Saudis dedicate giant map to king

A 10,000-square-meter map of Saudi Arabia with 1.2 million green handprints will be presented to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah as a gift during National Day celebrations.
The project was conceived by Dina Al-Nahdi, who created it with the assistance of four artists — Aswaq Dali, Nabil Tahir, Ahmed Najar and Tagreed Wazna.
Al-Nahdi said the historic ceremony will be attended by more than 80,000 people in Jeddah on Monday at Red Sea Mall in the presence of Prince Muqrin, second deputy prime minister and adviser to the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and his special envoy, civil and public dignitaries, officials, diplomats, businessmen and others.
The map was made in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Presidency of Metrology and Environment with the aim of making it the world’s largest map of Saudi Arabia with green handprints. It will also announce entry into the Guinness World Records for the largest map.
She said the world's largest map is made with the handprints of more than 1.2 million people, including princes, dignitaries, officials from public and private sectors, artists, public figures, businessmen and women, citizens and students.
“The existing Guinness record for the single largest map is 6,470 square meters. We are confident that the Saudi map will win the title. People will be able to see the making of the world’s largest map and green message through a documentary. It is a demonstration of our love for our king and our responsibility toward the environment,” she said.
“I pursued my career in information technology with the aim of improving the environment. This helped us in implementing our green idea, which encompasses creating environmental awareness, instilling the concept of social responsibility in people and strengthening our sense of patriotism.”
“The cloth that we used to make the map is made of 100 percent cotton and is environmentally friendly. Even the colors we used are free of harmful chemicals detrimental to the environment. The map as a whole is green in color, while the land border is yellow and the marine contours are blue, with brown as the color for the frame. Four prominent artists participated in the making of the map,” she said.
She thanked Prince Muqrin for his support, in addition to thanking participants, volunteers, her husband and the media for its significant role in supporting the campaign.