Under the umbrella of Saudi Arabia’s national drive to discover students’ passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), a major new STEM-focused Maths Festival has taken place in the Holy City of Makkah – created by 1001 Inventions (UK) and producer Ahmed Salim (UK) for King Salman Science Oasis (KSA).
Hosted at Umm Al-Qura University’s King Saud Historical Hall in Makkah, the festival “Math, the Language of Science” is organised in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, the General Directorate of Education in the Makkah Region, and Umm Al-Qura University.
Running through the entire month of November 2025, the festival welcomed thousands of children, students, teachers, and families from across the Makkah region, transforming mathematics from a “difficult school subject” into an immersive STEM journey through the past, present and future of maths.
A journey through maths: past, present and future
At the heart of the event is a large interactive STEM exhibition divided into four main zones: Past, Present, Future, and Opportunities.
Past – Our Mathematical Roots
Visitors step into the world of pioneering mathematicians from Muslim civilisation and beyond. The zone highlights the legacy of scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi, whose work on algebra and algorithms laid the foundations for modern computing, and celebrates the contributions of generations of mathematicians who advanced numbers, equations, geometry and trigonometry.
It also features a special area honouring Saudi mathematician Professor Ali Al-Daffa, known as the “King of Integration”, showcasing his scientific journey to inspire young Saudis to pursue STEM research and innovation.
Present – Maths in Everyday Life
In the Present zone, students discover how mathematics silently powers the world around them. They race digital cars to explore speed and acceleration, experiment with augmented reality art, test their balance on a motion platform, and build educational telescopes – revealing how equations, measurements and data shape everything from sports and engineering to visual design and space science.
Future – Innovation, AI and Smart Cities
The Future zone plunges young visitors into the worlds of artificial intelligence, robotics and smart city technologies, showing how fields like linear algebra, algorithms and data science underpin cutting-edge STEM innovations. Through interactive experiences, students connect mathematical concepts to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions and explore how maths and broader STEM skills are vital to the Kingdom’s future economy.
Opportunities – Your Maths-powered STEM Career
A dedicated Opportunities area helps students and families explore future study and career paths in fields such as data science, engineering, finance, AI, architecture, and scientific research – clearly linking classroom maths to real-world STEM opportunities in sectors that are national priorities for Saudi Arabia.
Workshops, challenges and teacher development
Alongside the exhibition zones, the festival offers a rich programme of hands-on STEM workshops and specialist sessions for students, teachers, and professionals. Activities include building educational telescopes, exploring applications of linear algebra and algorithms in AI, and themed sessions that connect maths to engineering, physics, computer science and technology.
Morning sessions are dedicated to school groups, while evenings welcome families and the wider community, making the festival a hub where children, parents and educators learn side by side and experience maths as a creative, collaborative language of discovery across STEM disciplines.
A national partnership for a maths-literate, STEM-ready future
The Maths Festival in Makkah forms part of the National Initiative to Discover Passion and Unleash Potential in Science and Technology, led by the Ministry of Education in strategic partnership with King Salman Science Oasis.
Through this initiative, the Ministry and its partners aim to change perceptions of mathematics – from a subject to memorise, to a universal language that connects all sciences, fuels innovation, and strengthens Saudi Arabia’s STEM-focused knowledge economy.
The festival also showcases content and exhibits created by the Makkah education directorate and Umm Al-Qura University, highlighting local excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and research.
1001 Inventions and the story of maths in Muslim civilisation
Building on its international track record of science festivals and STEM-focused heritage exhibitions, 1001 Inventions has developed the overall creative concept, narrative and visitor experience for the Makkah Maths Festival.
Through immersive storytelling, the exhibition connects young visitors to the golden age of science during Muslim civilisation, when scholars of diverse cultures and faiths developed new ideas in algebra, algorithms, geometry, astronomy and measurement – knowledge that later reached Europe and helped shape the modern world.
By placing this heritage alongside today’s innovations in AI, robotics and data science, the festival shows that mathematics is both deeply rooted in the region’s history and central to its STEM-driven future.
Ahmed Salim: “From curiosity in Makkah to STEM solutions for the world”
Ahmed Salim, Producer of the Maths Festival and Director at 1001 Inventions, said:
“Designing and producing this Maths Festival in the Holy City of Makkah has been a profound honour,”
“Together with King Salman Science Oasis, the Ministry of Education and Umm Al-Qura University, we wanted to create a space where children feel that maths is not something to fear, but a language they can use to understand their world and shape its future. Through interactive STEM experiences, we show that mathematics sits at the heart of science, technology and innovation.”
“When you stand in the exhibition and watch thousands of students from Makkah and beyond racing digital cars, solving equations, exploring geometry and building telescopes, you feel the energy of a new generation. Our hope is that some of these young people will go on to become the mathematicians, scientists, engineers and innovators who will help deliver the ambitions of Vision 2030 and beyond.”
“The journey through the past, present and future of mathematics allows young visitors to meet inspiring figures like Al-Khwarizmi and Professor Ali Al-Daffa, then immediately see how the same ideas power artificial intelligence, smart cities and the technologies transforming Saudi Arabia today.”
Ahmed Salim
Producer and Director
1001 Inventions Maths Festival
Message from the Content and Programming Director
“It was an incredible honour to lead the creative content development of the Mathematics Festival in Makkah. Mathematics is often seen as an abstract subject – complex, distant, and difficult to grasp. But through this festival, we set out to change that. We designed every moment to make maths fun, visual, and deeply engaging as a gateway into STEM.”
“The festival was inspired by pioneers like Al-Khwarizmi, the father of algebra. We built a journey that took visitors from the Past, celebrating the mathematical breakthroughs of ancient civilisations and the Islamic Golden Age; through the Present, where maths shapes our daily life; and into the Future, where mathematics drives artificial intelligence, smart cities, and sustainable innovation – ending with real-world STEM opportunities in education, academia, and industry.”
“We created this festival because Saudi Arabia is entering a new era, one that relies on thinkers, innovators, and problem-solvers who can shape the Kingdom’s ambitious future. Mathematics sits at the heart of that vision. This festival aimed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and show that maths is not just a subject – it is the language of possibility across STEM fields.”
“A heartfelt thank you to all the teams at 1001 Inventions, and to the brilliant science communicators who brought the festival to life. You were phenomenal. Wishing you all continued success and I look forward to creating more magical STEM experiences together in the future.”
Mohamed Daoud (Soli)
Content and Programming Director
1001 Inventions Maths Festival
About 1001 Inventions
1001 Inventions is an award-winning international science, STEM education and cultural heritage organisation. Since its founding, 1001 Inventions has produced major exhibitions, STEM festivals, films, books, and educational programmes that have engaged millions of people worldwide, celebrating how men and women from different cultures advanced science and laid the foundations for many aspects of modern life.
The Maths Festival in Makkah continues this mission – using the power of storytelling, interactive exhibits and playful STEM learning to turn numbers into adventures, equations into stories, and mathematics into a bridge between history and the future of innovation.
