JEDDAH SKIES

MARINA AT DURRAT AL AROOS

BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE

GIGANTIC BEACH CHAIR AT KAEC

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

LINKING TO - SKYWATCH

TIMELESS THURSDAYS

 

Jeddah Opaque Villa Gates

Private residences here in Jeddah are always surrounded by tall walls, which means they all require gates as well.  Privacy is of the utmost importance to Saudis. The inner courtyard allows the women of the house an outdoor space where they do not have to cover their hair and don't have to wear an abaya without the fear of being seen not being properly covered. 

The walls and gates are an important feature of the overall design of the stately homes, as they are the first impression one has of a place.  The gates are made of metal, wood, or wrought iron with opaque sheeting that allows the light through. 

This post links to SKYWATCH

Jeddah Apartment Buildings

Many apartment buildings on main streets in Jeddah have business space on the ground level and living quarters on the upper floors, as seen in the first photo. Buildings located off the main streets generally do not offer retail space on the lower level, but instead usually have parking or a lobby.

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Full Moon Over Jeddah

A full moon over Jeddah taken in January of this year.

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Sunset in Jeddah

I thought the colors of this sunset taken from my rooftop in Jeddah were unusual.

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Modern Jeddah Highrise

One of the modern highrise buildings dotting the city of Jeddah's landscape.  

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SkyWatch - Jeddah Dramatic Skies

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SkyWatch - Looking Up in Jeddah's Al Balad

The past couple of months, I have visited Jeddah's Old Town, called Al Balad, many times and at various times of the day and evening.  Looking back on my photos, I was struck by the variety of shots I got of differing skies.  The first photo was taken at the Blue Hour, when the day is drawing to a close and the sky seems to light up right before the darkness of the evening arrives.  I love the strong yellow and blue of this pic as well as the little puffs of clouds dotting the sky, seemingly being pointed out by the palm trees and the corner of building top.

This older building of Al Balad is currently being renovated. You can see how the roshan (wooden window coverings) are being supported by plywood. The cement facade of its walls have crumbled away in areas, exposing the crude brick undrneath. The overhang from a neighboring building adds a framing effect to that side of the photo.

These last two were early morning photos.  Above is a newer building in Al Balad and below is a beautifully designed mosque with a lovely minaret.  I was happy with the skies in all these photos and couldn't choose just one for SkyWatch.

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SkyWatch - Mosque on a Moonlit Night

A beautiful crescent moon graces the early evening sky in Al Balad, the oldest sector of the city of Jeddah.

Al Balad is very lively in the evenings, with many souks and shoppers, each block offering different scents from the smells of freshly baked bread to the spicy smells of earthy incense.

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SkyWatch - Jeddah Al Balad Mosque

On a narrow street in the old sector of Jeddah called Al Balad lies this older white mosque with its beautifully detailed minaret.

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SkyWatch - Jeddah Rainy Season

It doesn't rain often here in Jeddah, but when it rains, it pours.  The winter months are when the rainy season is, although the first few years I lived here, it didn't rain at all - ever! Jeddah is not equipped to handle rain - there is no drainage system in place, so the water just sits, sometimes for days.  In past years, people have died when it rained.  Tunnels fill with water and people drive into them in their cars and drown.  Others step into the standing water and get electrocuted by fallen wires.

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SkyWatch - Modern Curved Blue Glass Architecture

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SkyWatch - Jeddah Architecture

I've got to admit, I don't really love a lot of modern architecture.  Jeddah is abundant with modern architecture all over the city.

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SkyWatch - Ramadan Food Booth

The month of Ramadan will be over in about a week. Ramadan is the one month of the year when Muslims fast during the daylight hours. When they break the fast at the end of each day, one of the most popular traditional foods that Muslims like to eat is called sambusek. Sambusek is a small meat pie that is similar to a chinese egg roll or the Indian samosa.  It is very tasty.  Many restaurants build a booth outside their building to accommodate the sales of this popular Ramadan food.  They can literally sell out of thousands of sambusek in the one to two hour period right before the fast is broken at sundown.   

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Skywatch - Jeddah Modern Architecture

I thought this photo turned out rather interesting, with the silhouette of the unusual shaped building and the way the setting sun's rays peek over the side of the structure.

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SkyWatch - Jeddah's Al Balad

The beauty of the architecture of Al Balad in Jeddah plus palm trees and a blue sky with wispy clouds are the ingredients for a lovely photo...

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Jeddah Fountain on the Red Sea

I don't have any information about the artist who designed this lovely modern fountain that was incorporated into Jeddah's now one year old new waterfront.  But it is a welcome addition and is really quite lovely.

A big "Thanks" to my friend and amazing photographer Abdullah Yahya for allowing me to share this beautiful photo for today's post.  Stay tuned for more fantastic pics from around Saudi Arabia taken by Abdullah.  Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @ayaa1977

SkyWatch - Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

This past week I have featured posts from my magical weekend trip to Al Ula where I attended the unforgettable first ever Winter at Tantora Festival.  The festival has attracted performers and visitors from the world over and has kicked off Saudi Arabia's offical entry into the world of tourism with a bang.  From the world class concerts to the mystical terrain, to the historical significance of the area, to the warmth of the local people, Al Ula is one of the world's few relatively obscure gems.

Incredible sandstone rock formations are the geographical features that dominate this area of northwestern Saudi Arabia and inspired the ancient Nabataean civilzation to turn many of the huge rocks into carved tombs.  My friend Laura of the amazing blog Blue Abaya has written a fabulous comprehensive guide and history of Madain Saleh with lots of fantastic photos - CLICK HERE to access it.

The natural beauty of the area is stunningly breathtaking.  As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this area is primed to become one of the most popular tourist detinations in Saudi Arabia, after the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, which attract millions of religious tourists every year.

Madein Saleh has been closed to the public in preparation for tourism, but it was opened temporarily for the visitors of the Winter at Tantora Festival, which is running for ten weekends through Feb, 23.  This historical site of Nabataean tombs will then be closed again until sometime next year.

This last photo is of Rainbow Rock and my friend and fellow blogger Laura who writes the blog Blue Abaya.  She has explored more places in Saudi Arabia than anyone else I know.  Her videos and photos of this kingdom are truly spectacular.  You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @BlueAbaya

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SkyWatch: Sundown on the Red Sea

Many Jeddawis gather along the Red Sea coastline to enjoy the end of the day, the setting of the sun to the west.

A big "Thanks" to my friend and amazing photographer Abdullah Yahya for allowing me to share this beautiful photo for today's post.  Stay tuned for more fantastic pics from around Saudi Arabia taken by Abdullah.  Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @ayaa1977

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.