Printing & Publishing Establishment, Jeddah

Notes

"Journalism in the conservative king­dom flourished in the 1950’s as one of the major proponents of progress and a prerequisite for a modern na­tion-state. After launching Ar Riyadh Newspaper in 1954, Hassan Shar­batly and Ahmed Obaid decided to start an establishment to ‘facilitate printing and support the needs of students and intellectuals,’ according to Sheikh Hassan’s autobiography.
Designed by the Egyptian modern­ist pioneer Sayed Karim, the build­ing embodied its founders’ ethos. Located along one of the nation’s first highways, the Jeddah-Mak­kah Road, the building’s modernist facades, striking semi-circular form, and enlarged signage stand out from the surrounding urban fabric as a beacon for journalism.
Today, the building has been reap­propriated as staff accommodation on the upper floors and standard retail frontage at the street level. The deteriorating facades and dulling signage make this former landmark almost indistinguishable from its sur­roundings. Almost entirely forgotten from the collective memory of the city, the legacy of this building still remains as one of the vestiges of an early period of optimism towards modern development" (Gazzaz & Gazzaz, 2021).

Sources

Turki Gazzaz and Abdulrahman Gazzaz, Saudi Modern: Jeddah 1938-1964, Jeddah: Al Sarawat, 2021, p. 81.

Information in this database is updated constantly. Do not hesitate to send us comments, information, or illustrations (with appropriate credits) to database@arab-architecture.org