JEDDAH SKIES

MARINA AT DURRAT AL AROOS

BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE

GIGANTIC BEACH CHAIR AT KAEC

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

LINKING TO - SKYWATCH

TIMELESS THURSDAYS

 

It's Me ! ... Singing ! ... In Arabic !

I don't usually post videos (especially not of me singing!), so when I posted this one on my social media accounts a couple days ago, I was really shocked and surprised at the overwhelming reception it got. In less than two days on Twitter alone, my little video of me singing a snippet of a popular love song in Arabic was "trending" and was viewed more than 50 thousand times! I certainly didn't expect that.

And then this morning, someone messaged me that my video had been on Saudi TV!!!

I first learned this song more than 40 years ago shortly after I met my husband in Arizona. The original hit song was composed and sung by beloved Saudi singer, the late Talal Maddah. The lyrics come from a poem written by Prince Badr ibn Abdulmohsin Al Saud, one of the most famous poets of Saudi Arabia. The name of the song is "Zaman As Samt," which means "Time of Silence." To hear the song in its entirety sung  by Talal Maddah (with English translation), CLICK HERE.  

For those of you interested in what the lyrics of the song actually mean, such beautiful haunting poetry often doesn't translate well from Arabic to English.  So just the lines that I sing here say something like this -

My lover, oh, my lover
I have engraved your name on my voice
I have engraved it on the wall of time
On the color of the tranquil sky, on the valley
On my death and on my birth
On the color of the tranquil sky
My lover, oh, my lover
I shall spend my life waiting for you
Do not deprive me of your presence
For my life is yours
And so it departs

FYI - I've only ever posted one other video of myself in all these years, and that one was of me explaining why I wasn't allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, back before women finally achieved that right in June 2018.

Linking to -  OUR WORLD TUESDAY   and  My Corner of the World 

HAPPY EGGS SIGN

HAPPY EGGS SIGN

PHONE ACCESSORIES SHOP

LINKING TO - SIGNS

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

ARTISTIC SAUDI PRODUCT DISPLAYS

COLORFUL TRADITIONAL KHANJAR, CURVED KNIVES

DOZENS OF MADAS SANDALS LINED UP LOOK LIKE ART

BEDOUIN STYLE RINGS

LINKING TO - OUR WORLD TUESDAY

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

A big Thank You to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit him on Instagram - @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours/

 

ABHA - UP IN THE CLOUDS

ABHA MOUNTAIN ELEVATION 2270 METERS

DREAMY MOUNTAIN PEAK IN THE CLOUDS

ABHA'S GORGEOUS BEAUTY

LINKING TO - THROUGH MY LENS

TUESDAY'S TREASURES

A big Thank You to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit him on Instagram - @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

 

SLEEP HIGH - CATCHY BUSINESS NAME

LARGE CHAIN STORE NAME MAKES ME CHUCKLE

 

CHRISTMAS THEMED

CHRISTMAS STOCKING STARTS WITH CHRISTMAS

RED AND GREEN

A FAVORITE - CHRISTMAS MUSIC

ANOTHER FAVORITE - CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE FOOD!

I MISSED TRAVELING THIS YEAR

WISHING EVERYONE PEACE, JOY, LOVE, AND GOOD HEALTH IN THE NEW YEAR!

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas

This is the extent of my Christmas decor here in Saudi Arabia.

Wishing all my friends who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!

 

JEDDAH BILLBOARDS

SAUDI ROYALTY

FRUIT VENDOR AD

I LOVE JEDDAH SIGN

LINKING TO - SIGNS

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

FACES OF ARABIA 7

YOUNG AND OLD

ANOTHER FLOWER MAN WITH KHANJAR

HAPPINESS IN THE EMPTY QUARTER

LINKING TO - 

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

A big thank you to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

 

JEDDAH BLUE GLASS ARCHITECTURE

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

BLUE GLASS HOTEL

CURVY DESIGN

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TUESDAY'S TREASURES

 

ROSHAN IN AL BALAD

Roshan are the slatted wooden window coverings

Al Balad is the oldest sector of Jeddah

I wish I could have seen Al Balad in its hey day.

It really must have been something.

Many thanks to my friend Aileen Byrne for allowing the use her photos in this post. 

 

JEDDAH'S BEAUTIFUL SUNFLOWER FIELD FOUNTAIN

One of the few large artworks in the city of Jeddah that was actually created by a female, the Sunflower Field Fountain is one of my absolute favorites.  The artist is Eila Hiltunen, an accomplished sculptor from Finland.  Standing in a lagoon along the Corniche next to the Red Sea, the corrosion resistant stainless steel fountains consists of seven elegant larger than life sunflowers.

Most times when I have driven by over the years, the fountain is usually not operating, so I was thrilled to see it spraying recently on a Friday morning.  The photos do not capture the richness of the shimmering gold colors shining in the sun that are much more vibrant when the fountain is spraying.  It was magical seeing the fountain working!

 

ONE OF THE TALLEST FOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD

YELLOW - CLOSEUP OF KING FAHD FOUNTAIN

YONDER - VISIBLE FOR MILES

YIPPEE - FOR DETAILS ABOUT KING FAHD FOUNTAIN, CLICK HERE.

Thanks to my friend and terrific photographer Abdullah Ali for allowing me to use the photos in today's post.  You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter  - @ayaa1977  

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP 

BLUE SKIES & ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

DOME ARCHITECTURE

BLUE GLASS SKYSCRAPER

 

CLASSIC STYLE

LINKING TO - SKYWATCH