Mosque Minaret at Night

Many of the minarets here are lit up with green lights in the evenings.  The Arabic word for minaret is manara, which means lighthouse. Most minarets are equipped with speakers which blast the calls to prayer for all in the vicinity to hear.

Originally minarets in warmer climates were built to provide ventilation and served as natural air conditioning for hot air to escape from the mosque itself. Now with modern air conditioning available, the minarets have just become a traditional part of mosques. There is no particular significance as to why most mosques are lit up in green in the evenings. It does make them easier to spot for someone looking for a mosque in which to pray who is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.

Our World: Bentley

In the higher end parking lots of shopping areas of Jeddah, it's not unusual to see Bentleys, like this one, or even Rolls Royces.   License plates here are written in both English and Arabic.



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 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 Architecture

Many buildings in Jeddah have businesses on the ground floor and then apartments or hotels on the floors above.

Jeddah: Public Prayer Area

Most malls, hospitals and some businesses have designated areas for prayer here in Saudi Arabia.  With prayers required five times per day, it makes sense to have designated prayer areas conveniently located for people to perform the prays.  It's not unusual to see prayer rugs virtually almost anywhere, even outside on the sidewalks.  I've often seen large groups of men in line formation praying right in the streets. It's quite a moving sight to behold.

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.

SkyWatch: Jeddah Sculpture "Builder's Plumbline"

This sculpture by Egyptian artist Mustafa Senbel is located along Jeddah's Red Sea Corniche coastline and is called "Builder's Plumbline.  For a closer up view and more information about this sculpture, see my previous post about it by clicking HERE.


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.