The Eyes of Muad'Dib

The Eyes of Muad'Dib was an enormous unfinished structure built at the west end of the gap of the Shield Wall/DE.

Paul Atreides/DE opened that gap about 1500 meters high at that point south of Arrakeen/DE through which he moved his forces to destroy the surprised Sardaukar, and the gap remained a place honored by the Fremen as a visible sign of his conquest. Some saw that the crumbled edge bore a rough likeness of a human face; playing both against (many of the desert Fremen held religious scruples against the representation of the human form in general and against a depiction of the Messiah in particular) and with powerful religious feelings, the delegation interpreted the likeness as a sign from Shai-Hulud that on that spot should be carved a gigantic likeness of Paul, looking out over the bled.

In 10209 AG Paul went into the desert and two years later in 10211 AG, a delegation from Arrakeen approached Alia with a proposal to create a monument to Muad'Dib at the west end of the gap. Anxious to secure her power base, Alia agreed to the plan, and allocated resources sufficient to begin work on the form of a hooded face rising 400 meters from the chin to the top of the head. It was estimated that the project would take sixty years to complete.

Work was to proceed through a modified use of the wind-etching technique-the first attempt to wind-etch on such a monumental scale. Areas to be protected were to be covered with sheets of plasteel, thus allowing the sandstorms from the desert side of the wall to grind away the exposed areas. After it would be finished, the whole sculpture would be coated with a protective surfacing until such time (perhaps 300 or 400 years) as climatic changes had reduced sandstorms to the extent that protection was no longer needed.

The work became a source of discord as soon as the plan was announced but nevertheless construction had proceeded from the top down, on scaffolding lowered from the rim of the wall. By 10218 AG, reared the gigantic form of a hood above two heavily lidded eyes but sentiment against the project was so vocal that Alia, confronting mounting political problems, ordered work to be postponed. Leto II Atreides replaced Alia the next year and work was permanently halted.

"The Eyes of Muad'Dib" remained one of the supreme attractions of Arrakis until Leto II destroyed the sculpture when the gap was widened and deepened to permit passage of the Idaho River