Situated in the northwestern province of Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, the cube-shaped Maraya Concert Hall has set a Guinness World Record for being the largest mirrored building in the world. In Arabic, maraya translates into 'mirrors', and the concert hall got this name owing to the enormous mirrors (read 9,740 square metres) attached to its edifice. The space is just another part of Al-Ula&rsquos breathtaking landscape, which also counts the Hegra region, the earliest historic location in the Kingdom to be crowned a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The novel frontage of the Maraya Concert Hall was highlighted at a ceremony held by the Royal Commission for Al-Ula in the second season of the Winter at Tantora Festival. The concert hall is armed with state-of-the-art theatrical sound systems, can accommodate up to 500 seats, and has presented important and noticeable global artists, like musician Omar Khairat and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.
At the event, Amr Al Madani, CEO of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula thanked the partners, experts, engineers, and architects, who worked day and night to create this distinctive monument in the heart of the desert. &ldquoAl-Ula is an ethnic heritage to the world, and this step comes in fulfilment of its vision to create a regional and global cultural centre," said Madani. "We have developed Maraya Concert Hall as a hub for world events, concerts, celebrations, gatherings, and business conventions. The mirrored hall is a global platform where nature, culture, and human heritage coexist in harmony."
FAST FACTS
In order to get into a Guinness World Records title, the Maraya Concert Hall met the following criteria
> The façade is made completely of mirrors, not just glass.
> The building is an everlasting structure.
> It is open to the public.
The size of the stage and the mirrored frontage were confirmed on the date of registration with the Guinness World Records on December 26, 2019, by self-governing surveyors from AECOM, led by Thomas Koenig.