Day 80 ~ Jeddah Day Two, Hejazi Exploration

March 30, 2022

Hot, hot, hot! Once the temp hits 90, there's no point in measuring how much higher it goes, but the humidity level was low, it was bearable. So we now know what a biscuit feels like, not a steamed clam.

ARABIC PROVERB

الدنيا زي الغازية، ترقص لكل واحد شوية

Literal translation: The world is like a belly-dancer: it dances a little while for everyone. 

English equivalent: Every dog has its day.

Our guide Ali at the place of meeting of the neighborhood elders where disputes are settled amicably.

Today the world danced a bit for us. After the missed steps of yesterday, we needed it. One of the biggest differences was having a good guide, and Ali was a wonderful one for us. Full of good humor and wit, impeccable English and a frank, friendly manner, he made us feel so very welcome and we were glad to follow him and soak up a more intimate look at Arab family life and culture. 

The photography instructor's reminder to look for reflections is on a feedback loop in my head!

First however, we had a driving tour along the waterfront. I've no doubt these were the impressive art installations and newly constructed buildings we were supposed to see yesterday. Our bus rumbled past the tallest flagpole in the world and the tower in progress that will reach 3000 ft. tall when it's finished.  

Hejazi style houses in the Old Town a UNESCO World Heritage site

In the Old Town of Jedda, the homes are built three or four stories high and are meant to accommodate multiple generations of the family. When a son marries, he adds a room for him and his bride. If a daughter marries, she moves in with her new husband's parents, grandparents, and siblings. The homes are constructed using sea coral blocks, which absorbs moisture and releases it as cooled air. There is a "walkers' rights" law which requires the homes to be built with a slight slant inward so that if the homeowner neglects his house and it falls down, it will collapse in on itself rather than endangering others.  

The first floor of the house is for guests and a place for the men of the house to entertain friends and family--a sort of Arabic Man Cave. The second floor is the women's domain, and Ali assured us that every woman is a queen in her own home. Here is the kitchen, the bedrooms, and the rooms that house her extensive wardrobe of abayas, etc. Higher floors belong to the younger members of the family. 

I learned to sew on a machine that looked very much like this one! 

The furniture was highly decorated, intricately painting.

One of the private homes we visited was large and affluent enough to have its own private mosque. Ali took us all inside another public one which was undergoing renovations and gave us his heartfelt assurance that the Kingdom welcomes people of all faiths.  I think as a nation, there is a sense of ...not guilt exactly, but a recognition that the Wahabism that came out of Saudi Arabia was the driving force behind Bin Laden and 911. Ali's declaration made me feel he, and hopefully many of his fellow countrymen, want a more open, accepting relationship with the rest of the world.

Not sure which spice this is, but its vivid color says "hot stuff" to me.

Then we headed down to the souk where all the vendors were just beginning to open up. Spice merchants had lit cones of incense, which Ali called the "aroma of friendship," to entice us in. 

We really enjoyed our second day in Jeddah and got a very different sense of the place. Saudi Arabia is clearly a country trying to make something of itself and is experiencing some growing pains, but the people were warm and friendly, so I have great hopes that they will build a strong tourism industry as they continue to open their society to outsiders. 

Peace comes when people see the image of God stamped on the faces of others. Some of that happened today. May there be many more days like it.