Lavender carpet awaits Trump in Riyadh: The story behind Saudi Arabia's choice of color
Saudi Arabia laid out its renowned lavender carpet as US President Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday morning to kick off a four-day visit through the Gulf region.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted the US President on his first foreign trip since he took office – apart from a visit to Rome for Pope Francis's funeral.
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The striking carpet raises questions about how lavender came to be the Kingdom's symbolic choice for ceremonial events and what it represents.
Here's everything you need to know about Saudi Arabia's bold choice for ceremonial carpets:
Saudi Arabia in 2021 announced that it chose lavender as the new color for ceremonial carpets used at official state receptions and occasions.
'The lavender carpets are identical to the color of the Kingdom's deserts and plateaus in the spring when they are decorated with the color of lavender flowers and other plants such as Desert Germander and basil, which together form a natural violet,' according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomes US President Donald Trump at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. #US #SaudiArabia #Trump #MBS
Read more: https://t.co/u11ZzWGM5f pic.twitter.com/EqgCY6waVf
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) May 13, 2025
The lavender ceremonial carpets also include a prominent Saudi cultural element, the traditional art of Sadu weaving on the edges of the new carpets.
In December 2020, UNESCO inscribed Saudi Arabia and Kuwait's traditional weaving of Sadu on the Intangible Heritage list.
According to UNESCO, traditional weaving of Sadu refers to the conventional woven textile made by Bedouin women.
The horizontal style weaving of Sadu is a form of warp-faced plain weave made on a ground loom. The cloth forms a tightly woven, durable textile and the weavers use natural fibers found in their natural environment.
'The reception ceremony carpets with their new identity reflect the state of renewal, growth and renaissance in the Kingdom under the inspiring Vision 2030 program,' SPA said in a statement at the time of the announcement.
The initiative to change the Kingdom's ceremonial carpets, a cooperation between the Kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Saudi Arabia's Royal Protocol, is 'an extension of many national initiatives that celebrate Saudi cultural elements and highlight the national identity,' according to SPA.
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