SOUQ OKAZ TAIF

Four countries, four worlds, one empty land transformed.

At Souq Okaz, PASSION Experience was given an empty plot of land and a bold mission: to turn it into living cultural pavilions for Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Tunisia.

The work did not begin with decoration. It began with the ground itself. PASSION Experience developed the full infrastructure, built the pavilions from scratch, designed the guest journey, operated the spaces, and brought every corner to life with markets, restaurants, live shows, crafts, and cultural details inspired by each country.

Each pavilion was designed as a world of its own. The team worked with cultural experts, conducted historical research, and shaped each environment to reflect the identity, landmarks, sounds, tastes, and spirit of its country. The goal was not to create a display, but to create a destination guests could enter, explore, and remember.

In the Lebanon Pavilion, the experience brought together references inspired by the Raouche Rock, Jeita Grotto, and one of Lebanon’s famous public squares. In the Jordan Pavilion, Petra became a central source of inspiration. The Tunisia Pavilion reflected the warmth of Tunisian homes and historical villas. The Kuwait Pavilion carried the atmosphere of Souq Al-Mubarakiya, with the Kuwait Towers as a key landmark.

Every country had its own main stage, with live performances brought from the country itself to ensure authenticity. Each pavilion also included a main restaurant representing its national cuisine, built and developed by PASSION Experience from the ground up, with chefs and signature dishes selected to bring the flavor of each culture to visitors.

Beyond the stages and restaurants, the pavilions were filled with life. More than 50 stores from each country were brought in to sell local products, food, crafts, and cultural items. Small food shops, artisans, makers, and performers turned each pavilion into a marketplace of stories, tastes, and human connection.

The result was one of PASSION Experience’s earliest large-scale cultural achievements. Only months after the company was founded, the project welcomed more than 500,000 visitors in three months. The Lebanon Pavilion won Best Pavilion and became the most visited pavilion, while the other pavilions ranked among the top 10 most visited pavilions at Souq Okaz.

For PASSION Experience, Souq Okaz was more than a project. It was proof that a young team could take an empty land and build complete cultural worlds from the ground up. Worlds where people did not just see countries, but walked through them, tasted them, heard them, and carried a piece of them home.