Composed of steel and bronze, the Stalks of Wheat Sculpture was designed by Egyptian artist Salah Abdulkarim (1928-1989). When he was commissioned by the City of Jeddah to create works of art to grace the city’s landscape, Abdulkarim was already a well-established and well-known sculptor in the Arab world. This artist designed one of the most famous and beautiful of Jeddah’s landmarks, the beautiful Mameluke Minarets. While he was used to working previously on a much smaller scale, when he accepted the offer to create public artwork for the city, he managed to produce some of the largest pieces that the city has. He was also instrumental in designing the huge mosaic tile base for the Cosmos, another famous city landmark. The Stalks of Wheat piece is one of many around the city that come under the category of the religious realm. Abdulkarim found inspiration for this sculpture from a verse from the Holy Koran. At the base of the sculpture, the Arabic script reads (from the Koran): “The likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of God is as the likeness of a new grain of corn which sprouts seven ears.” The sculpture has a prominent place along Jeddah’s Corniche which runs along the Red Sea.
About This Blog, and About Me: Susie of Arabia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is KSA's 2nd largest city and is located on its west coast, right on the Red Sea. I moved here in 2007 with my Saudi hubby and teenage son. This journal reflects the things that I see here, life through my eyes, my lens.
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i have to say, while i generally love they way wheat looks and find it artistic in itself, and relate to the significance of it in the Holy Koran, and i love the meaning behind it, something about this seems kinda hostile to me…maybe it’s the metal material used for something that is so organic and of the earth, and the spikiness of it makes me feel like i’m going to cut myself. having said that, i do love how you took the photo and the juxtaposition of the metal against the sea and the sky…very nice
Interesting comment – because of the severe heat in this country, materials must be used that will withstand the weather. This might have something to do with the choice of metal in this sculpture. It was probably a good choice for making all the fine details of the stalks themselves too.
That makes sense, especially your point on the details, hadn’t thought bout that, but still…
One of my favourites–the scupture and your photo of it!
What a marvelous sculpture! And what a terrific capture! I would love to see this one for real!
Sylvia
It looks like a bunch of cell towers on steroids!
This is a very interesting sculpture, I don’t think many Americans would get the significance of “wheat”. It’s amazing. I do have a question though, what body of water is that in the background?
That is the Red Sea – it provides the backdrop for so many of the beautiful sculptures in Jeddah.
Another great outdoor sculpture in Jeddah! Bravo! It must be nice to drive past so much art – we need more in my city!