WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "Z"

STARTS WITH "Z" - ZAKAT IS ONE OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM. IT IS AN ISLAMIC OBLIGATION TO BE CHARITABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE.

"ZIPPY" - NO ABAYA AND WEARING ZEBRA. 

I'D SAY THAT'S PRETTY "ZIPPY" FOR SAUDI ARABIA!

A FAVORITE - "ZAATAR" - A TASTY MIDDLE EASTERN MIXTURE OF VARIOUS HERBS AND SPICES, LIKE OREGANO, THYME, SUMAC, SAVORY & SESAME SEEDS, USED IN BREAD DISHES.

ANOTHER FAVORITE "Z" PIC - COLORFUL ZINNIAS

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LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

FRIDAY BLISS

 

SIGNS AND SHOPPING

MURAL, GRAFFITI & BILLBOARDS

MEN'S TRADITIONAL WEAR SHOP

ABAYA SOUK

MEN AT THE MALL

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LINKING TO -  MOSAIC MONDAYS

MONDAY MURALS

 

SIGNS OF CULTURE - "FAMILIES ONLY"

SHOPS CATERING TO WOMEN ARE DESIGNATED "FAMILY ONLY"

I CAN'T IMAGINE WEARING SEQUINED UNDERWEAR!

"FAMILIES ONLY" = WOMEN + CHILDREN.

MALE CUSTOMERS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEMALE.

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LINKING TO - SIGNS

 

SAUDI WOMEN

PLAYFUL AND FUN (INTERNET IMAGE)

CURIOUS AND FRIENDLY

LOVE TO SHOP

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LINKING TO - TUESDAY'S TREASURES

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

PICTORIAL TUESDAY

 

PHOTO MIX

WALKING BY

CHOCOLATES IN LOVELY RAMADAN PACKAGING

DELI DELIGHTS ARE MORE ATTRACTIVE WITH PEPPER RINGS

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LINKING TO - MOSAIC MONDAYS

SOUVENIRS

ALL SEASONS

 

SIGNS AROUND SAUDI

ESCALATOR WARNING SIGN

EIFFEL TOWER GRAPHIC BUSINESS SIGN

VIP SIGN WITH "P" AS A HOOKAH

LINKING TO - SIGNS

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

ARABIC BUSINESS SIGN

A TYPICAL SAUDI MALL SCENE

TRADITIONAL SAUDI MENSWEAR

LINKING TO - WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

 

WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "O"

"OVER" THE HEAD ABAYA - VERY CONSERVATIVE STYLE

STARTS WITH "O" - ORANGE BED & BATH SHOP

A FAVORITE - "ORANGES" ONE OF MY FAVORITE FRUITS

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

FRIDAY BLISS

SAUDI CLOTHING

SAUDI MEN VISITING GOV'T OFFICES MUST WEAR TRADITIONAL GARB

FIRST YELLOW ABAYA I'VE EVER SEEN!

TRADITIONAL MEN'S CLOTHING

LINKING TO - WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

 

BLUE LIT SOUK

MAKARUNA SOUK - AN OLDER MALL IN JEDDAH

 

IT IS KNOWN FOR FABRICS & READY TO WEAR FASHIONS

JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES SHOP AT MAKARUNA SOUK

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

AL JAFFALI MOSQUE

SAUDI WOMEN AT MALL

BEAUTIFUL RESORT NORTH OF JEDDAH

LINKING TO - WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

 

Signs in Saudi Arabia

Outside a local mosque in a busy area of town, I noticed this sign telling congregants to leave their shoes outside the mosque before entering for prayers.  The cubby holes are for shoes, however during prayer times I have seen the cubby holes empty and the floor below strewn with shoes everywhere.  Personally I'd rather place mine in a cubby hole, but that's just me.  

The second photo shows a big graphic sign that was up during the Saudi National Day celebrations recently, with images of three generations of Saudi royalty - the first ruler of the country, ibn Saud; ibn Saud's son and the current king, King Salman; and ibn Saud's grandson who is King Salman's son, Mohammed bin Salman, the current Crown Prince and heir apparent.  

 This post links to -  SIGNS 

Saudi Arabia Sans Abaya

I see more and more women walking around without abayas now.  As long as women are appropriately covered, the abaya doesn't have to be the "uniform" of women when out in public nowadays.  The religious police are no longer a presence to get after women for exposing their ankles or not covering their hair like a few short years ago.  The times they are a'changing!

THIS POST LINKS TO - THROUGH MY LENS

Jeddah Variety of Women's Wear

Saudi women generally pray at home. Usually they put on a prayer dress on top of what they are wearing. The prayer dress is a loose long simple dress that extends down to the floor, has long sleeves, a high neckline, and may have a hood attached to cover the hair.  These prayer outfits are usually made of a soft thin cotton fabric in a variety of colors and prints.  

This shop sells women's wear, including prayer dresses, abayas, and scarves.  The last photo of this post was taken in the same shopping plaza as the others.  I can't imagine ever wearing anything like it, even in my younger days, but maybe there are some women who might wear this in the privacy of their own homes.  

 

Friendly Saudi Women

Scenes from the Souk

Shopping for Veils at the Souk

While most Saudi women who wear the face veil called "niqab" usually wear black,  they do come in a variety of colors.  I once ran into a friend of mine who was wearing all pink - a pink face veil, a matching pink head scarf, and a totally pink abaya.  She had to whisper her name to me because I wouldn't have recognized her otherwise!

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 "Shopping."  Be sure  to visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day.

Redhead in the Mall

Taken one day in the mall a few months ago, this photo shows a couple of Saudi women walking by with a red headed little girl. The women are wearing the type of ultra conservative all black abaya that is one piece from the head to the toes and totally hides the female form - even the shoulders are not visible. Most women choose abayas that are more like a dress or coat with a separate scarf to cover the hair.

Jeddah Women Shopping in Al Balad

While many expat women living in Jeddah have shed the once obligatory abaya in favor of normal modest clothing, many Saudi women still wear the traditional flowy black abaya when out in public. 

There are some younger modern Saudi women who have broken with tradition and no longer even cover their hair, but for the most part, many still conform to the cultural norms. 

I'm seeing fewer women wearing the facial veil, called niqab, but there are plenty who still don that too.  The last photo features a woman wearing the ultra conservative head to toe abaya, called jilbaab, which totally obscures the female form altogether, where even her shoulders are difficult to make out.