SkyWatch: Jeddah Rooftop Sunset

The sun sets each day to the west over the Red Sea in Jeddah.  This is the view from my building's rooftop. 

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Fun Toy

I saw this Lego knock-off toy and got a chuckle out of the wording on the box:  "New Funny of Intelligent Blocks."

Doors Inside Doors

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA:  This must be a door warehouse of sorts.

Blue Wrought Iron Door

Wrought iron is the preferred choice for many window coverings, doors and gates in Jeddah.  Doors and gates are often lined with opaque colored plastic sheeting which allows for privacy while still letting light in. 

Hay Wire

Many buildings in the oldest part of Jeddah called Al Balad have beautifully detailed wood carved doors..  Haphazard and dangerous electrical wiring as seen in this photo is also very common in this area of the city.  Unfortunately many of the oldest buildings in the city have been lost to fire because of hazards like this. 

Swarovski in Arabic

Shops in the many large and beautiful malls here in Saudi Arabia are eye-catching, colorful, sleek and modern.  Many worldwide chains are found in Jeddah, such as this Swarovski Crystal store. 

Hole in the Wall

I wonder about the lives of the people who live in places like this. I believe that foreign workers from poorer countries are the inhabitants of these homes.

SkyWatch: Busy Corniche on the Red Sea

Women clad in black.  Men and children wear what they want.  Red Sea breezes at the end of the day along Jeddah's Corniche.

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Family Only Lingerie Shop

"Family Only" has become a common sign outside many businesses in Saudi Arabia.  Restaurants have historically had family sections apart from single men's sections.  But now lingerie shops are required by law to restrict single men from going inside without a female family member.   It's always confusing to me to see window displays such as this sporting a half naked headless mannequin, yet women in public must be totally covered - usually in black formless cloaks - from head to toe.

Sun Design Villa Gate

This is an older villa with a metal gate which has a sun design on it.  Private villas in Saudi Arabia are always completely enclosed by tall walls for privacy. 

Our World: What Saudi Women Wear

 Even after five years of living here in Saudi Arabia, I'm afraid I am still not used to seeing women dressed in black cloaks from head to toe.  It still jars my senses - yet I am one of them!

These women are wearing the long black cloaks called abaya that all women in Saudi Arabia wear when out in public.  The two women on the outside wear a type of overhead abaya, which is all one piece and very loose, revealing absolutely none of the female form at all.  Most abayas that I've seen start at the neck and then the head scarf (hijab) is separate.   Many Saudi women also wear the niqab (veil) over their faces - although it might just be my imagination, but I feel like I am seeing more and more women without the veil lately.  The veil is not required by Islam.  Abayas with embellishments and colors are seen more commonly now too.  I wrote a post this past summer called "Embracing the Abaya" on my other blog, Susie's Big Adventure, with more photos of different abayas.  CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

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Censorship Confusion

This is a really huge sign inside a mall in Jeddah.  I just don't understand why whoever put this sign up felt that the two girls' faces on the left needed to be blurred out, while the girl on the right wasn't.  It's all so confusing to me...

Red Sea Seating

The day was coming to a close on the Red Sea.  Red carpets were laid out on the Corniche and some Bedouin style floor cushion seating was placed around the edge of the carpets.  I'm not really sure if this was for a special occasion or if it's a normal sight, but I thought it was very cool. 

Naseef House Detail

Naseef House is one of the better preserved buildings in the oldest part of Jeddah called Al Balad.   It is now a museum.  Built of crushed coral, the building is accented with bas relief designs.  The structure sports beautiful examples of the traditional wooden window screen coverings called "roshan."

To see more photos of the unique roshan window features in Jeddah, click here.

SkyWatch: Camel Sculptures

Followers of this blog know that Jeddah is a city graced with amazing public art in the form of sculptures all over the city. This particular sculpture by Rabi Al Akras features two gigantic camels which inhabit the center of an enormous traffic roundabout in North Jeddah's Obhur District. Each camel is divided into three separate parts (for religious reasons) and is quite exaggerated in its style.  You can see how tall the sculptures are when compared to the surrounding palm trees.  They are a considerable distance apart within the roundabout, although from this perspective they appear to be close together. I have previously published two other photos of this sculpture. To see them, just CLICK HERE and HERE.

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Dangerous Wiring

Sightings of dangerous wiring like this are common in the older historic parts of Jeddah.   Faulty wiring has been the cause of tragic fires which have destroyed many of the old buildings. 

