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.

Traditional arts as a contemporary, living practice exemplified by the roshan (window) with geometric designs featured in the Biennale, designed and constructed by students and expert tutors. The students are part of the Building Arts and Crafts Intermediate Diploma, delivered in Jeddah through a partnership between the KFSTA, The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (WRTH) and Jeddah Historic District (JHD).

Roshan window

The wooden projecting window box is a distinctive feature of architecture around the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. In the Hijaz region it is called a “roshan,” derived from the Farsi word for “bright,” which highlights its role as a source of light and air for the interior of the building while also providing privacy for those looking out.

Typically crafted using the mangour technique, the roshan’s screens involve carving strips of wood into shapes that, when interlocked, create geometric patterns in the negative spaces between the strips. In this particular roshan, the patterns of the eight mangour panels, based on quatrefoils and eight-pointed stars, are arranged to evoke symmetry and balance across the screened expanses. This geometric harmony extends to the inlaid areas above and below the screens.

The design and construction of this roshan were undertaken by local students from Jeddah participating in the Building Arts and Crafts Diploma program. Their process included extensive study of historic roshans in Jeddah’s Al-Balad district, focusing on traditional construction methods and design principles to inform their modern interpretation.