I happened to catch this slice of life recently in Taif. Several young men are sitting outside a business that is being renovated. These gentlemen might be the owners of the establishment, but they hire cheap foreign labor to do the painting and other hard labor – they would never do this type of work themselves. They are all dressed traditionally as they sit on a large red carpet with their sandals off. The red and white checkered scarf they wear in a variety of ways on their heads is called shumagg. It is a large square that is folded in half to form a triangle. The black ring that holds it in place is called egal. Men in Saudi Arabia are, generally speaking, quite social. They commonly gather together to talk or play cards, smoking hookahs and drinking tea. You will never see a woman in a mix like this. Socializing between the sexes is not permitted – mixing only within families is acceptable.
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. This journal reflects the things that I see here, life through my eyes, my lens.
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Hi Susie…this has nothing to do with the above post, but I thought you might be interested — you probably know all about it alread…
It’s about banning women from TV in Saudi Arabia…
Here’s the link: http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/04/27/no-saudi-women-allowed-on-tv-in-print/?icid=main|main|dl5|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2009%2F04%2F27%2Fno-saudi-women-allowed-on-tv-in-print%2F
Since all of my closest friends are men, I would find it difficult to adjust to such an extreme. I love the way they are all smiling for the photo.
To Jacob,
I quite agree, a society without women in public, something I cannot understand.
I guess the labor theory of value never caught on in Saudi Arabia.
No women, heh? How boring is that? And, you gotta admit, these guys look a little bored.
Maybe they ought to wield a hammer or a saw?
Great photo, Susie.
This really has made me think. You know how much I kid around on my blog, but I was trying to equate this scene to my own mixed social gathering. On picture can have such an effect.