Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Jeddah Ashley Furniture in Arabic


It's always surprising to see how many large chain stores are here in Saudi Arabia.  I didn't expect to see Ashley Furniture here in Jeddah, but it is!

5 comments:

NJBuckeye said...

Apparently, SA has a need for cheap junky furniture too. I'm always amazed at the western, particularly, American companies, in your pictures. It seems a delicate balancing act between acceptance and rejection of an outside culture.

Happy Halloween. Is it recognized? Are cemeteries considered a source of "terror"?

William Kendall said...

We have some of them here too.

Susie of Arabia said...

There are only three holidays that are officially recognized in Saudi Arabia - two of them are religious (one marks the end of the month of Ramadan and the other comes at the end of Hajj) and the last one is National Day which is to celebrate the country's birthday.
I don't think cemeteries are considered as spooky as in the US. Graves are unmarked, so you cannot really visit someone's grave and place flowers as we traditionally do in the US. Also women are not allowed in cemeteries here because they are too "emotional."

NJBuckeye said...

Do they keep any burial records? I mean, is there a record of where someone is buried, even if the grave isn't marked? I would assume there has to be a map of sorts to prevent older graves from being disturbed.

Do they cremate individuals?

When men cry, it is grieving, but when women cry, it is emotional.

Susie of Arabia said...

I really don't know for sure, but I would assume there is some type of record of burial. Regarding a map, I don't really know. Cremation is not allowed in Islam. Swift burials are the norm. Caskets and embalming are not used either. The dead are buried wrapped in a white sheet and with the heat, decomposition is rapid. It is typical that the deceased is in the ground within 24 hours or so.