Shortlisted for Best Arts & Culture Event – Middle East Event Awards

Entertain X proudly delivered Ikmah After Dark—a one-of-a-kind nighttime celebration honouring the rich legacy of Jabal Ikmah, AlUla’s “open library of inscriptions,” recently added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

This 15-minute projection mapping show commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla for the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, illuminated the rocks of Jabal Ikmah with the stories of long-gone civilizations, using cutting-edge visuals, original music, Arabic and English narration, and theatrical lighting to breathe life into ancient inscriptions and petroglyphs.

The show used 27 Panasonic 50K projectors to cover over 33,000 square meters of rock, with a staggering projection throw of 285 meters.

Renowned lighting designer Durham Marenghi crafted a lighting design that enhanced the landscape while adhering to the International Dark Sky policy. Wireless headphones for non Arabic speaking guests allowed immersive audio with synchronised English narration.

Beyond the show, guests were invited on a curated journey through the site—exploring torchlit inscription tours, participating in hands-on rock carving workshops, and leaving their mark by imprinting a handprint in a symbolic book, echoing the ancient inscriptions of the past.

This event showcased the perfect harmony between culture, storytelling, and technology—earning its place as a finalist at the Middle East Event Awards.