Zaha Hadid. Photographed by Leon Chew
Dame Zaha Hadid was honored with a street named after her last week in the Saudi Arabian city of Baqaa by students at the University of Ha’il. The first initiative of its kind, female students volunteering at the university’s communication and education center are commemorating influential and powerful Arab women with their own streets. A sign bearing Dame Hadid’s name on it, along with a text that reads “One of the most important architects in the world” was positioned on the road near the engineering faculty.
Born in Baghdad in 1950, the Iraqi Pritzker prize-winner passed away at the age of 65 in March of last year. Her work spans the globe, including the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Opera, and the MAXXI National Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome among many others, ensuring her legacy will live on forever.
Other streets and squares at the campus, which includes over 22 buildings, were titled after other prominent figures including Saudi scientist Hayat Sindi and Khadija Bint Khuwaylid, Prophet Mohammed’s first wife, who was a well-known businesswoman.
