Thursday, October 23, 2014

Jeddah: Red Rawasheen

The beautiful wooden rawasheen window coverings painted in red are the main attraction of this residential building in Jeddah's Al Balad.

4 comments:

Jerry Mc Kenna said...

It is very attractive.

William Kendall said...

It's an interesting architectural detail, and something you wouldn't see here at all.

Anonymous said...

Do you find these only in Jeddah? Why do you think they were developed?

Susie of Arabia said...

These window coverings serve many purposes. They provide privacy so the women of the house who are not supposed to be seen by other men can see out but remain out of sight. The open weave design provides air flow, cooling the building. The older buildings did not have glass windows but used these lattice work shades. Jeddah's year round temperatures run from pleasant to extremely hot, so worrying about cold weather is not a concern.