JEDDAH TOOL SCULPTURES

BUILDER'S PLUMBLINE - BY MUSTAFA SENBEL

"ENGINEER'S TOOLS" - PROTRACTOR, COMPASS & RULERS

"CONSTRUCTION TOOLS" - WHIMSICAL SAW AND WRENCH,

WHICH NO LONGER EXIST IN JEDDAH

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SKYWATCH

Red Crescent - Public Safety

The red crescent is used to identifying medical emergency service humanitarian centers around the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, providing ambulances, first aid clinics and hospitals. 

The red crescent is easily identifiable, and one of its major duties is providing health care crisis management for millions of religious pilgrims who have traveled to Saudi Arabia from countries around the globe for the annual Hajj. 

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

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.  

Theme Day - Streetscape

A street in Al Balad, the oldest sector of the city of Jeddah, where crumbling buildings reside next door to modern skyscrapers and where the sights, smells, and shopping are awe inspiring.

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

Rainbow Theme Day

I haven't been able to catch sightings of many rainbows here in Jeddah - where I'm located in the city, the skies are mostly dusty and beige - so City Daily Photo's Theme Day choice of "Rainbow" had me thrown for a loop today.  The closest I could come to a rainbow was this arched entryway of colorful balloons leading to a huge family entertainment area called Sparky's in a big Jeddah mall.  Almost all malls in Saudi Arabia have family entertainment areas with games and rides for kiddies.

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

Brown "Roshan" Window Coverings - SkyWatch and Theme Day

One of the most beautiful features of the buildings of Old Jeddah, called Al Balad, is the lovely window coverings often made of latticed wood.  They are usually stained brown or painted in shades of green, blue, or red.  Many of the older dilapidated roshan have been replaced  with newer ones as the surviving buildings are renovated.

I am back from an extended absence of several months from Saudi Arabia.  Summers are just too hot for me here.  It's still pretty warm now but it should start cooling off soon. It's good to be back though... 

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.

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

Jeddah Purple Wedding

When I saw that City Daily Photo's monthly theme for May was "Purple," my thoughts immediately went to an amazing wedding I attended on Valentine's Day here in Jeddah. The entire ballroom was awash in shades of purple - purple lighting, purple flowers, purple decorations.  

I wrote about this magnificent event and posted many more photos on my other blog, Susie of Arabia. Have a look! Photos of Saudi weddings are rarely seen or posted on public forums.

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

Saudi Arabia - Yellow Souvenir

I have to admit, souvenir shopping in Saudi Arabia has gotten easier in the 11 years since I moved here.  It used to be practically impossible to find anything with Saudi Arabia written on it, or specific city souvenirs.  So it seems that true tourism commericialization has arrived in this country. 

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

Green - Van Gogh and the Saudi Flag

Green is not exactly the color that comes to mind when thinking of Saudi Arabia, unless one thinks of the country's flag.  There is not much in the way of green as far as nature here, as Saudi Arabia is largely dry desert and mineral rich rocky mountains, with a smattering of fertile areas thrown in here and there.  The above photo was taken last month when I attended a fabulous weekend event called Winter at Tantora in Al Ula, in northern Saudi Arabia, at the city's new concert hall called Miraya.  The art exhibition hall there adjacent to the concert hall featured the works of Vincent Van Gogh brought to life through digitally displayed imagery on all surfaces of the room, accompanied by music, as the art changed and moved.  It was breathtaking and wondrous.

And then I remembered this photo of me taken recently in front of the Saudi flag, so I decided to use both of these photos for today's City Daily Photo Theme Day of "Green."  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 "Green." 
Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day.

Jeddah - Joy!

It's always nice to bring some of the traditions and holiday experience to our home in Saudi Arabia because it makes me feel not so far away from my family back in the US.  Thanksgiving is one of those times of the year when I feel nostalgic for the days gone by from my childhood.  Our house was the gathering place for our closest friends - often we would have 25-30 people over for Thanksgiving dinner. 

I can't fit that many into our home here in Jeddah, but I can squeeze in a few friends to enjoy the meal.  It was a pot luck with everyone bringing their specialty.  We enjoyed the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn pudding, green bean casserole, cranberry, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, garlic bread, rice, and of course dessert!

Afterwards we enjoyed playing a word game called Fictionary, which is educational as well as fun.  Lots of laughter helped our overstuffed stomachs help digest the feast!  I have to say, it's my favorite meal of the whole year!

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 "Joy."

