Saudi Arabia is generally associated with the idea of a closed society, eager to preserve its own traditions from external cultural influences. For different reasons, Western countries too are starting to suffer from fear of cultural contamination. However, even in such peculiar context, it is possible to find personalities like Architect Sami Angawi who try to reassert the importance of enhancing the common cultural heritage shared by western and Islamic societies and the risks of a theoretical construct based on the “clash of civilizations.”The concept of balance, known in Arabic as “Mizan,” is the essence of Islamic tradition and of many religious beliefs. The aspiration of Angawi to reflect this principle in his life and works has spontaneously generated in him a multicultural approach to reality: “You have to see things from different perspectives to reach balance and refuse the idea of conflict as predestination. You cannot use a one-sided scale.”
Angawi is former director of the Haj Research Center and founder of the Amar Center for Architectural Heritage. He has dedicated his life to preserve the history and architecture of Islam’s holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, encouraging dialogue about Islam and cross-cultural understanding. The region where he comes from, the Hijaz, contributed to form his religious thought and accustomed him to cultural and ethnic diversity: “Hijaz is the site of Islam’s holy places and the melting pot of the Muslim world. Pilgrims from all over the world have traveled for centuries to the region, enriching it with their traditions and ideas.”
Placed in the city of Jeddah, a gateway to Makkah and Madinah, the Angawi family home, better known as Al-Makkiah, represents today a main center for Saudi Arabia’s restricted artistic and social landscape. An environment where local and foreign artists, businessmen, diplomats and politicians can meet, thanks to the organization of weekly cultural events. The house is an ideal location for the arrangement of seminars, lectures, exhibitions and concerts and has hosted various dignitaries including two visits by former US President Jimmy Carter.
Not only the function, but also the architecture of Angawi’s villa, is a reflection of the idea of balancing dualities and finding unity in diversity. The house is a mixture of architectural styles from Syria, Iraq, Persia, Turkey and North Africa. The fusion of styles is enriched by a combination of modern construction techniques and traditional crafts, thus maintaining a link with ancient Islamic folklore: “More balance can be achieved through respect for the past,” Angawi said. “In Al-Makkiah, modernity and tradition, privacy and openness, stability and dynamism are equally represented to generate harmony.”
Meeting him in his characteristic villa was an occasion to know more of his future projects but also to have his opinion about political instability in the Middle East and its Islamophobic repercussions on Western societies.
“Freedom is the oxygen of the soul. For the last hundred years, people in the Middle East have been deprived of the oxygen.” According to Angawi, the real problem of our era is not cultural but has to do with the access to resources, to modernity and its instruments: “The West and Islam are victims of reciprocal prejudices and cultural stereotypes, which are very dangerous for the indirect legitimation they provide to choices of foreign politics.”
“Concepts of democracy and human rights should be cleansed of strategic exploitations,” he added. “Respect, solidarity and compassion are human values and inspiring principles for every culture and religion. Being aware of these intrinsic similarities and stressing them is the only antidote to fear and ignorance.”
Far from following rhetorical idealism, Angawi has transformed his own house into a model of multiculturalism and has plenty of concrete ideas. Currently, he is hosting an exhibition in Naseef House dedicated to men and women who have been peace promoters throughout the ages. The exhibition, supports the launch of a scouting project, the ‘Messangers of Peace’ initiative, sponsored by the Minister of Education Prince Faisal bin Abdullah. “My hope is that the arrival of these young messengers of love could be a good omen to set up a permanent ‘Messengers of Peace’ exhibition in Naseef House and nearby Al-Makkiah,” Angawi said. “This could be the starting point to materialize the challenging idea of an itinerant exhibition.”
Angawi always tries to involve wise politicians and diplomats in his projects: “The role of governments is very important. They should encourage the private sector to subsidize us.” Funds would allow the creation of an international Institution where different cultures could be represented thanks to designers, architects and musicians coming from all over the world.
Angawi has his own idea of how the ideal globalization should work. An international network of cultural centers constructively exploiting all the opportunities offered by new medias: “We shouldn’t move toward a homogenization, but an interpenetration of cultures.” In perfect accordance with the principle of balance, he likes to adopt the anthropological term of “glocalization,” which deals with preserving the uniqueness of traditions while remaining open to reciprocal enrichment.
