WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "W"

"WATER" - SEAGULL FLIES OVER THE BLUE WATERS OF THE RED SEA

A FAVORITE - "WINDOW SHOPPING"

STARTS WITH "W" - "WOODEN WINDOW COVERINGS" CALLED ROSHAN

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WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "G"

GREEN -  ROSHAN / RAWASHEEN

STARTS WITH G - GROCERY STORE

A FAVORITE - GIRLFRIENDS

LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

 

Jeddah Buildings and Skies

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TIMELESS THURSDAYS 

SKYWATCH  

Jeddah: Saudi Seating

This shows the old style Saudi furniture - wooden frames elevated off the ground for seating, sometimes equipped with cushions.  

Old Jeddah Rawasheen

Jeddah Old Street

The old wooden window coverings are called roshan (plural is rawasheen). They allow for privacy while permitting air flow for the occupants inside.  

SkyWatch: Jeddah's Old City

Al Balad - the old section of Jeddah


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Saudi Arabia - Roshan Window Coverings

An old architectural detail of buildings in Jeddah are the distinctive wooden window coverings, called Roshan (singular) or Rawasheen (plural).  They provide privacy but are also functional as they are vented to allow for air flow.  Many newer buildings in Jeddah feature the Roshan as a purely decorative feature.

Jeddah: Looking Up

The wooden window encasement covering the windows of the old buildings of Jeddah is often made as boxes that stick out from the walls.  

Jeddah: Lone Palm Tree

A lone palm tree

at the end of the street

prying eyes behind wooden screens

satellite dishes bringing empty dreams

Jeddah: Brown and Green Rawasheen

Another example of the rawasheen (wooden latticed window coverings) of Old Jeddah's Al Balad district.  

Jeddah: Business Sign and More

Many of Jeddah's older buildings seem to be rather poorly designed, with not much thought given to its general appearance or design.  I looked up while walking in Al Balad (the oldest part of 1400 year old Jeddah), and I was intrigued by the rows of totally different imagery above me.  I was taken by the business sign with its graceful Arabic calligraphy, the arrow design pointing upward, the row of golden colored squares which preceded the beautiful cool ice blue wooden window coverings called rawasheen.  And above that, an inkling of the patched and crumbling building upon which all of these rows of imagery depend.  I thought the geometric shapes, the calligraphy, and the colors and textures all together made for an interesting picture - I hope you do too.

Bearded Palm Trees and Rawasheen

I love the tall bearded palm trees next to this old building in Al Balad, the oldest area of Jeddah.  I think this is one of my favorite examples of rawasheen because of the lovely color they are painted. Rawasheen are the wooden slatted window coverings so typical of many buildings in this city. 

SkyWatch: Green Rawasheen

The wooden lattice window coverings called rawasheen are a unique feature of Jeddah's architecture. The rawasheen allows for privacy and air flow.  They are painted a variety of colors, mostly in blues and greens.

 


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Walking in Al Balad

A worker pushes a cart in Al Balad, Jeddah's old part of the city which is home to the old souks where real deals can be found.  I love the traditional green wooden lattice window coverings on this building as well as the brown ones on the building on the left.  They are called rawasheen.

Jeddah: Red Rawasheen

The beautiful wooden rawasheen window coverings painted in red are the main attraction of this residential building in Jeddah's Al Balad.

Building Details

Detail of an older building in Al Balad, the original city center of Jeddah.  I'm not sure if this building is a school or something else. 

Jeddah: Al Balad Building

Jeddah's beginnings can be traced back to 522 BC when it was a small fishing village on the Red Sea.  Soon it flourished as a main stop along the trade routes.  Once Islam took hold in the area, it became even more important because of its location as the gateway to two of Islam's most holiest sites, Mecca and Medina.

Many of the older buildings in Al Balad, the oldest section of Jeddah, were built of local materials which included crushed coral from the Red Sea.  Crushed coral is not exactly the sturdiest of building materials and as a result, many of Jeddah's old buildings are crumbling. 

SkyWatch: Beautiful Rawasheen

One of my favorite architectural features of Jeddah's unique buildings are the carved lattice work window coverings called roshan (single), or rawasheen (plural).  These allow for privacy and conducting air flow throughout the buildings.

 


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.

Jeddah: Broken Windows

A different shot of the same subject from my post a couple of days ago, clearly showing the broken window panes on the building in old Jeddah.