JEDDAH: Puzzles and board games are a great way to pass time and bond with families and friends, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased people’s interest in such pursuits.
Ali Al-Mohsen, who runs Saudi Puzzles, said that he had the idea of making personalized puzzles for a long time.
He creates 1,000-piece puzzles of beautiful Saudi landscapes and other traditional sights that are close to the hearts of locals.
Al-Mohsen told Arab News that he was such a huge fan of puzzles that he would often spend his free time solving them. “I was finally able to devote my full time and attention to this project when we were asked to stay at home,” he said.
He said that there is a particular process that he follows before the puzzles are sent for manufacturing.
“I research and sort out the most important Saudi national landmarks or pictures that I like, then I speak with the photographer to credit him, and then send it to the manufacturers,” he said.
Makhshab, another puzzle company, provides their customers with parts to create objects out of wood such as a functioning ferris wheel, a hot air balloon, and a telescope.

Ibrahim Al-Omar, an engineer and the brains behind Makhshab, said that he developed the idea during lockdown. “I think recently puzzles and such games have become popular among parents as they saw that the electronic devices were consuming their children’s time and energy, leaving no time for anything else.”
Al-Omar was not able to add a Saudi twist to his puzzles as they were manufactured abroad. “They manufacture things in very big quantities, which is why we decided to use international landmarks to test the waters,” he said.
In the future, Al-Omar said that he “wants to make something that requires mental skills and not just something you build out of pieces of wood.”