Alarabi Decoration and Construction Company of Saudi Arabia is poised to spread its wings further with the launch of a joint venture interior decor company in Abu Dhabi shortly.

Besides specialising in gypsum works and painting, Al Arabi Decoration (Abu Dhabi) will also offer a choice of furniture products, says Saleh Mohamed Saleh, business consultant of the Jeddah-based company.
“We have already selected a location for our office and showroom in Abu Dhabi and are currently recruiting staff that will serve projects in all the UAE emirates,” he adds.
Alarabi, which was established in 1982, is now one of the leading decoration specialists in the Middle East.  It undertakes decorative gypsum, special painting and various artistic decoration works. 
“With over 80 engineers, 300 carvers and 500 specialists, Alarabi is not only the largest company for decorative gypsum and special artistic paint application in the Middle East, but also one of the largest in the world. Thanks to the professionalism of its management, the expertise of its artisans and craftsmen as well as the hard work of all its employees, the company has created a good reputation for itself in the entire Gulf. In fact, there are very few major projects in the area where Alarabi has not been somehow involved,” he claims.
Commenting on prospects for the company, Saleh says: “The future for Alarabi looks brighter now than it has been over the recent past, as the Gulf region is enjoying a second boom with a spurt in the development of hotels, palaces, malls and the deluxe residences,” he says. “We anticipate that 2006 and 2007 will bring in even higher levels of business for us when these mega developments, which are currently under construction, reach completion.”
Alarabi’s expert workmanship can be seen not only in royal palaces, airports, hotels and shopping malls in the Gulf area, but also in Europe (France, Italy, and Spain), Africa (Ethiopia and Egypt) and Asia (Kazakhstan, Lebanon, and Turkey).
The company is currently working on the supply and installation of gypsum suspended ceilings at the King Abdul Aziz Endowment mega complex in Makkah. This major ongoing project continues to offer Alarabi further contracts as the development unfolds.
Alarabi is also negotiating for a number of major projects in Saudi Arabia.
The firm completed work on the 6,000 sq m deluxe Dhahran Shopping City in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province in May, where it undertook work on the vaulted decorative gypsum false ceiling. Other recently-completed projects include the decorative gypsum work on the highly prestigious Phase II of the Hilton Hotel, known as the Jeddah Hilton Royal Palace – considered to be the largest hotel in the kingdom – the Al Corniche Hotel, the 4,000 sq m Official Reception Building in Riyadh and the renovation of a royal palace in Obhor, Jeddah – both of which have been undertaken for Saudi Oger.
Alarabi has two manufacturing facilities – a 2,000 sq m workshop in Jeddah and another 1,500 sq m facility at the Riyadh branch.
Besides the new Abu Dhabi venture, Alarabi has already established an office in Kuwait – Al Arabi International for Decoration, Kuwait, which started operations in March last year.