Jeddah – Bride of the Red Sea

Let me just start by saying this – Saudi Arabia is underrated.

Having lived here for 2.5 years, I’ve had a chance to explore the Kingdom beyond the capital of Riyadh. Gorgeous natural rock formations, majestic red sand dunes, escarpments, Wadis, and caves just to name a few of those wonders. Being on the cusp of cultural transition and diversifying the country’s previously oil-based economy, there has been a strong focus on identifying and restoring historically significant locations, promoting traditional and contemporary art, and loosening the otherwise stringent social norms.

I recently traveled to Jeddah, a modern commercial hub, the earlier Diplomatic capital of Saudi Arabia, and a gateway for pilgrimages to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Local legends say that Jeddah (which literally translates to ‘grandmother’ in Arabic) is believed to be the burial ground of the Biblical and Quranic grandmother of humankind, Eve.

The new Jeddah airport arrivals

I knew Jeddah was gearing up for the FI Grand Prix that week but didn’t expect to see this beauty at the arrivals!

Hassan Enany Mosque at Al Hamra Corniche, Jeddah

Desert sunsets never fail to impress – be it by the sea or the sands

Here’s sharing my top four experiences in this port city:

Strolling the narrow alleyways of Al Balad – Jeddah’s historic district dating back to the 7th century. The neighborhood was once a thriving city center with houses built with coral limestone from the Red Sea and unique windows wherein the residents could enjoy a cool breeze and look at the street below with utmost privacy.

In the 1970s and 1980s, when Jeddah began to become wealthier as a result of the oil boom, many Jeddawis moved north, away from Al-Balad, as it reminded them of less prosperous times.

Abandoned homes with a mosque minaret in the background

Unique windows of Al Balad

Privacy guaranteed!

Some buildings were being restored for the upcoming Red Sea Festival

The unique architecture of this district deserved the title of UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. I personally loved stumbling upon those colorful windows and imagining what life would have been like back in the day.

Notice the attire and vehicles used back in the day – Al Balad neighborhood

Couldn’t get enough of this particular house

Next up is the Darwish Salahmah museum – in fact, it’s a retired Saudi Air Force pilot’s front yard that he converted into an iconic mini-museum open to visitors for two hours (between 4:30-6:30 PM) every day. It displayed a wide array of scaled-down versions of mosques, historic landmarks, windows across varied Saudi regions, airplanes, cars, and even animals. Just stepping in through the artsy door decorated with several souvenirs from his travels, felt as though we were in a dream.

One simply can’t miss this dreamy house while walking past the street

Entrance door clad with souvenirs from world travels

Frontyard with beautiful hand-crafted artefacts and replicas

Abdul Raouf Khalil museum was another mind-blowing private collection by a Saudi merchant by that name. Over the course of 50 years, he collected over 60,000 artifacts of historical and cultural significance from the Arab world. Persian vases with intricate work, miniature and life-sized paintings, traditional clothing and jewelry, crystals, Islamic calligraphic texts, mosaic artwork, you name it!

Display of traditional Middle Eastern attires

Exploring the museum collection with a dear friend, Neamat

Mind-blowing intricate carving work on the silver Persian vase from the previous photo

My favorite bit was the immersive experience of walking inside the tableau homes from different regions of Saudi Arabia (Asir, Qassim, and Abha) – with entrance doors, majlis seating, bedrooms, and kitchen; all decorated with colorful walls, tapestry, carpets, and equipped with traditional seating, bedding, utensils and much more. What further stood out were the ones with a Saudi wedding and life in a Bedouin tent.

Living room interiors of a traditional home

Classic colorful print from the Abha region adorning the walls

Saudi wedding scene

Life in a Bedouin camp

Visiting Jeddah and not watching the sunset by the Red Sea is like visiting Egypt and not seeing the pyramids! Watching the unobstructed views of solar hues while soaking in the sound of waves lashing on the rocks with curious chubby crabs peeking through the gaps was a balmy experience.

Gorgeous sunset from the Red Sea Resort bay

As I always say, ‘People make Places’ and Jeddah was no different. Traveling with a close Peruvian friend and learning about her rich culture, meeting up with a Syrian friend whom I met at my London University Alumni meet-up in Riyadh a year earlier; definitely made my trip all the more enriching and fun.

Conversations over pizza and calamari with Carla and Neamat at Portofino (one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Jeddah owned by a sweet Italian grandpa)

My life in Riyadh (part 1)

“I’m taking up a job in Riyadh”, he said. “Of all the places in the world?” I exclaimed louder than I intended. A few minutes into the call and I found myself saying, “Why not?”

