FACES OF ARABIA 8

ZEBIBA - THE PRAYER BUMP

MUSLIMS ARE REQUIRED TO PRAY FIVE TIMES A DAY.  DURING THE PRAYER RITUAL, AT VARIOUS TIMES, THE FOREHEAD IS PRESSED  DOWN TO THE PRAYER RUG, CAUSING FRICTION. THIS CONTINUAL CONTACT MAY EVENTUALLY RESULT IN CALLOUSES FORMING ON THE FOREHEAD CALLED ZEBIBA.  IT CAN APPEAR AS ACTUAL BUMPS OR AS DARK SPOTS.  

ZEBIBA IS A SIGN OF DEVOTION, PIETY, AND DEDICATION.  HOWEVER MUSLIMS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO PURPOSELY TRY TO FORM ZEBIBA IN ORDER TO "SHOW OFF" TO APPEAR TO BE MORE DEVOUT THAN OTHERS.  

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, FOR SOME REASON ZEBIBA FORMS MORE FREQUENTLY IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES.  I'VE ONLY SEEN MEN HERE WITH ZEBIBA.  JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I SAW A MAN WITH A HUGE BUMP STICKING OUT ON HIS FOREHEAD.  PREVIOUSLY I HAD JUST SEEN THE DARKENED AREA ON MEN'S FOREHEADS. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ZEBIBA, I PREVIOUSLY WROTE ABOUT IT ON THIS POST.

THE MEN IN THIS POST ARE NOT SAUDI. THEY ARE ALL FOREIGN WORKERS.

NOT ZEBIBA

LINKING TO - ALL SEASONS

FACES OF ARABIA 6

FLOWER BOY IN TRAINING - ABHA REGION

MAN WITH WHITE BEARD - BIRHIMA, SAUDI ARABIA

SMILING FLOWER BOY - AL DAYER, SAUDI ARABIA

LINKING TO - 

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

A big thank you to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

FACES OF ARABIA 5

THE DATE MAN

A TOOTHLESS GRIN

 THE FLOWER MEN

LINKING TO - TIMELESS THURSDAYS

FACES OF ARABIA 4

A DESERT BEAUTY

MUSICIAN

VENDOR WITH A SMILE

LINKING TO - THROUGH MY LENS

TUESDAY'S TREASURES

A big thank you to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

FACES OF ARABIA 3

A SINCERE SMILE

A SKILLED WORKER

A PROUD MAN 

A big thank you to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

LINKING TO - WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

FACES OF SAUDI ARABIA 2

LITTLE MAN

ARTISAN

 FRESH FROTHY CAMEL MILK

A big thank you to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours

https://www.instagram.com/najrantours/

https://www.facebook.com/najran.tours

PEOPLE OF SAUDI ARABIA 1

A COLORFUL GROUP

FLOWER CROWN MAKERS

BOY WITH KHANJAR (CURVED DAGGER)

FACES OF ARABIA 1

Happy Fisherman

Flower Children

 Old Man and Camels

A big THANK YOU to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, 

for allowing me to showcase these lovely portraits for today's post.  

Visit his Instagram page  @NajranTours.

LINKING TO -  OUR WORLD TUESDAY  

SOUVENIRS

TRAVEL TUESDAY

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD  

Jeddah City People

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 "City People."  I chose this photo from January 2016 which I took during the Jeddah Historic Festival that took place in the oldest part of the city called Al Balad.  It features a local Saudi woman who painted children's faces for the festival, much like festivals I have been to in other places around the world. I feel it shows that we are all human and that people here in Saudi Arabia are similar to people everywhere.

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

People in Old Jeddah

Everywhere I go in here, Saudi people will most often see me as a visitor to their country and they give me a big friendly smile and will go out of their way to say "Welcome to Saudi Arabia!" Many times I will ask if I can take their photo and they usually are very willing to oblige me. Very often they will ask to take my picture or to take a selfie with me, to which of course I willingly agree. 

A visit to Al Balad, the oldest sector of Jeddah, always guarantees a fun and fascinating time.  I always see new things and I am in awe, feeling as if I have stepped back in time. This is the time of year when I like to go because of the more comfortable weather.  Soon it will be too warm for me to go there.