Meet the Artists: Why and How We Designed and Hand Crafted a Roshan for AlBalad

The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA), a core charity of His Majesty King Charles III, furthers his vision of fostering appreciation for the universal values underlying the world’s great art traditions. The school’s teaching emphasizes that understanding traditional arts is inseparable from understanding the natural order and humankind’s place within it.
KFSTA has pioneered postgraduate education rooted in practice, offering Masters and Doctoral degrees in the UK and extending its ethos through public Open Programme courses and international Outreach Programmes. Over the last 30 years, the school has expanded its reach, with programs in over 20 countries, and established centers for long-term education in Egypt, Azerbaijan, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Hanan Bucklain is a architect with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and design from Effat University in Jeddah. Her passions include art, architecture, and traditional crafts. She has also completed the Intermediate Diploma in Building Arts and Crafts in Jeddah (2023). Currently, she serves as a teaching assistant and designer at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, where she provides support and guidance to her students.

Samaher has a passion for old architectural history, drawings, art, and design. She has a 1st Class BA Hons in Interior and Furniture Design from King Abdulaziz University and graduated from the Intermediate Diploma of Building Arts and Crafts from KFSTA & TRITA, Jeddah. Samaher has been working on restoration projects in historic Jeddah since 2020, preserving heritage and exploring geometric patterns around Saudi Arabia. 

Mustafa Hassan is a trained architect with ten years’ experience, and he currently serves as a teaching assistant and designer for the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in Jeddah. Mustafa specializes in wood crafts with a background in design and has graduated from the Intermediate Diploma in Building Arts and Crafts in Jeddah (2023). Mustafa is fascinated by the historical urban fabric, architecture, and building practices of Al-Balad.

Ayman graduated from King Abdulaziz University, Department of Islamic Arts. She has a keen and diverse interest in the arts of her cultural heritage. Her twenty-year career in the arts culminated in the two year Building Arts and Crafts Diploma studies with the Kings Foundation School for Traditional Arts at the the Royal Institute. She is now working to empower traditional crafts to become a part of our present, both as raw materials and as a source of awareness.