Minaret Styles

Minarets are easy to spot here in Saudi Arabia because they tower above buildings into the sky.  There are many different styles of minarets. 

Usually visible on the minarets are the speakers which broadcast the five times daily calls to prayer for all to hear.

Winter Coats, Long Ears, and Branding

My husband thinks that these animals were imported from possibly Europe for the Eid holiday feast.  Many animals still bore the remnants of their winter coats, leading us to believe they came from a colder climate to Saudi Arabia. 

These long white eared black goats are just beautiful, I think. 

Many of the animals had spray painted IDs as branding on their fur to mark their ownership. 

Men at the Birds and Animals Souk in Jeddah

Photos taken on my recent outing to the Birds and Animals Souk in Jeddah.  I only saw men there - I was the only woman around! I'm happy to report that just about everyone was wearing face masks.

Many men purchase sheep and goats prior to the holiday to make some extra cash.  They resell the livestock from their pickup trucks.

For the Birds

Photos taken on my recent visit to Jeddah's Birds and Poultry Souk. 

Blue Skies Over Sheep

Thousands of sheep waiting to be purchased for the holiday feast, which is an Islamic tradition I explained in this recent post.

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A Visit to Jeddah's Birds and Animals Souk

Since my husband and I are still isolating as much as possible because of the virus, this past week's visit to the Bird & Animal Souk was quite a special outing for us.  Hubby wanted to get a couple of birds, and he took me along as I had never been there before and he knows I love to take photos of everything.

In the bird section, there were all kinds of birds, ranging from small pigeons to chicken and roosters to turkeys, and everything in between.  There were also rabbits and possibly other small animals in this section that I didn't see.  I was disappointed in my photos because the cages made it difficult to focus. 

This souk is really huge, several blocks long and several blocks wide, and it's way south in Jeddah. Our place is in north Jeddah, so it was a pretty long drive for us.  The next section we visited contained goats and sheep. The day we went was a few days before the holiday Eid al-Adha, so the souk was well stocked with goat and sheep. 

There were many varieties of these animals, some I had never seen before.  Right before the holiday, these animals are specifically imported for the feast. I explained about this feast in yesterday's post.

Another entire part of the souk held camels and cows. Here I thought we were just going to see birds, so I was quite pleasantly surprised that I got to see so many more animals. 

These signs are at the entrance to the Bird and Animal Souk.  You can find the location on Google Maps by typing in "Jeddah Birds and Poultry Market" or "Jeddah Cattle Market."

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Ali Had a Little Lamb

A lamb in the back of a pickup truck is a common sight here in Saudi Arabia, especially around the holidays. This past week was one of the two holidays here in the kingdom.  When the annual Hajj pilgrimage concludes, there is a celebration called Eid al-Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice.  Normally millions of Muslims come from all over the world to perform Hajj - but not this year, though, due to the virus. This year only Muslims within the kingdom were permitted to attend. International travel to and from the kingdom has been banned since March. 

About Eid al-Adha, according to Wikipedia - "It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God's command. But, before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this intervention, an animal, usually a sheep, is sacrificed ritually. One third of its meat is consumed by the family offering the sacrifice, while the rest is distributed to the poor and needy. Sweets and gifts are given, and extended family are typically visited and welcomed."

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