Lavish Reception: Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out Lavender Carpet for Trump
When the US President, Donald Trump, landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, he received a royal reception marked by a tapestry of lavender, a color that has become a defining feature of Saudi identity.
When Trump descended from Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, he stepped on a long luxurious lavender carpet rolled out before him, where he was personally greeted by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The US President was also wearing a lavender tie that perfectly matched the lavish reception.
Upon Trump’s arrival at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, escorted by a calvary of Arabian horses, he was warmly greeted with another lavender carpet and a personal welcome from the Saudi Crown Prince.
The lavender carpet is a unique and symbolic aspect of Saudi Arabia’s protocol for welcoming high-profile dignitaries. It has become the Kingdom’s official color for ceremonial carpets at state receptions and occasions.
In 2021, Saudi Arabia announced it would replace the traditional red carpets with lavender ones, in celebration of the Kingdom’s national identity. “Lavender in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is associated with blossoming wildflowers that carpet the Kingdom’s desert landscapes in the spring and is a symbol of Saudi generosity,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported at the time.
It added that the lavender carpets would be adorned with traditional Al-Sadu patterns as trim. Al-Sadu is conventional woven textile made by Bedouin women. It was inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
Lavender flowers “add a hue of color amid the harsh desert landscape, reflecting the flower’s strength, hardiness and inherent beauty,” reflecting the Kingdom’s growth, renaissance and transformation under Saudi Vision 2030, according to SPA.
