WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "T"

STARTS WITH "T" -  LOCAL JEDDAH "TAXIS IN TRAFFIC"

"TALL" - SET TO BE THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDING UPON COMPLETION

A FAVORITE - PALM "TREES," ABUNDANT IN JEDDAH

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LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP 

FRIDAY BLISS

 

ROAD SIGNS IN SAUDI ARABIA

MOST SAUDI ROAD SIGNS ARE IN BOTH ARABIC AND ENGLISH

SPEED LIMIT SIGN - CARS, 110 KM - BIG TRUCKS, 90 KM

WARNING OF TRAFFIC SPEED CAMERA & SPEED LIMITS

INTERESTING SIGN ON ROAD TO MAKKAH

LOTS OF INFORMATION - YIKES

LINKING TO -  SIGNS

 

Jeddah Boat Sculpture - Now Gone

Jeddah is home to hundreds of works of art that grace the landscape of the city.  Many of the sculptures used to occupy the space in the center of traffic circles, many of which have been replaced in recent years with bridges, tunnels, or normal intersections with stoplights.  Some of the sculptures have been moved to different spots off to the side in the same intersection or to totally different locations around Jeddah.  Still other sculptures have not survived, like this one. 
This boat sculpture was one of the largest sculptures of this metropolis on the Red Sea. The ship's sails actually spelled "Allah."
I have to admit, this sculpture was not one of my favorites, so I'm not too torn up about it being gone now.  I found it odd looking and when it needed to be repainted, it looked pretty tacky.   

Jeddah Boulevard

Jeddah Huge Bicycle Sculpture

One of Jeddah's most well known sculptures is The Bicycle.  Soaring to a height of 15 meters, the piece of art is made of scrap metal and is the work of Spanish architect and sculptor Julio Lafuente.  For many years, the sculpture was located in the middle of a huge busy traffic circle and sat on top of an enormous mound.  However due to severe traffic congestion, most of the traffic circles in the city of Jeddah have been eliminated in recent years and replaced with a system of overpasses or tunnels for more efficient and smoother traffic flow.  The Bicycle is still located at the same crossroads as before but it now sits next to a bridge.  It is elevated by several supports at each wheel, preventing people from climbing up on to it. 

Jeddah's Globe Roundabout

A few years ago the flagpoles were added around one of Jeddah's busiest traffic circle -the huge roundabout that sports one of the most well known and beloved sculptures in Jeddah.  "The Globe" is an enormous stained glass work of art by the Spanish architect and artist Julio Lafuente.  He was one of the most prolific sculptors who made many pieces of public artwork for the City of Jeddah during the 1970s and 1980s, a period of time called the Jeddah Beautification Project.

Jeddah LED Screen on Mall

Stars Avenue Mall is an upscale mall on Malik (King) Road in Jeddah.  One of it's distinct features on the exterior is an enormous curved LED screen that runs constant advertisements.  Personally I don't pay attention to ads like this, but businesses obviously must think it's money well spent.  

SkyWatch: Jeddah Sculpture, The Bicycle

The famous Jeddah sculpture, The Bicycle, was relocated in 2015 to a new spot in the same intersection where it had stood since 1982.  Its old home used to be in the center of a huge traffic roundabout.  Many of the roundabouts in Jeddah have been dismantled in the past few years in an attempt to resolve horrible traffic issues.  The roundabouts have been replaced with bridge overpasses, tunnels, or regular intersections.

The Bicycle stands 15 meters tall and is made of scrap iron.  It was the creation of Spanish sculptor and architect Julio Lafuente.  It is believed to be the largest bicycle in the world.


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.

Our World - Jeddah Street Scene

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Jeddah Sculpture "The Seagull"

Mustafa Senbel is the Egyptian artist credited for creating "The Seagull," one of the world's largest sculptures.  He was an urban planner for the city of Jeddah in the late 1970s and early 1980s at the height of Jeddah's Beautiful Project. During this time period Senbel designed more than 25 sculptures for the city, making him one of the most prolific producers of public art in Jeddah.  

