Zaha Hadid's 10 most famous buildings in the Middle East
Summary: The Middle East is now home to some of the most beautiful buildings Zaha Hadid ever designed. Here are the top 10 in the region that every architecture lover should know and that travelers should go out of their way to see in person.
Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad and studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before going on to become the first woman to receive the architecture world's highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, in 2004. Yet for much of her career, her best-known buildings stood in Europe, Asia, and North America. It was only in her final years and in the decade since her death in 2016 that her striking and unique designs began popping up in cities across the region of her birth.
Today, buildings, bridges, and stadiums she designed stretch from Azerbaijan to Morocco and include some of the crown jewels of her global portfolio. These are the 10 that best define her legacy in the Middle East.
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan (2012): A cultural center whose single, unbroken white form rises out of the surrounding plaza, and the 2014 Design of the Year.
Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2010): Her first completed project in the region, linking Abu Dhabi island to the mainland with sweeping arches.
Issam Fares Institute, American University of Beirut, Lebanon (2014): A public policy institute at the university where she studied mathematics.
King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2017): A research campus built from a modular, cellular structure that rises from the desert.
Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar (2019): A 40,000-seat venue inspired by the traditional dhow, and one of the first stadiums completed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Opus, Dubai, UAE (2020): A glass cube with a free-form void at its center, home to the ME Dubai hotel and its Hadid-designed interiors.
BEEAH Headquarters, Sharjah, UAE (2022): A dune-inspired headquarters for the BEEAH Group, among the last projects she worked on.
King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2024): An interchange for three Riyadh Metro lines, wrapped in a perforated facade that echoes wind patterns in sand.
Royal Theatre of Rabat, Morocco (2026): A riverside performing arts complex with an 1,800-seat auditorium and a 7,000-seat open-air amphitheater.
Central Bank of Iraq, Baghdad (opening in 2027): A 170-meter (558-foot) tower on the Tigris, already Baghdad's tallest building and her only work in the country of her birth.
