On Thursday social media was abuzz with the news that the Jeddah Municipality had brought in bulldozers to demolish the famous mural of the late King Abdullah at Jeddah's northern Corniche.
As the whole nation bade a final goodbye to King Abdullah in January, talented Saudi graffiti artist Ahmed Zuhair had prepared his own personal mural to honor the beloved monarch at that time. Today, the word was that the mural was under threat.
But the municipality denied that it had destroyed the work of art, and said it had demolished only the barriers and the platform that were set up around the painting so as to create free movement in the walkway.
The Jeddah Municipality said it would take measures for such cases that violate the regulations for the protection of public utilities.
Zuhair started drawing the mural a day after the official announcement of the death of King Abdullah. It features the King walking away on his stick with a caption that says: “Where are you going? Please look back and say hello to us.
We are still in need of your tenderness and we have not had enough of you.” The painting, which adorns the wall on the northern part of Corniche, has become the talk of the country and crowds have been flocking to the area to view it. Zuhair had admitted that it was wrong to draw on walls but could not resist the temptation to pay tribute to King Abdullah.
“I had no idea it would have this big an impact,” Zuhair said at that time.
People, who have come from far to watch it, describe it as “an awesome graffiti tribute” and many come specifically to just take a picture of the piece of art on the wall.
