Spanish artist Domingo Zapata has been commissioned by Saudi Arabia to create the world's largest mural, a 540,000-square-foot work the size of nine football fields. The project, part of the $63 billion Diriyah cultural zone in Riyadh, will take five to six years to complete and involves a team of about 100 artists, engineers, and architects. Zapata describes it as a "Middle Eastern version of the Sistine Chapel."
The commission is a high-profile element of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, which aims to invest in the nation's cultural infrastructure. The mural's scale and backing signify Saudi Arabia's continued, though recently scaled-back, push to establish itself as a global cultural destination, using monumental public art to narrate the kingdom's history and heritage.