“A city is the people’s home and the way the city greets us says much about its core values and heritage. One of the essential deep rooted values of Saudi Arabia’s culture has always been its traditional hospitality. The Greeting is a lasting monument towards that tradition. The simple representation of a universal hand gesture that will unite and welcome people from around the world. The west gate entrance ridge is awe inspiring The mountain speaks to the traveler. I needed to reveal what was laying inside of the rock: Two monumental welcoming hands, as if this open arm gesture has been imbedded in Saudi Arabia’s culture since the begging of time. I saw them clearly in front of me, greeting millions of people and guiding them through an everlasting safe heartwarming path. Riyadh’s Greeting will be the world’s largest carved sculpture ever to be created and will serve as a daily reminder of its deep rooted traditional warmth and hospitality and its lasting vision for the bright future of the nation.”

— Lorenzo Quinn