Happy New Year 2014 - Green Rawasheen

Well, I'm finally back.  Forgive me for my absence but sometimes a little break from blogging is necessary.  I spent a few months in the states and have been back in Jeddah for a couple of months, so I guess it's time to get back into the swing of things. 

This photo was taken in the oldest part of Jeddah called Al Balad.  Many of the old buildings are crumbling or have been destroyed by fire.  The wooden window coverings that appear on many of the older buildings are called "rawasheen" (plural) or "roshan" (singular).  These window coverings provide privacy and ventilation and they are painted a variety of colors, mostly blue or brown.  The rawasheen are a very typical and distinctive feature of the old style buildings, many of which were built using crushed coral, which was available from the Red Sea.