Jeddah Construction Workers

Much of Saudi Arabia's hard labor force has for decades been imported from poorer foreign countries. With Saudization of the work force, I am not sure how this will affect this segment of the population.  Saudization aims to replace foreign workers with Saudi nationals in an effort to reduce the amount of unemployment.  I heard that a million foreign workers left Saudi Arabia for good during this past year, which is evidenced by the large number of vacant apartments and slashed prices in rental properties.

Visual Sign in Mall

Because of the large population of expats living in Saudi Arabia who don't read Arabic, most of the signs here are in both English and Arabic. I like the signs that also offer visuals as well. The head of the male figure shown on the 2nd and last signs is barely visible in this photo because the image wears white against the white background. White is the traditional color for Saudi men's apparel. You can probably see his beard though if you look closely. (You can click on the image to enlarge)

Getting Groomed

There is so much new construction going on all over Jeddah. In the northeast area of the city, new roads and buildings are being built at an unbelievably rapid pace. I noticed that very close to the freeway are mobile homes where many of the foreign laborers are being housed. I snapped this photo as we were zooming by and was surprised when I got it back home and up on my computer that I had captured this image of some foreign workers relaxing on their day off. The laundry is drying on the clothesline, and one man is giving another a beard trim. I love capturing slices of life like this.

Old Jeddah Building

Jeddah was first settled as a small fishing village on the Red Sea in about 500 BC. As the closest seaport to both Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities in Islam, Jeddah also became a center of commerce as well as the gateway for those traveling to Mecca for Hajj, the religious pilgrimage required of all Muslims. Since about 1940 after the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah has experienced a tremendous and continuous growth spurt, from an estimated 1950 population of about 30,000 jumping to approximately 3.5 million in 2011. The oldest part of the city is called Al Balad, where many of the buildings are crumbling and are in a sad state of disrepair. Surprisingly enough, many of these buildings are still inhabited by the very poor, most of them foreign workers from nearby underdeveloped countries. Notice the satellite dishes.

Brickmaker

Almost every day, brickmakers can be seen out in the hot sun making bricks. Their lot is right next door to the Mall of Arabia, a beautiful modern high end mall that I have featured on this blog many times. I've tried to get my husband to stop so I can find out more about the process, but so far, no luck with that!

Tiling Building Exterior

I have featured many photos of hard laborers on this blog. These workers come from a variety of poor Asian and African countries, like Bangladesh, India, and Yemen. They come here to Saudi Arabia because they can earn a lot more money here than they can in their own countries, enough to provide well for their families back home, even though it may not sound like much money to people from more affluent countries. Many of these hard workers are frequently treated like second class citizens. They work long hours in the hot blazing sun and oftentimes perform dangerous jobs, without any consideration given to their safety. This type of back breaking and dangerous labor is never done by Saudi men.

Fruit Vendors in the Street

Street vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables are seen all over the city every day selling their wares.

Sometimes they position themselves right outside supermarkets. They do a good business.

Their products are generally fresh and inexpensive. My husband likes to haggle with them over the prices, but he will generally give them what they asked for in the first place even if they've agreed to a lower price, as long as he thinks the price is reasonable.

Hovel

Just across the street from a beautiful high end mall in Jeddah are hovels like this one where poor expat laborers live. The stark contrast upon exiting the mall and seeing how some people in the world live is quite mind blowing.

SkyWatch: Industrial Area Mosque Minaret

Since Muslims are required to pray five times a day, there are mosques located everywhere in Saudi Arabia. It is safe to say that there is a mosque within a short walking distance from almost any place in Jeddah. There are smaller funky mosques located in the industrial areas of the city for lower level foreign workers to use. Mosques are easily identifiable by their minarets.

I'm intrigued by mosque minarets and love to take photos of them. They all have their own certain charm.

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Slice of Life

A candid shot of a conversation outside an upholstery shop here in Jeddah. Notice what the man on the left is sitting on. It is common here to see discarded pieces of furniture used as outdoor seating. This wouldn't work as well in a rainy climate, but eventually the heat and dust too must take their toll.

Breaktime in the Shade

Sometimes shade is hard to find here in Saudi Arabia, and it can be brutally hot standing out in the sun. Foreign workers often find shady spots underneath large vehicles or equipment to take a respite from the blazing sun.