Jeddah Mosque Door

The doors of the Al Anani mosque in Jeddah are beautiful and very traditional geometric designs.  The tall carved wood doors have golden trim accents and the doorway is topped with a pointed arch with the typical star and circle pattern.  I think it has an Asian feel to it.  

Jeddah Sculpture The Eye

"The Eye" is one of Jeddah's most well known sculptures and is now located in the Middle Corniche Sculpture Park.  It is made of bronze and is the creation by famed French sculptor Cesar Baldaccini.  He is also responsible for "The Fist" and "The Thumb" which also have places in Jeddah.  Since I last featured this sculpture on my blog in 2014, the shrubs around it have grown quite a bit.    

Jeddah Intercontinental Hotel

It looks small from this angle, but it's actually much larger than it looks in this photo.  The Intercontinental Hotel of Jeddah is a beautiful five star hotel with all the amenities to make your stay enjoyable.   

SkyWatch Henry Moore Sculpture

Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1 is the name of this work of art by Henry Moore, a British sculptor.  It is housed in the open air sculpture park on the Middle Corniche right next to the Red Sea.  Even though this work is Moore's interpretation of a reclining human form, it was acceptable because it doesn't realistically resemble the human form, which would be prohibited in Saudi Arabia for religious reasons.  So Moore's abstract forms were deemed okay.  CLICK HERE to see another photo of this sculpture taken from anothr angle.


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Jeddah Sculpture Flame

In 1985 Sylvestre Monnier's sculpture called "Flames" found its home in Jeddah.  I never saw it until a few years ago when it found its new home in Jeddah's Middle Corniche Sculpture Park, along with dozens of other amazing artwork by world renowned artists.  Monnier is a French architect turned sculptor The polished mirror stainless steel artwork is a graceful shiny piece of art representing sunlight that stands almost 15 feet high.  Monnier lives and works in Paris. 

Here's another really cool photo of this same sculpture that I posted a few years ago.  

Jeddah Stained Glass Dome

This beautiful dome adorns the ceiling of the Shami Restaurant in Jeddah.  It is located near the Corniche and Falastine across the street from the Red Sea.  

Our World - More Scenes from Produce Market

It's no secret that I'm fascinated with the fresh produce markets here in Saudi Arabia.  The sheer quantity and size of some of the produce is amazing, not to mention the variety and the amount of edible vegetables that I have never been exposed to before.

Aren't these old wooden handmade crates cool?  I wonder how long it takes to make one of these by hand?

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Red Sea Lobster

This is a closeup of the dark colored lobsters native to the Red Sea.  They have a bumpy and thorny tough outer shell, with a range of different colors seen up close, like green, blue, yellow, and orange.  

Isn't it interesting looking? 

This is a larger lobster from the Red Sea.  Notice they don't have large claws like other lobsters do. Because of that, they are easier to catch. They do have lots of skinny legs with hair on them and spindly tentacles.

Saudi Arabia Mall Scenes

During the daytime on weekdays, the malls here in Jeddah usually aren't too crowded.  But in the evenings and on the weekends, they are crazy busy. 

What makes it even crazier is the closing of all stores for prayer times.  During those times, the halls of the malls are jammed with people, many sitting on the floors because there isn't enough seating to accommodate them.  Many people can be seen praying out in the halls of the malls as well.

Saudi Arabia Ramadan Decorations

Ramadan, the religious fasting month for Muslims, will begin in mid-May, and there are signs of the impending month long annual event at the malls now.  These first four photos show the festive decorations of  huge illuminated white globes, and shiny moons and stars, which can be seen at the Red Sea Mall.  

During Ramadan, the malls will be flooded with people and stores will promote gigantic sales, much like the Christmas season in the US. 

Below are more Ramadan holiday decorations from the Mall of Arabia.  Crescent moons and stars are typical symbols used to promote the Ramadan spirit, along with other designs.  I like the addition of the lights outlining the edges of this one.

 

When I took the photos of the large star and crescent moon shown above and below here, the displays weren't quite finished yet.  We walked by there again today and both were lit up with hundreds of gold lights and they looked quite spectacular.  I didn't have my camera with me, so I couldn't get pics, but hopefully I'll be by there again and get photos of them all lit up. 

I liked these crescent moons with trailing strings of lights.   And below is another shape that looks quite ornamental. 

Some families like to decorate at home now too. The last photo was taken inside a Saudi home and shows a banner with the typical red and blue design that many places decorate with for Ramadan and three large colorful hanging stars.  Isn't it festive?

SkyWatch Jeddah's Al Anani Mosque

The Al Anani Mosque of Jeddah sits along the Red Sea in the Middle Corniche.  At night its golden dome and twin minarets are lit up and the mosque looks magical.  Bordering the mosque is a lovely park area with lots of shade provided by rows of palm trees.  Surrounding the mosque are parks housing many of Jeddah's most famous and beloved sculptures, which I have posted about for years.  The whole area is lovely to stroll through.

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Scenes from Produce Market

Today, a slice of life from one of Saudi Arabia's typical outdoor fruit and vegetable markets...

Outside the Vegetable Market

You can see how old tarps and carpets are used to enclose and provide shade for this outdoor fresh produce market in Yanbu.  

Jeddah - Headless, Armless Mannequins

Jeddah has more fancy ballgown dress shops than any place I've ever seen.  Weddings are a huge social event here and the female attendees go all out, like they are attending the Academy Awards.  I got used to seeing the headless mannequins here, but now there seems to be a trend for mannequins to be armless or have arms that are just mysteriously chopped off at some point.  It's kinda creepy.

I'm sure it makes it easier to dress the mannequins if the arms are removed, but if you ask me, it detracts from the appeal and the beauty of the dresses.

Is it just me, or do you find the chopped off arm look distracting too?  A gorgeous dress, so elegant, being worn by a mannequin with her arms chopped off awkwardly below the elbow.  It's just weird...

And I want to know - what happens to all these heads and arms that have been discarded?  Where do they go?  Is there a market for them?

The beadwork, the colors and the styles are truly works of art - why not display them on something a little more appropriate, instead of a hideous version of a human?  I really don't get it...

Jeddah's Beautiful Naranj Restaurant

Naranj Restaurant is a lovely elegant Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant in Jeddah.  The architectural style and details of the building are gorgeous.

The menu offers typical Syrian-Lebanese dishes, meaning lots of lamb. The outdoor patio seating under the stars is spectacular and comfortable, with the peaceful sounds of running water from the fountain. 

Kabob Mashakel Tasty Treat for Dinner

We had this dish in a restaurant in Yanbu recently.  It almost looks like a pie when it's brought to the table, but once the thin bread envelope is cut into, it reveals the tasty treats inside.

We ordered two differnt kinds of this assorted kabob dish -  one chicken and one steak dish with kabob pieces of meat with vegetables.  The bread envelope can be torn apart into small pieces and used to grab the morsels within.  Super scrumptious!

Saudi Bench Seating

I've actually seen these exact seats in several places around this area. They are very popular Saudi style outdoor seating.  Other styles may have armrests and cushions to sit on, but the wooden frame and painted designs are very typical.

SkyWatch - Hanging out

Once women can drive here in Saudi Arabia in June 2018, I'm hoping that child safety might improve through the use of infant car seats and seat belts.  My thought is that if a young mother is driving her small children around, she will realize that the kids need to be safely buckled in.  As it is now, babies often sit on Mom's lap.  Actually I've even seen babies sitting on Dad's lap while he drives too...  Saudi women who have never driven before will be required to take driving classes and my hope is that child safety is one of the topics that will be incorporated into the classes.


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