Saudi Arabia Crystal Dallah

The dallah is a symbol of Arabian hospitality.  Just about every home in Saudi Arabia has a dallah (or several) from which gahwa is served.   Gahwa is the traditional Arabic coffee which is offered to guests in every Saudi home.  The dallah's shape is graceful, almost like a female's torso - with a curved bulb shape at the bottom, a narrower waist, and widening again toward the top. It is topped with lid that has a finial for easier handling and on one side the dallah has a curvy handle.  Opposite the handle is the dallah's most distinctive feature which is its exaggerated spout, shaped like a crescent moon or a bird's curved beak.  Dallahs can be made of brass, stainless steel, or or silver, but can also be found made of beautiful high quality plastic.  The beautiful dallah in this photo is made of solid crystal and is just for show.   

Our World: Jeddah Waterfront Horse Sculptures

Jeddah's new waterfront is graced with lovely sculptures - several of horses created by Syrian artist Rabia Al Akhras.  I believe he is also the same artist who designed the sculptures for the Camel Roundabout in Obhur, the Hungry Horses Sculpture on Medina Road near Mall of Arabia, and a few others around the city that feature similar horse heads protruding out from them.

One noticeable difference in the older sculptures I mentioned and the new horse sculptures on the Corniche like the ones featured in this post is that the new sculptures reveal the creatures in their entirety and are not missing body parts.  I believe this is another sign of progress in the kingdom - a lessening of the sometimes questionable ultra-conservative religious interpretations that had taken a strong hold on this country for many decades. 

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Jeddah Skyscraper from Different Angles

The photos in this post are actually just part of a huge complex called the Headquarters Business Park.  I have posted several photos of just the West Tower of the complex taken from different vantage points.  This section of the complex is 52 floors that extend  upward in almost a triangular shape.  There is also a parking section and then another smaller building, the East Tower, of only 15 floors which mimcs the shape of the building in today's post.

It houses hundreds of corporate offices and also residential villas, all of which have spectacular views of the Red Sea coastline.  The complex also includes restaurants and shopping, clinics, a hotel, and a helipad at the very top.  It is located near the brand new Waterfront Park.

It is currently the tallest building in Jeddah, but only the 10th tallest building in Saudi Arabia.  The West Tower soars 240 meters into the sky overlooking the Red Sea on the Corniche Road, next to the Hilton Hotel.  Construction of this complex began in 2008 and was completed in 2012.

Thumbs Up Logo

I'm always interested in logos and graphics. I was attracted to this Thumbs Up logo on a package of semolina.  

Jeddah Waterfront Celestial Sculpture

This sculpture used to be located in the middle of a lagoon, but now it is in the middle of a beautiful Waterfront Park.  I'm not sure if it was moved or if the lagoon was eliminated. There has been so much renovating along the Red Sea, it's hard for me to tell.  

SkyWatch: Jeddah's Al Wadaa Restaurant

This shot was taken from the new waterfront area looking across at the sea to the Movenpick Hotel's Al Wadaa Restaurant, which is shaped architecturally as a seashell.  While this building has been in Jeddah for a while, the Waterfront area where I was standing when I took the photo is new.  A massive waterfront project has changed Jeddah's coastline to make it more family friendly and an inviting place for locals to enjoy.  The recently completed improvements include parks with grass, shrubbery, and flowers, amazing sculptures, lovely walkways, areas to sit or picnic or just enjoy the views with plenty of shade, playgrounds, exercise facilities, restaurants, and more.  CLICK HERE to see photos of Jeddah's New Waterfront Project.  


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Jeddah Industrial Modern Art Sculpture

This is one of the beautiful modern art sculptures of Jeddah, located near the Corniche along the Red Sea.  It is called Al-Saroukh II (The Rocket).  Salah Abdulkarim was the Egyptian artist credited with its design and creation.  The story goes that Abdulkarim submitted two designs for a sculpture to the city of Jeddah. The sculpture's purpose was to be an ode to iron, honoring its strength and benefits. Jeddah's Mayor Al-Farsi could not decide which design he liked best, so he ordered that both of them be commissioned and constructed by Abdulkarim.  So both sculptures are made of steel and pay homage to its many uses in our world, such as swords, machinery, and spacecraft.

To see the sister of this sculpture, Al-Saroukh I, just CLICK HERE.