Mall Entrance Architecture

I think the design of the entrance to this mall was rather unusual with the blue glass cubes at the top, contrasting the curved front with pillars and all those large cement spheres. My thought is that the spheres are to protect the entrance from vehicles crashing into it - we have some crazy drivers here in Saudi Arabia!

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.

Janadriyah Pics from 2014

Janadriyah is an annual cultural heritage festival celebrating the regions, history, arts, and culture of Saudi Arabia.  It is held in an area on the outskirts of Riyadh for a period of several weeks during the winter months, with many permanent structures and buildings just for the festival. I've been able to attend the festival twice and I hope I can again in the future.

I love photos like the top one that shows how friendly and happy Saudi women are.  I think many people have the wrong idea about what Saudi women are really like. I find them to be warm and kind, welcoming and gracious, intelligent and motivated, creative and talented.  I could actually go on and on, as more words keep coming to me to describe them, but you get the idea.   

The gold coin face veil I am holding up in the bottom photo is worn for special occasions, like festivals or weddings.  And it jingles!

Thanks to my firend and fellow blogger Laura/Blue Abaya for taking the photos in this post. 

If you are interested in seeing a slideshow of lovely scenes from the Janadriyah Festival, just click on the box below.

Janadriyah 2013 from Susie Khalil

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SkyWatch: Sunset in Riyadh

A beautiful sunset in the capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - and a big "Thanks" to my friend and amazing photographer Abdullah Yahya for allowing me to share this beautiful photo for today's post.  Follow him on Twitter @ayaa1977

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.

Riyadh's Faisaliah Tower

At 267 meters high, the 4th tallest building in Saudi Arabia is the Al Faisaliah Center in Riyadh.  The ball shaped section toward the top of the tower actually houses a ritzy restaurant which is called "The Globe."  It offers magnificent city views from any vantage point within the restaurant.  The complex includes a five star hotel, a shopping mall, offices, and restaurants.

Beautiful Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia, located pretty much in the center of the country.  The desert city is laid out in a very spacious design, stretching for miles and miles in each direction.  Riyadh is a financial hub of the region and sports magnificent office buildings with unique architecture.  The population of Riyadh is over five million.  It is considered to be more conservative than Jeddah.

Kingdom Tower is the 3rd tallest building in Riyadh. The complex houses, among other things, a shopping mall, offices, a Four Seasons Luxury Hotel, restaurants, and a skybridge with amazing panoramic views of the city.

A big "Thanks" to my friend and amazing photographer Abdullah Yahya for allowing me to share these beautiful photos for today's post.  Stay tuned for more fantastic pics from around Saudi Arabia taken by Abdullah.  Follow him on Twitter @ayaa1977

SkyWatch: Riyadh Architecture

Another cool building in the capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


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Riyadh: Cool Architecture

This is a cool looking building in Riyadh. Modern architectural structures like this are located all over the country.

Saudi Arabia: Fancy Villa Gate

Here is another pretty villa gate with an opaque lining for privacy, a very important concern of all Saudi families.

SkyWatch: Saudi Arabia Hotel Pool Area

 Saudi Arabia boasts some beautiful world renowned chain hotels.

Due to strict cultural norms, this pool is off limits to female adult swimmers.  Women can swim in hotels that offer a totally private pool for ladies only that is inaccessible to men.

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.

Saudi Arabia: Mosque Dome

Many mosques in Saudi Arabia also incorporate domes in their architectural details.

From this perspective of the same mosque, one cannot see the dome, just the crescent moon symbol which tops it.

Saudi Arabia Hotel Spread

One of the buffet tables from an outdoor poolside party in Riyadh.

The food was as good as it looks.

Our World: Saudi Arabia Residential Compound Entrance

Larger residential compounds for expat workers in Saudi Arabia generally offer high level security for its residents.  This is an obstacle course entrance typical of many compounds which leads to a guard gate.  The high walls surrounding the entire complex are all topped with spiraled barbed wire.  Once inside the compound, it appears much like typical communities in the west, where women can walk around in normal street clothes without the abaya.





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 Home Stained Glass Window

I have been fortunate to have been able to see some amazing private residences here in Saudi Arabia.  This huge stained glass wall is on one side of an enormous formal dining room and overlooks the pool area.

Here are some closer up shots of the beautiful window.

SkyWatch: Riyadh's Al Faisaliyah, Out of Focus

This "Out of Focus" shot of the Al Faisaliyah Center in Riyadh is one of my favorites, taken at dusk from a moving vehicle.  Currently the 4th tallest building in the Kingdom with 44 floors, this skyscraper is visible from miles around and houses a ground level shopping mall and upper level office space and restaurants.  A unique feature of the building is the golden sphere toward the top.  




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JDP Theme Day: Out of Focus

At night Saudi Arabia becomes alive with neon.  It's always hard to capture good shots from moving vehicles at night because the lights always smear.  I have a hard time getting rid of those out of focus shots though because I find many of them beautiful and artistic.  This photo features the neon lights of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city.

Today is the first of the month, which means it's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world, sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there is a different theme.  This month's theme is "Out of Focus."  I had such a difficult time choosing just one photo for today's theme that I've decided to feature several more out of focus shots over the next few days.

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

Riyadh: Kingdom Centre

Kingdom Centre is no doubt a spectacular landmark in the skyline of Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh.  Housing a popular shopping mall called Al Mamlaka, plus the elegant five star Four Seasons Hotel, several restaurants, a conference center and wedding hall, and floors of luxury apartments, this slick and graceful building is the third tallest of its kind in the world, featuring a hole through the building.  Visible for miles around, the top opening of the skyscraper is lit up at night, awash in changing colors like green, blue, and purple.

SkyWatch: Sunset in Riyadh

Frequently in Jeddah, I am not out and about at sunset because my husband always wants to be home at that time for the sunset prayer.  So on a recent trip to Riyadh, I was pleased to capture this spectacular sky at the end of the day.

 


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.

Riyadh: Janadriyah Boys

The annual cultural festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is called Janadriyah.  There are many exhibitions and activities which highlight life in Saudi Arabia, such as native crafts, male ceremonial dances, food, poetry, games, costumes, camel racing, and other entertainment.

These handsome young men are wearing typical winter wear for boys and men in the country, consisting of a dark thobe and the red and white headdress.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, Please visit BLUE ABAYA'S Guide to the Janadriyah Festival 2014 (where you will also find a photo of me at this year's festival!), and her post from last year called The Top Ten Things to do at the Janadriyah Festival.

Riyadh Mosque

I think many of the mosques here in Saudi Arabia look amazingly beautiful, especially when they are lit up at night.  This one is in the country's capital city of Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia: Artisan Jeweler

A silversmith is on hand to demonstrate his talents at the annual festival of culture and heritage in Riyadh called Janadriyah.  Many artisans displayed their skills in such dying arts as basket weaving and woodworking. I published a post on my other blog with a slideshow of photos from this year's event, which was held in April.  CLICK HERE to see it.