Claim: The Kaaba, a place of huge importance to Muslims around the world, was purposely disrespected during the recent Riyadh Fashion Week. A Kaaba-like model was built on the ramp, and models were made to walk around it, thus mocking the religious monument.
Fact: The stage featured a cube-shaped, mirrored structure at the center from ceiling to floor. There has been no reference to the Kaaba by the team organising the fashion week and it appears to be a design choice.
The Riyadh Fashion Week 2024 — the largest event of its kind in Saudi Arabia — was held from 17-21 October. It featured 37 designers across three venues — the Tuwaiq Palace, Digital City, and JAX District — in Riyadh. At one of the three venues, the ramp featured a cube-shaped mirrored structure as seen in the image below.
A full view of the stage can be seen in this video.
Images from the fashion shows at this venue circulated on social media channels including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and WhatsApp. The image sparked outrage among some Muslim audiences, many of whom alleged that the structure was a sacrilegious attempt to mock the Kabah. Soch Fact Check received one such WhatsApp forward, which included an image of the cube-shaped structure on the ramp, claiming that it showed, “ریاض میں خانہ کعبہ کی توہین۔” [Disrespect of the Khanah Kaaba in Riyadh].
Posts such as this lamented that the design choice was intentionally chosen to resemble the Kabah and ‘half-naked’ women, i.e. the models, were made to walk around it.
Fact or Fiction?
Riyadh Fashion Week has not made any official statement in response to these claims. However, it also did not claim to make any attempts to emulate the Kaaba. Their website includes several press releases about the designers at the show, none of which make reference to the Kaaba. The website’s ‘About’ section features the controversial image, with the following write-up, “the second edition of Riyadh Fashion Week lit up the capital once again, blending style, innovation, and creativity. This event serves as a platform for both renowned and emerging designers to showcase their unique visions. With each runway show telling a story of artistic expression, Riyadh Fashion Week promises to deliver an unforgettable experience.”
While art is always subjective, the team at Riyadh Fashion Week did not claim to take inspiration from the Kaaba. It is possible, however, that the square stage was inspired by the Najdi architectural style – elaborated on later in this article – that is indigenous to Saudi Arabia.
Along with this image of the recent fashion show, an older image from 2023 also resurfaced with a similar claim.
The structure in the picture has a stark resemblance to the Kaaba. However, a reverse-image search revealed that the photo is from the opening of a boxing match in Riyadh in October 2023. No Rumours, an independent anti-rumour authority in Saudi Arabia that counters disinformation to prevent harm, also created a video highlighting the same.
The video explains that the structure shown in the image is made of four display screens put together, hanging from the ceiling. The screens displayed holograms and projections in the background, as well as a live recording of the stage. The screenshot circulating online shows a singular moment when a glittering golden pattern appeared. It has been, thus, taken entirely out of context, spreading misinformation.
Acts from the opening ceremony of the 2023 boxing match can be viewed here.
Not the first time
As the 2023 image shows, this is not the first time that art and architecture in Saudi Arabia, or Riyadh specifically, have come under fire for ‘disrespecting the Holy Kaaba’.
Under Saudi Vision 2030, a programme launched by the Saudi government to increase economic, social, and cultural diversification, the government announced several mega projects. This includes the $50 billion ‘Mukaab’ which literally translates to ‘The Cube’ and is projected to be the largest structure in the world. The Cube has also received criticism for its resemblance to the Kaaba.
However, the Saudi government has neither accepted nor claimed to be inspired by the holy building. Interestingly, Saudi Arabia also announced the beginning of construction for the Mukaab in late October 2024 – once again sparking criticism of the structure’s design – around the same time as the Riyadh Fashion Week.
Projection of ‘The line’.
Instead, the Mukaab is inspired by the ‘Najdi’ style of architecture which is indigenous to Saudi Arabia. The Mukaab, to be located in Riyadh’s modern downtown, is also deeply inspired by The Murabba Palace, which literally translates to ‘The Square Palace’, located in Riyadh’s old downtown.
The cube shape has thus been a cause for controversy in Saudi Arabia for the last few years. However, it appears to follow an architectural and design choice with roots in the kingdom’s history.
It is also essential to note that cube-shaped projections and structures exist around the world, such as the Berlin Cube built in 2020.
Similarly, on UAE’s 49th national day in 2020, a large cube-shaped structure was created projecting images and visuals related to the country’s history, culture, and values. While it is similar to the cube-shaped structures seen at the opening of the boxing match in Riyadh and at the Riyadh Fashion Week 2024, it did not garner any criticism which related it to the Holy Kaaba.
It thus raises the question if audiences are quicker to attach a religious meaning to events that take place in Saudi Arabia as it is home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, a site of great significance to Muslims all around the world.
Virality
The misleading claim was viral across several social media channels. It was shared on X here, here, here, here, and here. It was shared on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: Claims that the Riyadh Fashion Week deliberately created a stage mimicking the Kaaba are false. The stage shows a mirrored, cubical structure, with no other reference or similarity to the holy building. An old snippet of a cubical projection also resurfaced amid misleading claims about the Fashion Week, further adding to the controversy.
Background image in cover photo: Wikipedia
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com