I’ve mentioned before about how highly privacy is regarded here in Saudi Arabia, from small tinted windows in homes to women being covered from head to toe in black. More examples of the extreme measures that are taken for the sake of privacy are wall extensions in the form of huge shields to ensure that no one can see into a neighboring building. These shields are especially common when one of the buildings is a private single family villa where there is generally a small courtyard area where the villa’s occupants might venture outside. Honestly though, two of my sisters-in-laws live in lovely villas with small courtyards, and I have never seen them outside enjoying the weather or getting fresh air. That’s not to say that ALL Saudi women don’t like being outdoors, but I feel I could safely say that MOST Saudi women don’t care to be outside. So these privacy wall extensions seem like a waste of money to me, plus in my humble opinion, they are real eyesores.
About This Blog, and About Me: Susie of Arabia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is KSA's 2nd largest city and is located on its west coast, right on the Red Sea. I moved here in 2007 with my Saudi hubby and teenage son. This journal reflects the things that I see here, life through my eyes, my lens.
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the honest truth is if the building laws in the country took into consideration the private nature of our culture and faith (if a woman is muslim and follows hijab she should at least be able to enjoy a hijab free yard in her own house, right?) we wouldn’t be faced with these sky-high “partitions”…actually, there was such a law in the building code in jeddah (don’t know if it’s still there but simply ignored) the issue could be with follow up and inspections…maybe the problem is that there are simply too many inspectors that are corrupt and issuing licenses to those who pay rather than follow the law!!
Susie: That was really interesting.
TOTAL eyesore!
Extreme is the word.
Those walls don’t even allow light to arrive to the first floor of the building…
Perhaps it’s the older ones that don’t like getting out much Susie, but young Saudis definitely do! I was in a ladies’ school for 3 years where the women were out in the courtyard every opportunity they got!
diverse is what we are!
This does seem a little extreme, and certainly not pretty to look at. It’s sad that more of the women don’t get outside much.