Madrasat Addeera plays a significant role in shaping the artistic identity of AlUla by contributing to the creation of aesthetic artworks used to decorate the city’s facilities. This initiative enhances the beauty of the landscape and reflects the school’s commitment to supporting and promoting local culture and traditional art. 

With these contributions, AlUla has evolved into more than a destination known for its natural and historical heritage; it has also transformed into a living art museum, showcasing the creativity and skill of the local community. 

“Free and Easy Wandering: Wu He You”

The first mural in Al Manshieh, titled “Free and Easy Wandering: Wu He You”, is a monumental work by Chinese artist Cong Yungfeng. Originally from Beijing, Yungfeng trained at the prestigious Fine Arts Academy in Beijing and further honed his skills at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA) in London. His unique artistic approach blends traditional Chinese landscapes with urban environments, forging a contemporary mythical language.

Cong Yungfeng, Designer
 

For this commission, his largest to date, Yungfeng created a massive 192-square-meter painting that explores AlUla’s distinctive landscape set against a backdrop of geometric forms. The artwork delves into how landscapes are shaped, from geological processes to the narratives they inspire, each element speaking to the concept of deep time. Yungfeng's piece offers a somber, eloquent reflection of the Chinese palette, where cool shades of green envelop the local mountain scape, all set against a backdrop of geometric patterns. This immense work is a groundbreaking addition to the region's art scene, poised to become a defining landmark for years to come. AlUla, perhaps more than many places, is deeply steeped in geological time, with its surrounding cliffs cradling both the urban oasis and its people.
 

Cong Yungfeng expressed his aspirations for the mural in June 2025: "I hope that the completed mural contributes meaningfully to the vibrant visual identity of the area and that it serves not only as a gateway to the physical oasis but also as an invitation into a shared spiritual and cultural space."

“The Order of Nature”

The second mural, titled “The Order of Nature” is a captivating creation by American artist and master geometer, Chris Riederer. A graduate of the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA) in London, Chris currently lectures at our Jeddah center. He infuses his art practice with rigorous precision, magically weaving immense patterns across buildings.

Chris Riederer, Designer

In exploring the “Order of nature”, Riederer delved into the hidden geometries of flowers, unraveling the DNA of plant life and how these forms spiral into biomorphic patterns. Imagine a child encountering this mural for the first time, watching as it unfolds across the wall, transforming shapes into recognizable flowers and then back again. Chris's artwork spans a 60-meter wall, a visual feast of intricate patterns and dazzling lines that engage geometry with mesmerizing detail. His artistic practice occupies that rare and precious space between the world of forms and the formless. This mural will undoubtedly draw crowds to the Al Manshieh district, enlivening it with curiosity and wonder—a perfect welcome into the Oasis.


Chris Riederer shared his thoughts on this ambitious project in June 2025: "What an EPIC project! I have never put so much thought and energy into a single project. I’m so proud of how it turned out and so grateful for the opportunity. Huge thank you to Will and Desmond for giving me a shot at such an ambitious project, and to the whole team for making me feel right at home in AlUla."

“When the Sun Blooms”

The third mural is a collaborative effort by AlUla artists and King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA) graduates Hanan Sami and Amal Al-Anazi. Both artists have been significant contributors to the Al Jedida art district murals over the past three years, working alongside international artists such as Annelie Solis, Ammar Jiman, Omnia Jamjoon, Annemarie O’Sullivan, and Tom McWalter. Now, they have been invited to create a collaborative mural spanning 63 square meters in Al Manshieh.
Drawing upon their deep local knowledge of the Oasis's flora and fauna, Hanan and Amal aim to create a visual dialogue with the adjacent mural by Chinese artist Cong Yungfeng. Each artist involved in this project has explored their unique connection to the landscape, interpreting both personal and collective narratives. To kick off the project, Hanan and Amal produced a large canvas painting (4m x 1.2m) in May 2025 and will begin the final mural installation at Al Manshieh later in 2025.


Amal Alanzi, Designer
Hanan Sami, Designer

The Wadi: A Sculpted Boulder

The hand carved spiral design evokes the meanderings of the canyons and the underground water channels of Alula’s Oasis. 

The water current starts with a geometric order, similar to that of local woven palmfrond mats, and then meanders around the edges of the boulder, following its natural contours and shape. From the heart shaped centre of the rock, the spiral echoes the movement of sand plains stirred by wind and sandstone formations eroded by water.

