WEEKEND REFLECTIONS - MARAYA CONCERT HALL

MARAYA CONCERT HALL IN AL ULA, SAUDI ARABIA.

LOOK CLOSELY - YOU CAN SEE THE LINES OF MIRRORED TILES.

THE STATE OF THE ART FACILITY REFLECTS THE UNUSUAL & STUNNING SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATIONS SURROUNDING IT

IT'S A PHOTOGRAPHER'S PARADISE

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LINKING TO - WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

 

DESERT X AL ULA 2020

RIGHT BEFORE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC GRIPPED THE WORLD, DESERT X AL ULA WOWED PATRONS AS AN INTERACTIVE ART EXHIBITION DURING THE WINTER AT TANTORA FESTIVAL IN EARLY 2020.  

SET AMIDST AL ULA'S UNUSUAL ANCIENT LANDSCAPE OF HUMONGOUS SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATIONS AND POWDERY BEIGE SANDS, THE ART INSTALLATIONS OF DESERT X WELCOMED VISITORS TO PLAY AND REVEL WITH ART AND NATURE.

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  and on FACEBOOK.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXHIBIT AND THE ARTISTIC GENIUSES BEHIND THE CREATIONS, CLICK HERE.  

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LINKING TO - SKYWATCH

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 

THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "P"

STARTS WITH "P' - "PARROT FISH," WE CAUGHT IN THE RED SEA

A FAVORITE - "PERFUME" AISLE AT THE FIVE RIYAL STORE.

I LOVE HOW THE GUY IS SNIFFING HIS WRIST

"PURPLE" - PERFORMANCE AT WINTER AT TANTORA FESTIVAL

IN AL ULA, SAUDI ARABIA, MARCH 2020

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

FRIDAY BLISS

 

Scrumptious Dessert

Just enjoying memories of this beautiful scrumptious dessert I had a few months ago at a lovely outdoor bistro tucked in between the sandstone boulders in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia.  

Mystical Landscape of Al Ula

The sandstone rock formations of Al Ula are truly unique. The narrow opening shown above separating two enormous rocks is aptly called The Guitar.

As the sun goes down over Al Ula, the silence of the desert amplifies while the sunset paints the sky and the moon rises marking the end of the day.

SkyWatch - Madein Saleh's Most Iconic Tomb

Taking photos at Al Fareed as the waning sun lowers itself behind the enormous sandstone rock landscape is a photographer's dream.  Nature's colors intensify and deepen, shadows become more dramatic, and the somber silence seems to amplify the the echoes of voices heard thousands of years ago.

Al Fareed is the iconic symbol of Madein Saleh, the ancient Nabataean burial grounds of tombs carved into the colossal sandstone rocks.  Its name translates from Arabic into "unique."  One of the factors that accentuates this tomb from the others is that it stands alone, the only tomb carved into one humongous massive stone by itself.  Another unique feature of this tomb is the fact that it sports four columns on its face, instead of the usual two. In addition the tomb itself was never completed and was never used for burial.

UNESCO confirmed Madein Saleh as a historic world heritage site in 2008.  

The moon rises above Al Fareed in Madein Saleh.

To  visit MORE friendly skies around the world, fly on over to SKYWATCH  where you’ll find beautiful skies posted by bloggers all over the world.

Outdoor Theater at Winter at Tantora in Al Ula

At this year's Winter at Tantora Festival, a cast of about 60 local actors, as well as several camels and goats, performed a live theater production outdoors, in a natural setting in front of the sandstone outcroppings with carved tombs from the ancient Nabataean people.  The festival has provided many opportunities and employment for the citizens of Al Ula, which has a population of a little over 5,000.

The acting, costumes, and script were an enjoyable and interesting reenactment of life in those times, complete with chanting, rivalry, a battle, and loss.  It was actually rather exciting to see this type of live entertainment here in Saudi Arabia. 

Al Ula, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia, is a city rich in history, culture, breathtaking scenery, and fertile valley of farmlands.  Two thousand years ago, it was an important location for the ancient Nabataean civilization, a thriving oasis with underground springs as well as a burgeoning trade center along the incense caravan route. 

Al Ula was known as Hegra back then.  It was the southern capital of the Nabataean empire, while Petra in Jordan was the main capital in the north. Al Ula is located at the halfway point between Petra and Mecca, the most important city in Islam, making it the perfect stop for the caravan trade route. 

Madein Saleh is the name of the area of Al Ula where the Nabataeans carved hundreds of tombs into the enormous sandstone rocks.  Some Muslims believe that the entire area is cursed because the ancient peoples living there worshiped idols and that Allah punished them with a deadly earthquake and severe lightning.  Indeed still today, there are many Muslims around Saudi Arabia who will not set foot in that region because of their belief that it is cursed, even though most of Al Ula's residents are Muslims. 