“Al-Makkiah represents a seed,” concluded Angawi. “I wish that one day we could have thousands Makkiahs and establish a United Nations of people, regardless of race, color or beliefs.” Whenever he perceives the challenge is utopian, he tries to find inspiration in water: “It is a powerful element, stronger than rocks, steel and diamonds. If it doesn’t reach the sea, water changes its status and comes back in other forms to achieve the goal.”
Angawi is former director of the Haj Research Center and founder of the Amar Center for Architectural Heritage. He has dedicated his life to preserve the history and architecture of Islam’s holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, encouraging dialogue about Islam and cross-cultural understanding. The region where he comes from, the Hijaz, contributed to form his religious thought and accustomed him to cultural and ethnic diversity: “Hijaz is the site of Islam’s holy places and the melting pot of the Muslim world. Pilgrims from all over the world have traveled for centuries to the region, enriching it with their traditions and ideas.”
Placed in the city of Jeddah, a gateway to Makkah and Madinah, the Angawi family home, better known as Al-Makkiah, represents today a main center for Saudi Arabia’s restricted artistic and social landscape. An environment where local and foreign artists, businessmen, diplomats and politicians can meet, thanks to the organization of weekly cultural events. The house is an ideal location for the arrangement of seminars, lectures, exhibitions and concerts and has hosted various dignitaries including two visits by former US President Jimmy Carter.
Not only the function, but also the architecture of Angawi’s villa, is a reflection of the idea of balancing dualities and finding unity in diversity. The house is a mixture of architectural styles from Syria, Iraq, Persia, Turkey and North Africa. The fusion of styles is enriched by a combination of modern construction techniques and traditional crafts, thus maintaining a link with ancient Islamic folklore: “More balance can be achieved through respect for the past,” Angawi said. “In Al-Makkiah, modernity and tradition, privacy and openness, stability and dynamism are equally represented to generate harmony.”
Meeting him in his characteristic villa was an occasion to know more of his future projects but also to have his opinion about political instability in the Middle East and its Islamophobic repercussions on Western societies.
“Freedom is the oxygen of the soul. For the last hundred years, people in the Middle East have been deprived of the oxygen.” According to Angawi, the real problem of our era is not cultural but has to do with the access to resources, to modernity and its instruments: “The West and Islam are victims of reciprocal prejudices and cultural stereotypes, which are very dangerous for the indirect legitimation they provide to choices of foreign politics.”
“Concepts of democracy and human rights should be cleansed of strategic exploitations,” he added. “Respect, solidarity and compassion are human values and inspiring principles for every culture and religion. Being aware of these intrinsic similarities and stressing them is the only antidote to fear and ignorance.”
Far from following rhetorical idealism, Angawi has transformed his own house into a model of multiculturalism and has plenty of concrete ideas. Currently, he is hosting an exhibition in Naseef House dedicated to men and women who have been peace promoters throughout the ages. The exhibition, supports the launch of a scouting project, the ‘Messangers of Peace’ initiative, sponsored by the Minister of Education Prince Faisal bin Abdullah. “My hope is that the arrival of these young messengers of love could be a good omen to set up a permanent ‘Messengers of Peace’ exhibition in Naseef House and nearby Al-Makkiah,” Angawi said. “This could be the starting point to materialize the challenging idea of an itinerant exhibition.”
Angawi always tries to involve wise politicians and diplomats in his projects: “The role of governments is very important. They should encourage the private sector to subsidize us.” Funds would allow the creation of an international Institution where different cultures could be represented thanks to designers, architects and musicians coming from all over the world.
Angawi has his own idea of how the ideal globalization should work. An international network of cultural centers constructively exploiting all the opportunities offered by new medias: “We shouldn’t move toward a homogenization, but an interpenetration of cultures.” In perfect accordance with the principle of balance, he likes to adopt the anthropological term of “glocalization,” which deals with preserving the uniqueness of traditions while remaining open to reciprocal enrichment.
“Al-Makkiah represents a seed,” concluded Angawi. “I wish that one day we could have thousands Makkiahs and establish a United Nations of people, regardless of race, color or beliefs.” Whenever he perceives the challenge is utopian, he tries to find inspiration in water: “It is a powerful element, stronger than rocks, steel and diamonds. If it doesn’t reach the sea, water changes its status and comes back in other forms to achieve the goal.”
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