During their residency, stone carvers Adam Williamson and Miriam Johnson invited the local community to draw and paint the geometric design of The Wadi with earth pigment extracted from the boulder itself. Members of the local community, both children and adults were also an essential part of the carving process alongside the artists. The rock’s smooth top surface received the initial shallow geometric spiral, which was then graduated more deeply into the natural stone. These grooves become wider and more calligraphic as they travel towards the ground.

Adam Williamson , Designer
Miriam Johnson, Designer
Members of AlUla's Community

AlJadidah Mural: Paradise Gardens

In the heart of AlUla, a vibrant mural celebrates nature and culture, painted by both young and old members of the community, guided by Madrasat Addeera’s craft and design students. 

Depicting motifs like the henna plant, fig tree, mud brick wall patterns, Sadu patterns, desert flowers, dates, hoopoe (hod-hod) bird, and palm trees, the mural showcases the essence of AlUla. This collaborative project is part of Madrasat Addera’s public programme—in partnership with The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts—and stands as a symbol of community spirit and heritage preservation.

Ammar Jiman, Designer
Omnia Jamjoon, Designer
Members of AlUla's Community
Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts

The Urban Carpet

The patterns of the Urban Carpet painted on the streets of AlUla are inspired by local crafts, like beading and embroidery, traditionally made by women.  

These unique patterns, originally used as decorative elements on clothing, feature traditional colours, such as silver on black, alongside earth tones. The blue zigzags on the Urban Carpet represent water, symbolising the vital importance of underground water channels to the people of AlUla.

Delfina Bottesini, Designer
Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts

Navigating The Night Sky


Throughout history, AlUla has been a meeting point for diverse cultures. It offers breathtaking views of the night sky against its mountains and oasis. Stars and constellations have long served as guides for orientation, agriculture, and timekeeping across different cultures, both nomadic and sedentary. 

This large-scale artwork invites viewers to contemplate their relationship with the environment, culture, and the universal patterns found in nature and our imaginations. It brings together stars and constellations from Greek and Islamic astronomy, such as Taurus, Gemini, Suhayl, Ath-Thuraya, and Orion. The mural also features a geometric pattern symbolising the size ratio between the Earth and the Moon.

The artwork for this roundabout in AlUla blends urban, cultural, and geographical elements, symbolising the fusion of tradition with the beauty of nature. Using local materials like stone, sand, and iron, it interprets both local patterns and natural forms.

Sculptural elements reflect the spiraling growth patterns of palm trees and desert blooms, crafted from rust-coloured metals. The geometric pavement, made of clay and sand, harmonises with the landscape. Designed by a collaborative team led by Joachim Tantau, as part of the Madrasat Addeera Design & Production Studio, this work was delivered by The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts.

Annelie Solis, Designer and Maker
Hanan Abdu, Maker
Amal Hadi Alenzi, Maker
Ammera Alenzi, Maker
Members of AlUla's Community

Dessert Bloom

Inspired by the spiraling principles seen in AlUla’s desert flowers, this public artwork explores nature’s growth patterns through geometric forms and harmonic proportioning. 

Designers: a collaborative design project
Lead designer - Joachim Tantau

After the Rain – A Geometric Garden

Special Deals Inspired by the spiraling principles seen in AlUla’s desert flowers, this public artwork explores nature’s growth patterns through geometric forms and harmonic proportioning. 

Artist Joachim Tantau created a ‘garden’ of structures, including a geodesic dome made of palm wood with community support, and five Platonic solids representing the elements essential to life. Workshops engaged the community in discovering the underlying laws of nature, with activities like crafting small Platonic solids and assisting in building the large dome.

Joachim Tantau, Designer and Maker
Aline Marion, Designer and Maker

Painting The Desert with The Desert

Dr. David Cranswick’s artwork is the result of his residency, where he researched the process of making natural pigments from the earths of the mountains of AlUla. 

Dr. Cranswick aimed to capture the unique colours and light quality of AlUla’s landscape in his painting, using handmade materials from gesso ground to locally sourced, natural earth pigments. Dr. Cranswick’s painting practice is rooted in traditional methods from medieval and renaissance times, and he teaches worldwide on the ‘alchemy of paint’. As a visiting tutor at Madrasat Addeera, he instructs students on how to forage materials from AlUla’s mountains and transform them into pure pigment for their own artworks.

David Cranswick, Designer and Maker
Samer Bin Qasim , Maker
Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts

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