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

Saudi Arabia - One Color

I've always had a thing for doors. I find them beautiful - even old decrepid doors. There's always a mystery about what is behind them.  The painted metal door featured in this post is typical of many places here in Saudi Arabia.  They are not fancy, but they are sturdy and practical.  I've seen them painted every color of the rainbow and with a variety of shapes and designs on them. 

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 "One Color."

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

CDP Theme Day - Play

Chuck E Cheese's is a popular worldwide chain with several locations in our area.  I have to admit I don't miss going to this kid's pizza / entertainment joint - we had a few of my son's birthday parties when he was young at Chuck E Cheese's back in Florida. 

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 "Play."

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

CDP Theme Day - Tired

My friend Vicki and I were out for a walk, enjoying this cooler weather before it gets like an oven here again, when we noticed this man sleeping on a bench in a park across from some Jeddah highrises.  I figured this shot would qualify for this month's City Daily Photo Theme which is "Tired."

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 "Tired."

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

CDP Theme Day: Photo of the Year

It's always difficult to choose my favorite photo from the past year, as I'm sure it is for other bloggers who participate in City Daily Photo's Theme Days.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world who share images from their cities.  The first day of each month is Theme Day - this month's theme is our favorite "Photo of the Year." 

I like to choose photos with people in them - maybe because so many of my photos don't have people in them.  It's gotten better in the past few years because of the popular use of camera phones, but there is somewhat of a stigma in Saudi Arabia of taking photos of people in this culture, especially of women.  I also like to choose photos that show a slice of life, a slice of culture - and I think this photo fits the bill. 

It was taken one evening as I walked through the oldest part of Jeddah called Al Balad.  This group of men probably gets together each evening to socialize and play games. 

Please visit City Daily Photo's portal to view the other entries in this month's Theme Day.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.   

CDP Theme Day: Gift

Traveling back and forth between Saudi Arabia and the USA frequently, I like to bring gifts from one place to another for various family members and friends.  I was very surprised when I found this Obama cologne in 2016 in a shop in Jeddah, so I bought a few to take as gifts back to the states the next time I went.  It's not exactly what one might expect to find on a store shelf in Saudi Arabia. 

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 "Gift."

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

Photographing the Photographer

This photo of me was taken at an art exhibit in Jeddah last year. I had been approached by a university student who was doing a project about Western women married to Saudis. I was one of several other women who agreed to participate.  She came over to my house and interviewed me and took photos, which she then compiled into a book.  The photo hanging on the wall is actually of me holding my passport, and the book I'm holding shows a photo of me taking photos in Jeddah.

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 "Photographing the Photographer."

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

JDP Theme Day: Out of Focus

At night Saudi Arabia becomes alive with neon.  It's always hard to capture good shots from moving vehicles at night because the lights always smear.  I have a hard time getting rid of those out of focus shots though because I find many of them beautiful and artistic.  This photo features the neon lights of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city.

Today is the first of the month, which means it's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world, sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there is a different theme.  This month's theme is "Out of Focus."  I had such a difficult time choosing just one photo for today's theme that I've decided to feature several more out of focus shots over the next few days.

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day of "Out of Focus."

Theme Day: Smell - Basil on the Street

It was a pleasant surprise to stumble across this healthy fragrant bush of basil growing outside a building in Jeddah.  Someone must obviously be tending to it otherwise it would die from lack of water wince it rarely rains here.

Today is the first of the month, which means it's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world,  sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there is a different theme.  This month's theme is "Smell."

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day of "Smell."

Theme Day: The Beauty of Simplicity

I must admit, I am not much of a fan of modern architecture, but I do like the simplicity and clean lines of some modern designs.  The angles and intersecting lines of this new building in Jeddah, coupled with the large area of reflective blue glass is attractive and eye catching.  I also love how the building crane is reflected in the glass in this photo and how it fits the shape of that glass section of the design.  I find a lot of Saudi architecture and design is very fussy and overdone, in my opinion.  So it's nice to see something more simple and understated like this building. 

Today is the first of the month, which means it's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world,  sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there is a different theme.  This month's theme is "The Beauty of Simplicity."

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day of "The Beauty of Simplicity."

Today is also SkyWatch Friday. 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.

CDP Theme Day: Movement

Many of the narrow streets in Al Balad - the oldest section of Jeddah - are so narrow that they cannot accommodate vehicles.  This scene is from the textile souk, where there is constant activity moving bolts of fabric on man-powered flatbeds from one shop to another.

Today is the first of the month, which means it's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world, sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there is a different theme that CDP members can participate in.  This month's theme is "Movement."  

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day of "Movement."