Jeddah: Pilgrim on Mobile Phone

A religious pilgrim walks along a street of Jeddah as he talks on his mobile phone.  Each year millions of people travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at the same time for the annual pilgrimage called Hajj.  Because of its close proximity to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Jeddah is the gateway that most religious pilgrims travel through. All able bodied Muslims are required to perform Hajj at least once in their lives.  Many save up money for years in order to perform Hajj. Muslims may also perform the pilgrimage at other times during the year, but if they do, it is not counted as performing Hajj. This is called Omra when it is done at times other than Hajj.

Jeddah: Hardee's in Arabic

Many hamburger chains exist in Saudi Arabia - and they all deliver! Yes, Hardee's, McDonald's, Burger King, you name it - they all deliver.  Why, you may ask? It's simple - because women cannot drive here in Saudi Arabia.

SkyWatch: Jeddah Mosque

A mosque minaret 

Makes a beautiful silhouette

Against the sky at sunset

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Jeddah Blue Glass Building

There are so many design elements to this blue glass building of Jeddah that it's almost hard to keep up with it.  I don't think I've ever seen another building like this one.  

CDP Theme Day - Black and White in Color

This beautiful ice sculpture of a large fish was at the Jeddah Hilton when I went there for a special buffet brunch.  The food offerings were amazing, the views of the Red Sea were spectacular, and the service was stellar.  The photo almost appears as black and white except for a small bit of yellow from a lamp shade in the background.

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 "Black and White in Color."

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day of "Black and White in Color."  I'm sure this month's entries should be worth a visit. 

Our World: Menswear Shops

It's not unusual in Saudi Arabia to find similar shops and businesses congregated in one area, one after the other.  Here are two traditional Saudi menswear shops right next door to each other.  I know that in the USA this is generally not done and is actually written in to the rental contracts that similar businesses will not be allowed within the same shopping plaza. What is the norm for your 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.

Jeddah - Interesting Design Architecture

This is a newer hotel on King Fahd Road in Jeddah, with the familiar blue glass, but with an unusual design element.