Stalks of Wheat Sculpture

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.