With the implementation of Jeddah's new waterfront project, the location of this huge monument is still in the same place, but its surroundings are totally different now.  It is no longer in the center of what used to be one of Jeddah's biggest traffic circles.  Now it is next to an attractive lush boulevard and its enormous size is accentuated by how it now dwarfs the nearby palm trees.

The Seagull soars an incredible 55 meters into the sky and took three years to complete.  It represents a seagull diving into the water.  This work of art appears different from every angle and features poetry on the back side of four popular Saudi poets. It is constructed of marble and concrete.   To learn more about this sculpture, see this previous post I wrote a few years ago which shows it from the other direction and in its previous setting.

To see more of the beautiful art that sculptor Mustafa Senbel made for the city of Jeddah, here are more of my posts featuring his work:  The Seagull; The Fisherman’s Net; The Wave; and Dialogue.

Our World: Jeddah Kid in Sun Roof

One thing that really irks me is when I see children riding in cars in Jeddah who are not safely buckled in to car seats or even seat belts.  It is a common sight to see small children standing up sticking out the sun roofs of cars, hanging out the windows, or sitting on Dad's lap as he drives.  Certainly in this day and age, parents here should be aware how dangerous these things are. I've also complained about seeing really young boys actually driving in Saudi Arabia too, while women were forbidden to drive (this is to change in June 2018).  All of the links I have cited in this text are from previous posts with photographic proof that I have made highlighting these serious societal and safety problems over the past several years. This continues to be a huge problem in Saudi Arabia with sadly no end in sight.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.





Post Links:

Women Can't Drive Here but Children Can!

The Dangerous & Crazy Streets of Jeddah

Driving Madness

In the Driver's Seat

Buckled Up Kids? Nope!

Jeddah Busy Night Shopping

At night most shopping areas of Jeddah are hopping.  Traffic congestion near these shopping areas is worse than during the daytime peak hours and it can be difficult to find a parking spot.  

Jeddah: Artwork on Water Truck

The water trucks (and poop trucks) that crowd and jam the streets of Jeddah are painted with bright colors and a variety of themes, like flowers or patriotism.

Our World: Jeddah Traffic

There are many weird things that I see happening in traffic in Jeddah all the time that I haven't seen in other countries that I have been to.  This photo shows a driving phenomenon in Saudi Arabia that always miffs me.  The car in the center is actually waiting at a red light in front of several lanes of traffic that you can see behind him.  I have seen other cars do this practically every day. I've even seen cars drive onto the sidewalk in order to gain this position at a red light.  Enforcement of traffic laws in the kingdom seems to be non-existent.  The lack of traffic enforcement in Saudi Arabia is being used as one of the many eye-rolling reasons given why women shouldn't be allowed to drive in this country.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Jeddah: Out of Focus Pulse of City

Jeddah comes alive at night with otherwise drab buildings outlined in brightly colored neon.   This is the last of this month's series called "Out of Focus."  I hope you have enjoyed it!

Jeddah: Out of Focus Nightlife

In my continuing series of "Out of Focus" photos, this one is not only out of focus but it's rather tilted as well.  But I like it!  It gives an accurate feeling of the hustle and bustle of the heavy traffic and nightlife of Jeddah.  

Jeddah Intersection Advertising

Jeddah, too, has these huge TV screens that run advertising at the busiest intersections of the city. Does anyone in the world actually pay any attention to the ads?  I think these and giant billboards are such an eyesore...

Our World: Saudi Arabia License Plate

License plates in Saudi Arabia have both Arabic and English letters and numbers.  Ironically, it was the Arabs / Asians who invented the numbers used in the west which are actually called Arabic numerals (Western).  Yes, our " 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 " system is the most widely used numeric system in the world, however the Arabs use a different version of numbers called Eastern Arabic numbers.

I wonder how many Americans or other westerners actually know that the numbers they use every day originated in this part of the world.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

SkyWatch: Jeddah Tunnel Traffic

The dismantling of Jeddah's huge traffic circles at major intersections is still ongoing.  They have been and are being replaced with underpasses and bridges in an effort to alleviate extreme traffic congestion.  Personally, I believe this action is coming about twenty years late, and in my mind, traffic is still as bad as ever.


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.

Half a Car on a Truck

This was rather a weird site on the streets of Jeddah one day...