SIGNS AROUND JEDDAH

FUN ARABIC FONTS

THE WORD "TRAVEL" MISSPELLED 3 TIMES ON ONE SIGN

UNEXPECTED:  BILLBOARD WITH US FLAG - WESTINGHOUSE AD

LINKING TO - SIGNS

 

BOLD ARABIC FONT & MORE

BOLD ARABIC FONT

I THINK IT'S SUPPOSED TO SAY "ARGAN OIL"

KING & PRINCE ON A HUGE BILLBOARD

LINKING TO - SIGNS

 

ROYALTY LOYALTY IN SAUDI ARABIA

SAUDI ARABIA'S VISION 2030

ROYALTY LOYALTY ON DISPLAY BY BUSINESS

TRIBUTE TO RULERS ON SAUDI SCHOOL

LINKING TO - TUESDAY'S TREASURES

 

JEDDAH BILLBOARDS

SAUDI ROYALTY

FRUIT VENDOR AD

I LOVE JEDDAH SIGN

LINKING TO - SIGNS

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

Jeddah Anti-Littering Graphic

Going through my old photos, since we haven't been out much with this Corona isolation - An anti-littering graphic adorning the side of a delivery truck in Jeddah that I photographed a few years ago.

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.

Our World - A Problem with Blogging

Back in March of 2008, I posted this photo of my husband, to show what religious pilgrims wear when they travel to Mecca for Hajj or Omra.  Here is the actual post I made about it.

So you can imagine my surprise and disbelief when a few days ago, a friend sent me the photo below.  It is some type of advertisement using the cropped out image of my husband, superimposed over a photo with the background of the Great Mosque of Mecca.

The flyer says "Parvin - Dhoties, 100% Cotton Dhoties."  I located the company in India responsible for stealing my image for their label for a textile product.  My husband wants to be paid for the use of his image, and I want to be paid for the use of my photo. Somehow I doubt we will ever get paid...

Many bloggers, including myself, have had our images stolen without our permission and without compensation. It is a huge problem. The only time I really mind is when my photos are used for advertising by a company that can and should pay for use of the images. They are making a profit off of my work - and I'm not. 

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.

Times are Changin'

Many changes are happening rapidly in Saudi Arabia.  It's a very historic and exciting time in the country.  One recent change that I have noticed is women in pictures!  This huge ad inside a mall in Jeddah has four women prominently featured - and their faces are visible! Not pixilated. Not blurred out. Not marked over with a black marking pen. This is a big change! 

The photo below of another large ad inside a mall also has a woman's face showing. This ad is actually advertising for another big change in the kingdom - the arrival of movie theaters!   

Jeddah LED Screen on Mall

Stars Avenue Mall is an upscale mall on Malik (King) Road in Jeddah.  One of it's distinct features on the exterior is an enormous curved LED screen that runs constant advertisements.  Personally I don't pay attention to ads like this, but businesses obviously must think it's money well spent.  

Saudi Faceless Women

I still don't understand the inconsistency with which this type of censorship is applied here in Saudi Arabia. It's so random that I feel it must be attributed to each individual company's policies and not necessarily a government agency.  The faceless women in advertisements sometimes even includes children's faces and men's faces as well, but most often it's only applied to women. The mannequins here in Saudi Arabia, however, are all consistently headless. There are no statues of entire people or living things (body parts are allowed though) and I believe the reason for this is religious, regarding worship of idols being prohibited.  

Jeddah Intersection Advertising

Jeddah, too, has these huge TV screens that run advertising at the busiest intersections of the city. Does anyone in the world actually pay any attention to the ads?  I think these and giant billboards are such an eyesore...

Saudi Arabia: Banner for the King

Another enormous banner which covers a large part of the building and features the rulers of Saudi Arabia - Businesses and businessmen trying to earn favor with the king.

Left Over Decorations

The red and blue banner hanging from the business sign is left over from a past Ramadan when this type of festive decoration is commonly seen around the city.  I would say it's similar to the patriotic red, white and blue pennants or swag banners that are hung around the 4th of July in the USA.  

Our World: Confusing

I'm always taken aback by the confusing mixed signals I see in displays such as this here in Saudi Arabia.  The model's faces are completely blurred out in this advertisement for sexy women's lingerie. 

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.

Our World: Saudi Arabia Censorship

Another example of censorship in Saudi Arabia - In a mall in Jeddah, this huge advertisement shows the woman's face on the left is blurred out while the man's and children's faces are not.  *sigh*

  


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.

Jeddah: Images of the New King

Huge photos of the King of Saudi Arabia and his future successors abound here on billboards and are plastered all over businesses and even apartment buildings.  At the age of 79, King Salman became the head of state in January 2015 upon the death of his half-brother King Abdullah.

The above photo was a display in a shop window of a local mall.  Showing and pledging loyalty to the new king is important  here.

This is another huge billboard honoring the new king and his next in line. 

Our World: Near Beer in Saudi

I think it's interesting that among the popular beverages in Saudi Arabia are non-alcoholic versions of beer. Many of them actually come in a variety of different flavors, like apple, berry, and peach.

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.

Banana Republic in Arabic

This is the Banana Republic store in the Mall of Arabia.

Sodas in Arabic

I thought you might enjoy seeing how bottles of Coca Cola, Coca Cola Light, Sprite, and Mountain Dew appear here in Saudi Arabia. On one side is the English text and familiar logos (above), and on the other side is the Arabic version.

Decorated Plaza Entrance

I asked my husband for a translation of what it says in Arabic on the top part of this entrance to a large shopping plaza, but he said it was difficult to interpret. Something like: Dress well, look good, or dress for success, something along those lines. The colorful decorations around the entrance were for some type of big promotion the plaza was having. At any rate, it was attractive and colorful and definitely attention-grabbing.

Headless and Faceless

All mannequins that I've seen here in Saudi Arabia are headless, and public images of women always have the faces blurred or pixelized. Somehow I don't quite understand why it's okay for the female mannequins to have bare legs like these or to show cleavage like many I have seen... It's perplexing to me.