Iconic Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer is having a Gulf moment.
He’s crafting a new “sonic identity” for Qatar Airways, reworking Saudi Arabia’s national anthem, and playing to sold-out arenas across the region. Zimmer is best known for composing music for The Lion King, Dune, Inception, Interstellar, and dozens of other soundtracks. His latest projects show how Gulf states are leaning on music, art, and spectacle to create a global cultural imprint.
Millions will hear his score on Qatar Airways flights, while his Saudi anthem revamp will feature prominently at major events in the kingdom over the next decade, including Expo 2030 and the 2034 men’s soccer World Cup. He’s also developing a Saudi-inspired musical, Arabia, and composing the soundtrack for The Battle of Yarmuk, a historical epic about the early Muslims’ seventh-century defeat of the Byzantine Empire.