Written by Ahmed Nagoor on 17 Jul, 2003
Enchanting Rendezvous with a local Arab As I was giving some work to my newly acquired camera, shooting the old buildings, with the highly carved and turquoise exterior walls, some awaiting reconstruction and others crumbling down unable to with stand the test of the time, an…Read More
Enchanting Rendezvous with a local Arab
As I was giving some work to my newly acquired camera, shooting the old buildings, with the highly carved and turquoise exterior walls, some awaiting reconstruction and others crumbling down unable to with stand the test of the time, an elderly Arab called me and said some thing in Arabic, which was beyond my comprehension. Aware of the fact that Arabs do not like visitors to take photos in public places, I packed my gears and started to leave the place. He followed me and caught my hand and tugged me -- now the worst fear of any foreigner in Arabia, offending the local culture, which could potentially land you in jail, even on a verbal complaint by the locals was beginning to come true. I was perplexed and becoming nervous, tried to free my hand from his grip. Sensing my anxiety, he said " Taal, Sadiq, Taal", which, based on my vocabulary of a handful of Arabic words acquired in my past seven months of stay in Saudi Arabia, translates into "Come, Friend, Come." On hearing the word "friend", I felt a little ease as I was led to his house.
I was offered dates and traditional Arabian coffee, "Quawa", over which we had some sort of conversation, he in Arabic and I in English and more animated action spread in between. He was kind enough to permit me to visit the first floor of his house from where I had an insider’s view from the latticed and carved woodwork windows called "Rowasheen", that allows air and light through the balcony while blocking the direct sunlight, heat and prying eyes from outside. Bidding farewell to my new friend, the rough and tough image of the Arabs, which have been built by the international media and expatriates stories exploded inside me as it dawned on me that people all over are basically good, and we should not believe the images.
History of Balad and Jeddah: As I walked through the silent lanes of Balad, my mind flew backward in time to think about the history of Jeddah. Present day Jeddah came into existence as a fishing village when the "Quadaa" fishermen tribe settled 2500 years ago…Read More
History of Balad and Jeddah:
As I walked through the silent lanes of Balad, my mind flew backward in time to think about the history of Jeddah. Present day Jeddah came into existence as a fishing village when the "Quadaa" fishermen tribe settled 2500 years ago as its natural harbor and reef offered good fishing. The city grew into an important trading outpost as it was situated on the trading routes between Yemen and Europe. The city was fortified with limestone coral walls as early as 1000 AD, which was recorded by noted traveler Nasir-I-Kusuro. The earlier fortification had two gates one facing the east towards Mecca and the other towards the sea. The fortification was strengthened in 16th century to protect the city from Portuguese attack with six watchtowers and gates. The gates Bab Makkah facing East, Bab Sharif facing South, Bab Al Bunt, Bab Sharaf and Bab Al Madinah facing North, Bab Al Magharibah facing west. The turbulent history of Jeddah saw it alternatively coming under the rule of Turkish Ottoman Empire, Egypt’s Mamalukes and Saudi’s of Central Arabia until the Saudi King Abdul Aziz took over the Western province of Hejaz, including the city of Jeddah. The King Abdul Aziz Historical Square, which is at the heart of the Balad, is where the people of Jeddah welcomed King Abdul Aziz and his army on the 23rd of September 1924. This day of annexing the Hejaz province is celebrated as National Day in Saudi Arabia.