributions of competitive teams representing diverse cultural backgrounds.'

The competition is organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in close collaboration with the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture, aimed at fostering innovative concepts for mosque design globally and promoting inventive approaches to planning, design, and technology that can define the essence of mosque architecture in the twenty-first century.

It is noteworthy that the AlMusalla award is an international architectural competition for designing a prayer hall to be constructed at the Islamic Arts Biennale in the western Hajj terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation will unveil the winner of the international architectural competition later this year, with the prayer hall set to be inaugurated on January 25, 2025. The victorious team will have the opportunity to oversee the execution of the prayer hall, in addition to receiving a financial prize of $100,000.

The participating teams in the award include AAU Anastas Engineering Office from Palestine, Sahel AlHiyari from Jordan, Studio EAST for Architectural Engineering from Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, Dabbagh Architectural Engineering from the United Arab Emirates, and Asif Khan from the United Kingdom. These teams were chosen based on their track record and the diversity of expertise within their respective teams.

Source: https://www.spa.gov.sa/N2083016