Sand sculptures on Banias beach attract visitors’ attention

Lattakia, SANA – Visitors of the seashore of the coastal city of Banias in Tartous province these days are treated to the sight of the remarkable sand sculptures created by artist Ali Moualla. 

Moualla said he seeks to fill the loneliness of the seashore scene with his own whimsical and captivating statues which summarize his artistic career.

The current events in the country are reflected in his works. The Syrian soldier occupies a major part of his sculptures as well as the faces of veterans sculpted in a lifelike manner with care and dedication.

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Syrian castles also have an important position of his works, as his best sculpture brings all Syrian castles together, including Aleppo, al-Marqab, Salah Eddin, and Damascus citadels and many others. One of the sculpture’s towers collapsed due to a wave but he didn’t restore it, opting to leave it as it is as a symbol of the destruction caused by terrorists.

Moualla wrote on one of his sculpture’s wall “Syria will return.”

Another of his works represents the Syrian blind philosopher, poet, and writer Abu al-Alaa Al-Maarri, and it’s one of his most significant masterpieces as it looks as if the poet is opening his eyes to witness what is happening in the country at the hands of terrorism.

Moualla is now preparing for an exhibition where his paintings will narrate the story of the Syrian women who have suffered during the crisis, emphasizing their strength and worthiness as the origin of life and resilience.

His paintings are full of agony and wounds created by the crisis and the aggression waged against the country.

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Moualla took part in Abu Dhabi International Sand Sculpture Festival in 2011 and won first prize, but he was stripped of it due to his Syrian nationality.

He also participated in the Sand Sculpture Festival in Banias on 2010, and worked on the film of “King of the Sands” by Syrian producer Najdat Anzour as he built an amazing replica of the palace of the Saudi king known as al-Mesmak.

Hala Zain/ Hazem Sabbagh