Jeddah is full of some of the oddest, most tacky… yet compelling sculptures. A boat spilling with giant fruit, a car on a magic carpet ride, a 15 meter granite and stone bicycle (supposedly the largest bicycle in the world) 🚲, a massive bronze fist, a huge protractor and ruler, a larger-than-life mosaic wave. 🌊 Everything is large.
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Apparently there are more than 600 sculptures placed around the city. With so many Prince So-and-So roads, it helps to have unique landmarks to orient ourselves, “Pass the wave roundabout, turn left at the big globe and when you get to the thing that looks like a 2-story strand of DNA, you’re almost there.”
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There are no easily-accessible art museums or galleries here (some exist but it’s difficult to get any information about them) so these sculptures are all we have.
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What’s missing are statues of people and that’s because, traditionally, the representation of people in art is prohibited in Islam. The making of living figures is considered God’s work and not that of humans, and they also want to avoid any type of idolatry. So we are blessed with an array of interesting objects instead. 😁🍎🍌🍇
