Saudi Arabia achieves world record for largest Kufic calligraphic piece

The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts (SASCA) has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for constructing the largest Arabic Kufic piece, with 8,083 pieces of lego.

Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts.

It was prevalent in manuscripts from the 7th to 10th centuries.

Until about the 11th century it was the main script used to copy the Qur’an.

Planning and training for the construction took 23 days, said Maha Al-Talha, assistant project manager and head of the visual photography department in SASCA’s Riyadh branch.

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Agla, project manager and SASCA spokesman, expressed his pride in the achievement, and commended the support provided by Chairman Omar bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saif.

SASCA, based in Riyadh, has 16 branches, with groups in Jeddah, Madinah and Al-Baha.

SASCA has been active for about 40 years, fostering different artistic fields, such as literature and visual arts.

For decades Saudi Arabia has combined its culture and information ministries.

Last week, King Salman announced the creation of an independent Culture Ministry in the Kingdom with an aim to promote Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural heritage.