Alula Design Award

Reem Bashawri

The winners’ approach was to unveil the fascinating cultures of previous civilizations through a line of Luxurious Winter Shawls echoing the charm and beauty of Alula.

Three Shawls represent three distinct Kingdoms and Civilizations; Dadan & Lihyan, The Nabataean, and The Islamic Era. Having existed in varied time zones, each of them is displayed in a unique and precise way to reflect their authentic essence and complex characteristics. 

Tracing back the civilizations and settlements through time, the basis of the designs are established from the ambience of each setting. Each layout is structured in a way that reflects the settings of its kingdom, civilization or era.

Starting with IKMAH MOUNTAIN, popular during Dadan + Lihyan’s Ancient Kingdom, situated in a valley of terracotta-hued rocks, the context around is harsh and sharp with bold cracks within the rock formations. This is translated within the design with daring, heavy and edgy lines as a sectional cut through the rock.

On the other hand, ITHLIB SANDSTONE of Nabatean Kingdom gives a more organic profile. The aura of the Monolith is warm and calm as it’s mostly covered with a smooth surface and graceful contours. This is reflected by outlining the façade of Ithlib using a continuous smooth line.

Moving on to ALULA OLD TOWN, the site follows a grid of mudhouses interrupted by the historic 19th century castle forming an interesting contrast of moods. Represented within the design composition, different scales of different elements were adapted to create a coherent yet complex aerial view configuration.