Why Saudi Arabia rolled out a lavender carpet for Trump's visit

No, don't call it purple. When President Trump exit from Air Force One to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, he only occurred on the rich, lavender-colored carpet, which was unfolded in front of him, only a characteristic of the wasteful greeting, which came from the visiting American leader on the first day of his golf tour.

Together with a fighter jet escort in the air and the drivers on Arabic horses on the floor, the lavender carpet is one of the striking and symbolic Saudi protocols for greeting top-class dignitaries. Saudi -Arabia exchanged red carpets against lavender in 2021 when the ruling royal family tried to define their own protocols and celebrate national identity, as can be seen from a report by the official Saudi press agency published at that time.

“Lavender in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is connected to flowering wildflowers that correspond to the kingdoms' desert landscapes in spring with carpets of the kingdom and is a symbol of Saudi generosity,” says the report.

In spring, the rough dunes of Saudi Arabia are covered with lavender, basil and germander, a flowering shrub that grows on the Arabian peninsula, also known as the Arabic name “Aihan”.

The color of the carpet is also an allusion to how the flowers transform an otherwise hard desert landscape, according to the report that symbolized the growth that Prince Mohammed promised through his blueprint to diversify the economy of the oil -dependent kingdom with the name “Vision 2030”.

The carpet has an edge of the traditional Al Sadu textile design, which was created by Bedouin women. The geometric patterns that were woven closely on a hand weaving chair were included in a list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind, which was compiled in 2020 by the United Nations Cultural Agency, UNESCO.

Saudi -Arabia introduced a lavender carpet for Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, an important Saudi partner Saudi partner in the Golf, for the first time. The carpet is also used for state receptions and other official occasions.