The exhibition "Two Swords and a Palm: The Saudi Emblem Archive" debuted to the public on Saturday and will be available until November 21. It offers a visual tour to the Saudi Arabian insignia, documenting its historical significance and usage over time.
Mohammed Alruways and Abdullah Kenani, a Saudi couple whose love of culture inspired them to meticulously create this library, were the curators of the show.
Collecting items bearing the insignia and digitizing them was how Alruways and Kenani started the initiative. But rather than gathering items for the collection, their greatest difficulty was tracking them down to particular times and expertly digitizing and preserving them.
There are three phases to the arrangement of the display space. In the first chamber, the visitor is invited to peruse the discovered items; in the second, the symbol is displayed in various sizes, including big paintings created for diplomats; and in the third, the archival process is illustrated with video footage of the digitizing process.
Visitors can explore the emblem's evolution and changing aesthetics through the interactive experience, which includes animated films and visual presentations. This reflects the emblem's ability to adapt to social and cultural changes while remaining a symbol of the Kingdom's unity and values.
The symbolic significance of Al-Masmak Palace stems from its association with King Abdulaziz's 1902 recapture of Riyadh, a crucial event in the unity of the Kingdom.
Alruways and Kenani linked emblems to Saudi monarchs’ eras, noting shared aesthetics. Rare finds include royal dining plates from King Abdulaziz and King Fahd’s reigns and a 1949 passport with the emblem. The program also features workshops to educate all ages on the emblem’s cultural significance.