A year later, I was on a 4.5 hour-long flight from Hyderabad (India) to Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). The sweet smell of Arabian oud floating in the aircraft, an inflight Arabic prayer before takeoff and off we were on a new life adventure.

Five months have passed to that day and I vividly remember the unique terrain of Riyadh – all sand with no sight of civilization. As we descended further, symmetric clusters of mono-colored houses appeared that almost resembled microchips.

As we landed, I dug out my black Abaya from the handbag and anxiously put it on; looking around to spot fellow female passengers for comfort and noticed only a handful of them in the entire flight.

In transition: I later learned that I don’t need to wear the Abaya to and fro the airport. It now saves me the trouble of carrying it in my handbag every time I take a flight out and in to Riyadh.

Going back to my first impressions, to my relief, the Riyadh airport gave a familiar vibe, with Arab immigration officers and staff that reminded me of my Dubai days. One foot out of the air-conditioned airport, and I was hit by the afternoon heat wave.

Culture shock: The dry desert heat in summers (May-September) is at a whole new level and I fail to describe the intensity in words. You step out of the house at even 10 PM and it’s no different than stepping out at noon.

Although warm, desert sunsets are beautiful

A Careem ride (Saudi’s Uber) to our apartment was a great way to get a glimpse of the city. The Indian in me who’s used to vibrant colors couldn’t help but notice the monochrome of sandy brown as a dominant color of streets, sidewalks, buildings, and stores. The smooth, wide roads and the noise free ride was quite a contrast to the Indian organized chaos.

Having said that, the ‘compound’ premises that we live in are fairly green and I like calling it our little oasis. So what is a ‘compound’, really?

Our oasis a.k.a compound premises

Well, it’s a gated community exclusively catering to expatriate accommodation that comprises of villas/apartments with common amenities like a swimming pool, gym, restaurant, etc. Now, I’ve always been an advocate of integrating into the local culture and making local friends but moving to Riyadh, I learnt that you cannot make friends the same way in each culture – some require going out of your way to build formal connections and eventually finding a ‘close friend’ among them. I’ve made many other friends from diverse nationalities in the compound – my ultimate motivation to strive in a foreign culture while my quest for a Saudi friend continues…

Living in a ‘compound’ means not needing to wear my Abaya every time I step outside my apartment and I need not be conscious of holding my husband’s hand!

Cultural surprise: ‘Segregation’ of the genders is strongly practiced in public places like cafes, restaurants, movie theaters and even some stores. There are separate ‘singles section’ (for men only) and ‘family section’ (for families and single women) in every restaurant. Needless to say, the family section is always the more bustling one and gets better service 😉 However, the following image is an exception.

Can you spot the families dining behind each compartment?

In transition: However, there are new arrangements developing whereby the segregation of men and women is less marked than before and it is not uncommon to see a group of young (unmarried) men and women sharing a table in cafes.

I’ll be honest; the sloth in me never enjoyed cooking until I moved to Riyadh. I’m happy cooking up my limited Indian curry recipes which demand two visits to the grocery store every week. And believe it or not, two hours just fly by when you’re lost in the aisles and spoilt for choice in the hypermarkets.

Spent only 15 minutes looking for a can of refined sunflower cooking oil 

Cultural surprise: What’s interesting is that the stores in Riyadh are open until late hours (1 AM) and are most crowded at 11 PM! Majority of the billing counters are operated by Saudi women who are efficient and greet you with a warm smile.

11:30 PM @ Carrefour

And no, not all Saudi women wear a Niqab to cover their faces although they all do wear the Hijab (the head scarf). An Abaya (the flowy black national attire) is however, a mandate (or at least was until a few weeks ago) for all expat women.

So, do I wear a ‘burka’ in Riyadh? 

I personally have enjoyed wearing the Abaya as it has its advantages.

1. I literally get ready to step out in two minutes – wear whatever I like inside and no one would judge
2. It’s super comfortable, except for the couple times in my initial days when I almost tripped over it
3. It covers all flab (but again, I’m not sure if that’s really an advantage)
4. It’s a great way to ‘fit in’ into the local surroundings

Braving the 46 degrees in my black garb 

It’s safe to say that I’ve come a long way from “of all the places in the world?” to “hey, this feels like home” 🙂 After all, home is where you are, isn’t it?

Coming up next is a post with some more cultural observations as part of my everyday life in Riyadh with an attempt to demystify this fast transforming Arabian culture.