September 5–November 20, 2025
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation brings the winning design of the inaugural edition of the AlMusalla Prize to the Bukhara Biennial, retracing crucial historical connections between Islamic societies in two different regions and giving them new contemporary resonance. Driven by a strong commitment to Uzbekistan’s development, the musalla’s display in the Bukhara Biennial was made possible thanks to the contribution of Saudi Arabian companies ACWA Power and Vision Invest.
The winning design for the AlMusalla Prize 2025, by EAST Architecture in collaboration with engineering firm AKT II and artist Rayyane Tabet, is almost entirely constructed from palm tree waste that was transformed into a novel building material. The musalla, first installed at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 in Jeddah, draws from vernacular practices from Saudi Arabia for a design that offers a flexible space for prayer and gathering. The design addresses togetherness and proximity, core dimensions of prayer in Islam. It is inspired by how craftsmanship and spirituality come together in weaving, consisting of an open central courtyard and prayer spaces that form a structure that resembles a loom.
In its move to Bukhara, the musalla embraces a new setting that has important common ground with its original context in Jeddah. Jeddah and Bukhara are both defined by their histories of openness to ideas and cultures from near and far. As a port city on the Red Sea, Jeddah is the point of entry for pilgrims traveling to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. It has hosted Muslims from around the world, who have contributed to the city's unique, welcoming culture. Bukhara was a leading seat of learning along the Silk Road, an incubator of theology, science, art, architecture, and commerce for over one thousand years. The musalla's journey between the two cities renews a deep connection between Islamic cultures and uses the presence of two international art exhibitions to propose a view of globalism centered on West and Central Asia. This carries out the ambition of the AlMusalla Prize to bridge Islamic architectural heritage with contemporary design and sustainability. With its presence in Bukhara, the musalla illustrates a living tradition that is multifaceted and shaped by many influences, just like the history of Islamic societies around the world.
The inaugural edition of the Bukhara Biennial is titled Recipes for Broken Hearts and is curated by Artistic Director Diana Campbell, with Wael Al Awar as Creative Director of Architecture, and commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation. The curatorial concept and title of the biennial’s first edition takes the form of an expanded feast to explore the healing power of art and culture through communal participation and looks at time as a key ingredient in art, cooking, and healing. The Bukhara Biennial is part of a long-term process of revitalizing some of the extraordinary sites that were essential to developing the culture of Bukhara today. It will be the first event to take place in a renewed historic district in the city, which is undergoing a major conservation and revitalization project led by architect Wael Al Awar of design studio waiwai, with landscape design by VOGT Landscape Architects. The inaugural edition of the Bukhara Biennial is on view from September 5 through November 20, 2025.
About the AlMusalla Prize
The AlMusalla Prize is an international architecture competition for designing modular spaces for prayer and contemplation, open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the prize celebrates innovative architectural practices while honoring Islamic cultural traditions. The inaugural edition of the AlMusalla Prize 2025 featured a jury of Ali Malkawi, Azra Akšamija, Farrokh Derakhshani, Lina Ghotmeh, and Prince Nawaf Bin Ayyaf as jury chair. Shortlisted architects for this edition included AAU Anastas, Asif Khan, Dabbagh Architects, Office of Sahel AlHiyari for Architecture, and EAST Architecture Studio as winners for this inaugural edition.
Press contact: For press inquiries, please contact mediaqueries@biennale.org.sa.
