Abstract :
In the past, the traditional settlements and wilderness of the Arabian Peninsula had several distinctive man-made landmarks, including: warning and defence towers; gates and fortified towers; road markers; posts for defining sacred areas; minarets and lighthouses.
During an unpredictable and hostile life, which prevailed before the unification of Saudi Arabia in 1932, these landmarks played a vital role both functionally and symbolically. This paper examines the symbolism of significant landmarks taking into account aspects of the society in areas such as culture, economics, politics, and technology. The investigation of symbolism in landmarks is enhanced by reference to a structuralist model developed by the author. The model examines certain structuralistic and transformation features of the landmarks which are variables of cultural and schematic nature. The investigation highlights the importance of the semantic structure of function, usage, technology, shape and style as influences on formal symbolism and cultural variables behind intellectual symbolism.
