Jeddah: Designer Valentino in Arabic

Jeddah: Versace in Arabic

Our World: Jeddah Art Classes on the Street

Dia Aziz Dia is one of Jeddah's most famous and beloved fine artists. His gallery is located in Jeddah's old historic district called Al Balad.

Directly outside his art gallery in Al Balad, he often conducts evening art lessons, sharing his knowledge and talent with other aspiring artists.

His distinct style of using light in his paintings brings his subject to life in a magical way.  Much of art depicts memories from his childhood growing up in Jeddah.  To see some of Dia's art, CLICK HERE.

Below is a photo of me with the revered artist Dia Aziz Dia (on the left). It was an honor to meet him and see the great work he is doing for budding artists in the historic part of Jeddah.

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Jeddah: Evening Social Life in Al Balad

It's a man's world in Saudi Arabia - and men here are generally very sociable.  I took this photo one evening down in Jeddah's historic district of Al Balad, amidst the aging buildings.  These men had gathered on the sidewalk to visit, drink tea, and play games of dominoes or cards.  I love seeing the sandals off to the side of the large carpet where they sit and enjoy themselves.   

Jeddah: Antique Home Decor

Candelabras, a tree of incense burners, and fancy rosewater sprinklers (called "marrash" in Arabic) adorn the top shelf of this antique chest in a museum in Jeddah's historic district called Al Balad.  Each of these home accessories served important purposes in the early days in Saudi Arabia. Each is still a popular item still found in most homes today. 

To learn more about the rosewater industry and its history in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco World Magazine published a fascinating article 20 years ago about this subject.  CLICK HERE to read it.  

Jeddah: Paris Hilton Goods

Paris Hilton products are sold in Saudi Arabia too.  Most Saudi women are quite stylish and modern.

Jeddah: Decorative Woodwork

This gorgeous decorative detail was on piece of furniture in one of the old homes down in Al Balad, the oldest part of Jeddah.

Jeddah: Al Balad Oldstyle Home Interior

Small stained glass panels like these shown here were common features of the old homes of yesteryear in Jeddah.  Carved wood furnishings and beautifully patterned fabrics all worked together to make the old style homes warm and welcoming.

Jeddah: Old Town Balad Window

For me, this crudely carved sold wood window covering has great appeal and charm.  It is in the oldest historic part of Jeddah, called Al Balad. It's a shame that many of the buildings are crumbling or have been destroyed by fires over the years.  

Our World: Jeddah's Elegant Antique Seating

The photos in this post were all taken in one of the old museum homes down in the Al Balad area of Jeddah.  Saudis tend to have very formal taste in furnishings, like this amazing inlaid wood and tapestry couch.  Doesn't exactly look all that comfortable to lounge around on though ...

This intricately painted wooden chair sports a woven seat.  I don't know about those back rails or the seat part being all that comfortable either.  Looks rather stiff and upright, but I guess the beauty of it was more important than comfort.

Carved wooden frame with rich red velvet cushions were very typical of the old style era.  Some modern homes might incorporate something like this as a visual accent today.



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Ralph Lauren in Arabic

Jeddah: Man and his Cat

I feel fortunate when I get permission to take portraits of people here in Saudi Arabia.  Many times I am turned down, but this gentleman was very gracious and was so proud of his cat purring in his lap.  

Jeddah: Antique Inlaid Telephone

Have you ever seen a phone like this before?  I hadn't, until I laid eyes on it in Jeddah's Al Balad district.  I was on a tour of the museum homes in the old part of Jeddah and this was on display as part of the furnishings of a time gone by.  I believe a phone like this may have been imported from either Syria or India, where this type of inlay work is made.  

SkyWatch Jeddah: Layered Buildings

The angle of this shot makes it appear as though the top left building is part of the lower building in front of it.


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Jeddah: Old Style Furnishings

The old Saudi seating style consisted of a stiff wooden elevated frame topped with cushions. The prints shown here are very traditional old style patterned upholstery. The back cushions were often covered with fitted lace caps to protect the fabric longer.

Jeddah: Old Town Balad Door

It's not unusual to see old worn out carpets used outside in front of the entrances to old homes in Al Balad, the oldest section of the city of Jeddah.  Many of the doors in Al Balad are either made of solid carved wood or of solid metal like this one, which are painted in a wide variety of colors.

Our World: Antique Baby Bottles

Have you ever seen baby bottles like these?  I never had until I saw them at the Museum Bai Jeddah, located down in Jeddah's old historic district called Al Balad.  With nipples on both ends, I was miffed and intrigued.

These antique baby bottles were named after the word for "boat" in Arabic because of their shape.  Either nipple could be used for drinking, but the extra nipple allowed for refilling the bottle without interrupting the baby and could also release air trapped inside the bottle.



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Jeddah: Old Carved Armoire

Now this type of elegant colorful armoire would easily adapt to modern decor in homes today.  What a fantastic accent piece this would make.  

Jeddah: Old City Al Balad Scene

Jeddah: Man's Head Wrap

While Saudi men most often wear the headscarf hanging down, sometimes they like to wrap it around their heads like this.

SkyWatch: Morning Mosque

Many mosques in Saudi Arabia feature domes and minarets topped with a crescent moon.



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Jeddah: Al Balad Hanging Lamps

The old historic town of Jeddah, called Al Balad, continues to undergo massive efforts to revitalize this part of the city.  Just since I arrived 10 years ago, the evolution has been quite remarkable and encouraging.  Many of the old salvageable buildings have been brought back to their former glory, carefully maintaining the integrity of their era.  Several old family residences are now open to the public for visitation and are chock full of relics from the past.  These buildings are known by the names of the families who built and resided in them for many years.

Jeddah: Decorative Chest

An original furnishing of one of the old residences in Al Balad, the oldest part of Jeddah.

Our World: Religious Pilgrims

The city of Jeddah is the major gateway to two of the holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. Consequently, millions of religious pilgrims travel into Jeddah each year.

Religious pilgrims are easily identifiable by their garb - unsewn white pieces of cloth wrapped around their lower and upper bodies.  Many male pilgrims also shave their heads when they perform the rituals of the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims can make their way to Mecca by car, bus, or hi-speed rail.

They travel to Saudi Arabia from countries all over the world.  Some have to save all their lives in order to perform Hajj, to complete this pillar of Islam.  Hajj happens once every year at a specific time and the number of the highly valued visas issued by Saudi Arabia is limited.

When the pilgrimage is performed other times of the year besides Hajj, it is called Omra.  Omra does not fulfill the Islamic requirement of performing Hajj.



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Saudi Emblem Car Decal

The symbol of the palm tree above two crossed swords became the national emblem of Saudi Arabia in 1950.  

The date palm tree is a dynamic resource of the country. The edible date portion supplies a valuable source of nutrition. The rest of the tree provides value as well in the making of functional objects like, baskets and rope. 

The crossed swords on the emblem represent the unification of the Hejaz and Najd areas by Ibn Saud, which along with the tribes of the eastern and southern regions, all came together in 1932 to become the country of Saudi Arabia.  

Jeddah: Group Tour in Al Balad

One evening while my friends and I were walking around the old part of Jeddah called Al Balad (which means "the city" in Arabic), we came upon this handsome group of local men who were also enjoying the visual delights of the old city.  I love seeing a large majority of Saudi men dressed in their traditional garb. I guess you could call it their uniform.