Scenes from Jeddah's Bastah Market

Jeddah's Bastah Market is a fun open air market which happens every Friday evening in the winter months through February 16th.

Row after row of booths offer a variety of foods, dessert treats, and drinks, as well as handmade crafts and jewelry and lots of imaginative items.    

For more information and photos featuring this fabulous market, CLICK HERE.

Jeddah's New Waterfront Project

A large section of the Jeddah Corniche has recently been renovated and opened the end of November.  This is a shot of the end of the beautiful new pier.  It's quite an impressive project.  I haven't seen all of it yet, but you can see more photos on a post I made on my other blog, Susie of Arabia.  

SkyWatch: Saudi Hospitality in the Desert

This watermelon vendor sells his fruit off the freeway between Jeddah and Yanbu.  But he has hot water ready on the fire to share tea with customers who have pulled off the road for a rest.

His watermelons were neatly displayed on a tarp on the ground. 

He was literally in the middle of nowhere.  

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Saudi Palms

Abandoned Cars in the Desert

A common sight off the roadsides in the desert is the abandoned car, that has either been involved in an accident or has broken down.

Many of them are rusted out so badly that they are literally crumbling.  

I've written abandoned 

Our World: Jeddah Waterfront Walkway

A phase of the new Jeddah Waterfront Project has been completed.  Pictured here is a wide walkway along the Red Sea Corniche.  There are several mosques in the newly completed area, which sports sculptures, lush plantings, playgrounds, beautiful paths, and many other facilities.  You can see more of this extensive project on my other blog, Susie of Arabia.



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Holiday Greetings

Saudi Arabia Holiday Decor

There are not outward signs of the Christmas season here in Saudi Arabia. but in the privacy of their own homes, Christians can decorate and celebrate.  This cute golden camel decorated with shiny ornaments was on display at a friend's home.  I thought it was really cute.   

Saudi Arabia Desert Camel and Goats

I still get excited after 10 years of living here in Saudi Arabia when I spot a camel in the desert.  When I grew up in Arizona, I got the same feeling of excitement when I spotted cows or horses off on the horizon.

We also see herds of goats and lambs here on occasion.  

SkyWatch: Saudi Arabia Sandstorm

Sandstorms in Saudi Arabia are common at certain times of the year.

They can be debilitating - schools and businesses are closed, people are hospitalized with breathing difficulties, and visibility can be diminished greatly causing more car accidents than normal.

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Jeddah Bank Aljazira Building

Saudi Arabia Roadside Rest/Prayer Area

I haven't really seen highway rest areas here in Saudi Arabia that look much like the ones I am familiar with in the US.  There aren't many roadside facilities here to begin with, but this is one of the few I have seen.  It's an small open air covered area with a cement floor. People can pray there or take a nap or have a picnic.  In the hotter months, I would imagine I wouldn't want to linger there too long though! It's virtually in the middle of nowhere.  

Our World: Saudi Arabia Desert Roadside Outhouse

Facilities in some places in Saudi Arabia still have some catching up to do with other parts of the world.  This outhouse is located off the freeway north of Jeddah, in the middle of nowhere.  What is visible from the highway is cement block with a barrel.

The highway is behind the outhouse so the open doorway is not visible to passersby

There is no roof, no door, just a hole in the cement floor.  One can get to it either by parking off the freeway and walking about a block into the desert, or by simply driving up to it - although there is no road to it, so a regular vehicle could get stuck in the sand.



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.

Saudi Arabia Pizza Hut in Arabic

Saudi Entertaining Style

Most of the Saudi homes I have seen are fancy and elegant, far different from the casual and laid back atmospheres of most American homes I've been in.  Saudis present a very formal style of their own, which usually involves a lot of gold leaf decorating touches everywhere.

Jeddah: Unusual Modern Building

Ditto - from yesterday's post.  

SkyWatch: Jeddah Architectural Details

Jeddah has some really interesting modern architecture, like none I've ever seen elsewhere.  I prefer more classic styling that won't look outdated in a few years.


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Jeddah: Abandoned Taxi

There continues to be a huge problem with the streets of Jeddah being occupied with abandoned vehicles that are wrecked or disabled.  Every time it rains in the city of Jeddah, there is severe flooding of the streets and tunnels, which causes another increase in the number of automobiles abandoned in the streets.  This has been a noticeable problem for as long as I have live in Jeddah since 2007. The municipality has attempted to alleviate the problem, without success, because the next time it rains, the problem multiplies yet again.  

Jeddah Walled Villa

Stately villas here in Jeddah are almost always surrounded by tall walls for privacy.  I really like the  details of the columns and the elegant gates.

Our World: Men at Prayer in Jeddah

The dedication and discipline of Muslims in their faith is awe inspiring to see. Muslims pray five times every day and many go to a mosque that many times per day to perform the prayers.  Praying together with others is preferred but not required. 



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.

Saudi Arabia Stylish Gown

Saudi women are very fashion forward and elegant.  This sexy gown I saw in a dress shop window would be worn at a wedding where only females would be in attendance.  Most weddings are gender segregated here in Saudi Arabia, with men and women having entirely separate functions. 

Saudi Arabia Alternative Drink

Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia, but one can find a large selection of alternative nonalcoholic choices.  

Saudi Arabia: Birkenstock in Arabic

SkyWatch: Jeddah Mosque at Twilight

One of my favorite times for taking photos is twilight when the sky is lit up.


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Jeddah Hilton Hotel Lobby

Mosque Minaret at Night

Many of the minarets here are lit up with green lights in the evenings.  The Arabic word for minaret is manara, which means lighthouse. Most minarets are equipped with speakers which blast the calls to prayer for all in the vicinity to hear.

Originally minarets in warmer climates were built to provide ventilation and served as natural air conditioning for hot air to escape from the mosque itself. Now with modern air conditioning available, the minarets have just become a traditional part of mosques. There is no particular significance as to why most mosques are lit up in green in the evenings. It does make them easier to spot for someone looking for a mosque in which to pray who is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.

Our World: Bentley

In the higher end parking lots of shopping areas of Jeddah, it's not unusual to see Bentleys, like this one, or even Rolls Royces.   License plates here are written in both English and Arabic.



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.

Jeddah Busy Night Shopping

At night most shopping areas of Jeddah are hopping.  Traffic congestion near these shopping areas is worse than during the daytime peak hours and it can be difficult to find a parking spot.  

Jeddah Architecture

Many buildings in Jeddah have businesses on the ground floor and then apartments or hotels on the floors above.

Jeddah: Public Prayer Area

Most malls, hospitals and some businesses have designated areas for prayer here in Saudi Arabia.  With prayers required five times per day, it makes sense to have designated prayer areas conveniently located for people to perform the prays.  It's not unusual to see prayer rugs virtually almost anywhere, even outside on the sidewalks.  I've often seen large groups of men in line formation praying right in the streets. It's quite a moving sight to behold.

CDP Theme Day: Gift

Traveling back and forth between Saudi Arabia and the USA frequently, I like to bring gifts from one place to another for various family members and friends.  I was very surprised when I found this Obama cologne in 2016 in a shop in Jeddah, so I bought a few to take as gifts back to the states the next time I went.  It's not exactly what one might expect to find on a store shelf in Saudi Arabia. 

City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers that share images of life in their cities around the world.  The first of every month is Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  This month's theme is "Gift."

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day.

SkyWatch: Jeddah Sculpture "Builder's Plumbline"

This sculpture by Egyptian artist Mustafa Senbel is located along Jeddah's Red Sea Corniche coastline and is called "Builder's Plumbline.  For a closer up view and more information about this sculpture, see my previous post about it by clicking HERE.


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