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

 

NATIVE BABOONS OF TAIF

SPECIAL THANKS to my friend Mariette Raubenheimer for the use of her wonderful baboon photos in today's post.   

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SOUVENIRS

ALL SEASONS

 

JEDDAH'S HORSES SCULPTURE

HORSE SCULPTURE BY RABIA AL-AKHRAS, A SYRIAN ARTIST WHO HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN JEDDAH.

A SET OF FIVE STYLIZED HORSES WITH THEIR MID SECTIONS MISSING

"I LOVE TO LEAVE PIECES OF THEM MISSING BECAUSE IT HAS TO DO WITH THE CONCEPT THAT WE ARE NOT COMPLETE," SAID THE ARTIST.

I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN TOLD THE REASON WAS BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AGAINST IDOLATRY WORSHIP.

I'VE ALWAYS CALLED THIS SCULPTURE "HUNGRY HORSES."

LINKING TO - SKYWATCH

TIMELESS THURSDAYS

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 

WEEKEND ROUND-UP - LETTER "M"

 

STARTS WITH "M" - MOSQUE AND MINARET START WITH "M"

A FAVORITE - BABOONS ARE PART OF THE OLD WORLD "MONKEYS."

THEY ARE NATIVE TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

"MULTI" JUNK FOOD RESTAURANTS WITH A MEN'S GYM ABOVE

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

FRIDAY BLISS

COUNTRY LIVING OUTSIDE JEDDAH

LITTLE FARM WITH OVER 100 CHICKENS

VEGETABLE GARDEN NEXT TO THE CHICKEN AREA

FRESH EGGS DAILY FROM HEALTHY & HAPPY CHICKENS

LINKING TO - ALL SEASONS

 

WEEKEND ROUND-UP - "C"

STARTS WITH "C" - CORN

ROADSIDE VENDORS HERE OFFER ROASTED CORN AND TEA

A FAVORITE - COMMUNITY

BABOON FAMILIES, SENSE OF COMMUNITY

COLORFUL - WHAT'S MORE COLORFUL THAN A ROADSIDE FRUIT STAND?

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

THE PHOTOS IN TODAY'S POST WERE TAKEN BY MY FRIEND MARIETTE RAUBENHEIMER. THANKS TO MARIETTE FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE THEM.

BABOONS IN TAIF, SAUDI ARABIA

BABOON FAMILY - AND BABY MAKE THREE

PROTECTIVE MADONNA AND CHILD

BABOON TEACHER AND STUDENTS

TODAY'S WONDERFUL BABOON PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BY MY FRIEND MARIETTE RAUBENHEIMER.  THANK YOU, MARIETTE, FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE THEM HERE.  

  LINKING TO - OUR WORLD TUESDAY

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

VISIONS OF CAMELS

CAMEL IN THE WILD

CAMEL CROSSING

CAMEL ROCK

LINKING TO - 

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

Many thanks to my friend Aileen Byrne for allowing the use of her photos in this post.  They were taken on a recent roadtrip she took up and down the Red Sea coastline.  

Saudi Arabia Camels in the Desert

I think this is one of the most beautiful camel photos I've ever seen.  White camels are the rarest and they really stand out amidst the lavender colored wildflowers and the reddish soil.  

The silhouette camel photo below is also very special.  It was a matter of taking it at just the right time being in the right place.

Special thanks to Khaled Al-Sheraihi for allowing me to post today's lovely photos of the desert camels of Saudi Arabia.  You can follow him on Instagram.

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

THROUGH MY LENS 

All Things Birds

Everything you need to care for, feed and keep a pet bird happy can be found at this shop down south in the Bird Souk of Jeddah.  

Making Extra Money

It's common to see men selling animals out of their trucks right before holidays here in Saudi Arabia.  To earn some extra money, some men purchase lambs and goats at the market, drive to a high visibility area and then sell them for a profit out of their trucks.

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.  

Camel Humps and Scars

Like other animals, camels develop a thick warm winter coat for the colder months. When the weather warms up, they shed the excess fur, oftentimes in chunky clumps.  The last to go is usually atop its hump. 

Many camels have scars on their bodies and legs from running into barbed wire, which is used to corral the animals. 

Shepherds and Goat Herders

Camel Profiles and Brand

This post shows the wide variation of colors that camels in Saudi Arabia come in. One humped dromedary camels are native to the kindgom.  Camels are brilliantly designed to live in hot desert climates like Saudi Arabia. Thick padding on their knees and chests allows camels to rest comfortably on the hot sand.  They have the capability of completely closing their nostrils during sandstorms, plus they have 3 sets of eyelids and an extra row of eyelashes to keep blowing sand out of their eyes.  Their thick but pliable lips give them access to thorny desert plants for nourishment, which are inaccessible to other creatures. 

Contrary to popular belief, camel humps do not store water - the humps store fat which enable them to go for months without other nourishment. Camels can run as fast as 40 miles an hour! The gestation period is 14 months. Branding with a hot iron is common, but spray paint branding is also done. The Arabic word for camel that I am familiar with is "jamel," but there are more than 160 different terms for camel in Arabic! 

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.

White Camel

I still get a thrill when I see camels here in Saudi Arabia.  White camels are much more rare than camels that come in every shade of brown imaginable.  My husband likes to get fresh camel milk which is reputedly healthier for humans than cow's milk. It's great in coffee and for making things like flan. 

Lambs, Goats, and Firewood

This post is linked to My Corner of the World. Do check out the other posts from bloggers from all over the world. 

 

More Scenes from the Birds & Animals Souk

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.