The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has unveiled Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition, a landmark showcase curated by Samer Yamani and Razan Masri. The exhibition features 15 works by 25 artists who explore the date palm as both a cultural symbol and a living source of creativity. Opening in Ithra’s Great Hall, Baseqat bridges ancient traditions and contemporary art, inviting visitors to experience how this iconic tree continues to shape life, culture, and identity across the region.
Exploring the Deep Roots of a Cultural Icon
For over 6,000 years, the date palm has stood at the heart of civilization — providing food, shelter, medicine, and materials from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt to Arabia and North Africa. Today, Saudi Arabia hosts more than 33 million palm trees, representing 27% of the world’s total. Nearby, the UNESCO-listed Al-Ahsa Oasis, home to over 2.5 million palms, stands as the world’s largest date palm oasis.
The exhibition’s title, Baseqat, draws inspiration from the Qur’anic verse:
“And towering palm trees loaded with clustered fruit” (Surah Qaf:10).
This verse encapsulates the majesty and abundance of the date palm, serving as both a design concept and spiritual motif. Within Ithra, palm wood, ropes, and fibers intertwine to create areesh-inspired spaces that reflect the tree’s enduring role in sustaining and inspiring human life.
Farah Abushullaih, Head of the Ithra Museum, shared:
“Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition invites makers, families, and young learners to take part in a rooted practice we continue to build together. In doing so, palm wisdom is carried hand to hand, generation to generation — renewing heritage through care, creativity, and community-led continuity.”
Tradition Reimagined Through Contemporary Art
Organized into six thematic zones — Oasis, Roots, Trunk, Fronds, Dates, and The Lab — the exhibition combines artistic expression with education and experimentation. Alongside these zones, filmmaker Mahmoud Kaabour’s documentary Sa’fa screens in the amphitheatre, adding cinematic depth to the narrative.
Highlights include:
- Fatimah Al Nemer (Saudi Arabia) – Al-Kar, a woven rug transforming palm fibers into living memory.
- Mohamed Amine Hamouda (Tunisia) – Bouhattam, a sculptural installation crafted from oasis waste, exploring ecology and adaptation.
- Daniel Valero – Mestiz (Mexico) – La Cabra Chair, merging rural craftsmanship with contemporary design.
- Abdulla Buhijji and Noor Alwan (Bahrain) – Toob Toob Ya Bahar, a reinterpretation of a folkloric ritual.
- Shahira Fahmy (Egypt) – Lucida Restaurant and Bar Wall, a palm-leaf installation redefining organic architecture.
- Obaid Alsafi (Saudi Arabia) – Palm in Eternal Embrace, Ithra Art Prize 2023 winner, reflecting on resilience and climate change.
The exhibition also showcases works by Amina Agueznay (Morocco), Gabriela Sagarminaga Roldán (Spain), Carolin Schelkle (Germany), and Bashaer Hawsawi (Saudi Arabia), each exploring memory, belonging, and the sacred value of craft.
Complementing the show, the Khoos Initiative expands Ithra’s creative engagement beyond the exhibition through a residency (October 3–14) and a series of regional and international design commissions that reinterpret the art of palm weaving for the modern era.
A Living Tribute to Heritage and Innovation
Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition stands as a vibrant celebration of cultural continuity — a dialogue between art, heritage, and sustainability. Through this multidisciplinary showcase, Ithra reaffirms its mission to preserve the wisdom of the past while inspiring the creativity of the future, turning the date palm into both a muse and a medium for artistic renewal.