SkyWatch: Cosmos Sculpture

My husband is always miffed because I keep taking photos of the same subjects all the time.  I tell him that I am trying to get a better photo of the same subject and that time of day, weather, and angle can make a huge difference.  And when most of my photos are taken from inside a moving car without any time to set up my shots, many times I just have to settle for what I can manage to get. 

This photo is of one of Jeddah's famous public art sculptures called The Cosmos.  I have published photos of this work of art before but when I saw the effects of the sun on this picture, I couldn't resist posting it.  The Cosmos is the work of Ottmar Hollmann, a German sculptor who created many beautiful art pieces for the city of Jeddah.  The Cosmos is one of Jeddah's largest public art sculptures and ranks as one of  the largest sculptures in the entire world too.  To learn more interesting tidbits about this masterpiece, CLICK HERE.




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Resort Style Living

This is another shot of the community pool area of one of the residential living compounds for foreign workers in Jeddah. 

Old Jeddah: Sad Truth

One of the things that I find most discouraging about living in Jeddah is the garbage everywhere.  There is not much awareness about littering.  Most Saudis seem to have the attitude that someone else will come along and clean up after them, and most expats seem to have the attitude that Saudi Arabia is not their homeland, so they don't care about throwing their trash on the ground.  Plastic bags are a huge problem and recycling is not common here. 

Compound Pool Area

Old Jeddah: Street Scene

Old Jeddah: Lamps

These were some interesting Moroccan style lamps I fell in love with at the Turkish-Afghani souk in Old Jeddah.  I just love the details and the exotic feel to them.   CLICK HERE FOR A MAP to this souk where you can find baskets, carpets, furniture, clothing, handicrafts, jewelry, and many other traditional handicrafts.

Decay

This photo was taken in the oldest part of Jeddah called Al Balad (which means the downtown).  Jeddah's history dates back to about 500 BC when it started out as a small fishing village on the Red Sea.  Due to its close proximity to two of the holiest cities in Islam - Mecca and Medina, which are both inland - the seaport of Jeddah became the main entry point for religious pilgrims who traveled to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj. It also naturally became a thriving commercial center due to its convenient location along the trade routes.  In early 1900, the population of Jeddah was about 20,000.  Today, about 100 years later, Jeddah's population estimates hover at about 4 million residents. 

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 are different themes that CDP members can participate in.  This month's theme is "Decay."  

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