Riyadh Season 'Kaaba' dance performance draws outrage

Footage circulating online of a Kaaba-like structure with dancers circulating around it have caused a stir among Arab social media users, drawing outrage over alleged mockery of Islam's holiest site.

The video, taken at one of the opening events of Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season festival, shows a cube-shaped structure displaying bright lights and visuals, with dancers performing around it. 

Observers compared the scenes to Muslim rituals performed at the Kaaba — the stone building at the centre of Mecca's Grand Mosque that worshippers circumambulate around.

"Saudi Disgraced Islam with this. This is the opening of Riyadh's entertainment season in Saudi Arabia this year. They had a model of the Holy Kaaba where they displayed images of singers and dancers," one social media user wrote.

"Are there still [religious] scholars in Saudi Arabia? Are there still Muslims?" wrote another.

The footage also drew condemnation from an official in Yemen's Sanaa-based Houthi movement, who took shot at the kingdom's rulers.

This year’s Riyadh entertainment season in Saudi Arabia had dancers, singers and models performing in front of a black cube box with an uncanny resemblance to the Holy Kaaba. pic.twitter.com/oPuQmNHAEz

— Dilly Hussain (@DillyHussain88) November 16, 2024

Houthi Politburo member Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti said on X that the performance's resemblance to the Muslim religious rituals indicated that de-facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the act.

According to local media, a Saudi authority denied the presence of any idols or models around a Kaaba structure during Riyadh Season.

The anti-rumour authority confirmed on social media that there are no models or replicas of the Kaaba in the kingdom, and that the cube-like structure was in fact four mirrors attached to the ceiling, with images, models and idols digitally processed to appear on them.

In a statement, the authority added that "it is interesting that there are many cube structures which are well-known around the world, such as the wonderful Apple store in New York and the Berlin Cube in Germany, but it does not cross anyone's mind that it looks like the Kaaba, as people are saying today about the Kingdom".

The Riyadh Season festival is held annually, hosting athletes and performers from around the world. Its part of Saudi Arabia's drive to become a hub of sports and entertainment and diversify its economy.

Many of the liberal reforms introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed have stirred controversy among conservatives, who see the kingdom and its rulers as the custodians of Islam's two holiest sites.

Earlier this year, Saudia Arabia started work on the Mukaab, a large gold cube structure in Riyadh that may become the largest building in the world, amid criticism that it resembles the Kaaba holy site in Mecca.

The 50 billion dollar project is set to be 400 metres tall, 400 metres long, and 400 metres wide.