Graffiti in Jeddah

There is graffiti everywhere in Jeddah.  :[

Our World: Camel Trough

Saudi Arabia's native camels have only one hump and are the dromedary type.  This is a female mama camel.  The ropes around her torso are actually part of a bra she wears to prevent her baby from nursing too much so her milk can be sold to customers.  You can see the fabric barrier of the bra between her rear legs and stomach.  The trough is used for feed or water and is fashioned from an old water tank. 

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Mountains of Bras for Sale

There are still places like these that sell mountains of women's lingerie, but the good news is that new laws implemented in Saudi Arabia now demand female salesclerks in lingerie and cosmetics shops.  YAY!  It was really creepy before, women going into upscale lingerie shops and having to purchase undergarments from a strange man.  Plus there were no dressing rooms to try on the items.  Of course in a place like this one, there are no fitting rooms.  I don't know how women can purchase a bra without trying it on...

Sunken Door of Mosque

This is a door to one of the oldest mosques in Jeddah, located in the Al Balad area.  Over the centuries as the streets of the Old Town were paved and repaved, each time another layer of pavement was added on top of the existing street.  As a result the door of this mosque appears to be sunken, when in fact it is the street in front of it that has been built up.  It's become a really awkward looking way to enter the mosque.  I do however appreciate the arched detail work above the door and I love the bright orange paint.

SkyWatch: Silhouette of Minaret

In Al-Balad, the oldest section of the city of Jeddah, a mosque minaret appears in silhouette as the sun begins to lower in the sky.

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Jeddah City Landscape

A pink building near the Red Sea in Jeddah juts out above the city's landscape amid the golden hues of smaller buildings before it.

Next

Shoppers walk by a shop called Next in one of the beautiful new malls in Jeddah. Shopping is a popular pasttime for many Saudi women, a large percentage of whom do not work outside the home.

Visual Sign in Mall

Because of the large population of expats living in Saudi Arabia who don't read Arabic, most of the signs here are in both English and Arabic. I like the signs that also offer visuals as well. The head of the male figure shown on the 2nd and last signs is barely visible in this photo because the image wears white against the white background. White is the traditional color for Saudi men's apparel. You can probably see his beard though if you look closely. (You can click on the image to enlarge)

The Light of Sunrise

The sun was beginning to rise above the mountains in the eastern sky, cloaking the atmosphere with a dusty pink glow ready to awaken the city of Jeddah from its slumber.

Abaya Shop

Abaya is the name of the long black cloak that Saudi women wear when out in public.  In some areas of Saudi Arabia, the abayas worn are all plain black, but in Jeddah, which is said to be a more cosmopolitan and open city than most, many women have begun wearing more color and glitz on their abayas.  The cost of an abaya can run from 100 riyals up to about 800 riyals depending on fabrics, designs, and trims, and even higher for designer abayas.

Theme Day: The Water's Edge

The Red Sea coastline stretches for miles and miles in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  The shell-shaped structure is part of the Movenpick Hotel and at its base is an outdoor restaurant where diners can enjoy Lebanese cuisine, feel the cooler breezes coming off the sea, and hear the gentle lapping of the waves hitting the rocks.
City Daily Photo is an online group of photo bloggers who post photos of their cities so we can all be armchair travelers and learn about other places in the world.  Each month there is a different theme participants can post about.  This month’s theme is "The Water's Edge." Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Doors in Jeddah

I've always been intrigued and attracted to doors since I can remember. I'm thinking of doing a blog for one year featuring the doors and gates of Jeddah. I don't know if it would get boring after a while or if other people have an affinity for doors the way I do. What do you think?

Our World: Goats in a Truck

The Hajj holidays have just concluded - Hajj is the religious pilgrimage which requires Muslims around the world to travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they are able.  It is customary to sacrifice an animal such as a goat, sheep, or camel to share with family, friends and the needy at the conclusion of Hajj.

Sorry, I just realized this post should be called "Sheep in a Truck!"  I have a hard time telling the difference sometimes...

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

SkyWatch: The Sun Also Rises

An early morning sunrise shot of Jeddah taken from my rooftop as the sun peeks through the looming mountains in the distance creating a pink tinged sky.

I apologize for my absence from the blogging world these past few months. I wasn't much in the mood after my mother's death in July. I'm back in Jeddah now and hope that I can now resume posting daily from Saudi Arabia for your enjoyment.

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