Because of its fascinating landscape, rich history, and archaeological importance, Al Ula has been chosen by the government to be a key focus for the development of one of Saudi Arabia's newest industries - tourism. In a few short years, the area anticipates upwards of two million visitors from around the world each year. 

Al Ula Hospitality

Arab hospitality is well known. It is common practice at events or hotels in Saudi Arabia that guests are greeted by a handsome well dressed young man serving Arabic coffee, called "qahwah."  Carrying the long spouted traditional Saudi teapot called "dallah," along with tiny serving cups, the "qahwahjee" (coffee server) offers the hot drink to guests.

Qahwah tastes nothing at all like American coffee. It is made using green coffee beans and cardamom.  The amount of cardamom is what makes the difference in the taste. I prefer it with a stronger cardamom taste.  

Our World - La Cantine Al Ula

This is the entrance to the French Restaurant La Cantine in Al Ula.  Its unusual setting is amongst ancient sandstone rock formations. The floor is sand.  

High end outdoor furniture welcomes guests. There is mood lighting in the evenings that accents the rock walls and greenery brings life to the surroundings.

It's actually quite an intimate setting and the acoustics are phenomenal.  The lounge area is accented with bright red pillows where parties can relax for drinks or dessert after a meal.

The gourmet French menu offers salmon, beef, lamb, and a nice variety of other delectable dishes.  Our lunch was truly scrumptious.

Several restaurants set in the sandstone rocks are featured during the Winter at Tantora Festival, which ran from mid-December until the first weekend in March.  It is an amazing effort that I hope you will be able to experience one day.

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.

Tantora's "Persian Nights" #MusicWithoutBorders

The Winter at Tantora Festival in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, featured world class artists and entertainers from around the globe, including Andrea Bocelli, Kool and the Gang, Yanni, Enrique Iglesias, Lionel Richey, Il Divo, Jose Carreras, and more!

The concert on the evening I attended was a historic event called "Persian Nights," which highlighted four different fantastic musical groups featuring popular older Persian singers, all but one of whom were in their 60s and 70s, proving that they've still got what it takes to bring the house down.

There were even female musicians in the bands and one female Persian singer, Leila Forouhar. While these popular vocalists are banned from performing in their own country of Iran, their talents were celebrated at the Winter at Tantora Festival in Saudi Arabia

Inside the beautiful Miraya Concert Hall, a state of the art facility built just over a year ago, the laser lights flashed and flickered, changing colors with the beat of the music - and history was made in Saudi Arabia as the country welcomed these beloved Iranian performers to the stage.

Al Ula Winter at Tantora Festival Ends Today

The city of Al Ula's Winter at Tantora Festival is an amazing event rich in history, culture, music, art, and pure magic. Today the festival draws to a close until next year. I was able to attend one of the final days of the festival, climaxing with a concert event at the gorgeous Miraya Concert Hall.  The walkway leading to Miraya was flanked by about a dozen handsome Arabian knights on horseback.  I cannot describe it any other way than magical. The concert was called "Persian Nights."  Four different musical groups featured beloved Persian singing stars who entertained the festival audience during the evening.

Stay tuned for more to come about this year's Winter at Tantora Festival. 

Green - Van Gogh and the Saudi Flag

Green is not exactly the color that comes to mind when thinking of Saudi Arabia, unless one thinks of the country's flag.  There is not much in the way of green as far as nature here, as Saudi Arabia is largely dry desert and mineral rich rocky mountains, with a smattering of fertile areas thrown in here and there.  The above photo was taken last month when I attended a fabulous weekend event called Winter at Tantora in Al Ula, in northern Saudi Arabia, at the city's new concert hall called Miraya.  The art exhibition hall there adjacent to the concert hall featured the works of Vincent Van Gogh brought to life through digitally displayed imagery on all surfaces of the room, accompanied by music, as the art changed and moved.  It was breathtaking and wondrous.

And then I remembered this photo of me taken recently in front of the Saudi flag, so I decided to use both of these photos for today's City Daily Photo Theme Day of "Green."  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 "Green." 
Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day.

Our World - Saudi Arabia - Camel Sighting!

Even though I've been living in Saudi Arabia for over eleven years now, I still get all excited when I see camels in the desert.  These photos were taken in the unique landscape of sand and sandstone mountains in the Al Ula area, which is more than 500 kilometers from Jeddah, where I live.

This herd of camels is much darker in color than the ones I usually see closer to Jeddah.  Arabian camels can range in color from black to almost white, and every shade of brown in between, and they only have one hump, which means they are dromedary camels. 

I'm sure my friend Laura got much better camel photos than I did with my camera phone!  Laura writes the blog Blue Abaya.  She has explored more places in Saudi Arabia than anyone else I know.  Her videos and photos of this kingdom are truly spectacular.  You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @BlueAbaya

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.