The invisible theater in the desert.

In Saudi Arabia, the way to find the Maraya Theatre isn't by trying to locate the building, but by looking for people with selfie sticks and following them.

Maraya is the world's largest mirrored building, located in the desert of the ancient oasis city of Alula. The surrounding landscape is reflected in the mirrors, making Maraya appear to disappear into the desert. Unless you have exceptionally sharp eyesight, visitors would have difficulty spotting this structure.

The Maraya Theatre reflects the surrounding desert landscape. Photo: AFP

Maraya, meaning "mirror" or "reflection" in Arabic, is a 500-seat concert hall and a national community center. Artists such as Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, and Enrique Iglesias have performed there. "But it's also a work of art in the literal sense," says American travel expert Lilit Marcus.

Florian Boje, the architect of Maraya, said: "We believe that if a building cannot compete with its surroundings, then it should enhance the landscape."

Boje visited AlUla and was "deeply moved by the natural landscape and culture" of the place. Therefore, when submitting his design to the government , he wrote: "Nothing should be built here. If anything must be built, it should be a silent, mirror-like structure."

It took over eight months to bring the blueprints to life on the ground. Completed in 2019, the structure quickly became a popular tourist attraction. People flocked there to attend performances and activities inside, as well as to take photos with the house that seemed to disappear into the desert unless you had exceptionally sharp eyesight.

From a distance, the theater looks like a mirage reflecting the entire scene. But as visitors approach, they will see a perfect reflection of themselves.

However, placing a massive glass structure in the scorching desert presented a significant challenge for the architects. The Boje team had to find materials that wouldn't detract from the desert landscape. They chose a new type of glass made of copper. A total of 9,740 copper-glass panels surround the building.

The high temperatures of the desert can cause glass to oxidize. The team applied a special coating to the glass pieces to prevent harsh desert weather conditions such as sandstorms and large temperature fluctuations from damaging them.

The building at night. Photo: Maraya Concert Hall

One of the building's attractions is the Maraya Social restaurant, located on the rooftop with panoramic desert views and headed by British chef Jason Atherton, a Michelin-starred chef. One of the restaurant's most popular desserts is the banana and date pudding.

For convenient access to the building, visitors can stay overnight at Banyan Tree, the nearest resort to Maraya, just 2 km away. Some visitors choose to walk from their hotel to the building. Others use the hotel's provided car. Regardless of the mode of transport, the best way to fully appreciate the beauty and artistry of the building is to visit multiple times throughout the day: from sunrise to sunset for different experiences.

(By Anh Minh , according to CNN )

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