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.
Please be sure to also visit my other blog, SUSIE OF ARABIA (formerly SUSIE'S BIG ADVENTURE), which relates my experiences, thoughts, and observations about living in Saudi Arabia.
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Tag Archives: ghuttra
CDP Theme Day: Contrast
Saudi Arabia is a land of many contrasts, but perhaps nothing is quite as glaring as the contrast between what men and women wear in public here. While women are clad in black cloaks called abayas, scarves and usually veils, … Continue reading
Posted in Clothing, Culture, Life, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged abaya, Clothing, ghuttra, thobe, traditional, women
22 Comments
Saudi Headdress
The man in this photo is wearing the traditional Saudi headdress, called shemagh. It is a large square lightweight scarf in a red and white checkered pattern. It is usually folded in half to form a triangle and the long … Continue reading
Posted in Clothing, Culture, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged Clothing, ghuttra, shemagh, traditional
3 Comments
Typical Dress
Men dressed in white long dresses, called thobes, and women decked out in black abayas from head to toe – this is very typical of the way that men and women appear in public in this society. In the brutal … Continue reading
Posted in Clothing, Culture, Life, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged abaya, Clothing, dress, ghuttra, thobe, traditional, women
20 Comments
Just Shootin’ the Breeze
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 … Continue reading
Traffic Stop
Take my word for it, this is a very unusual sight here in Saudi Arabia. The first few months I was here, I rarely even saw a police officer, and I certainly can count on one hand, the number of … Continue reading
Posted in Clothing, Culture, Life, Photo
Tagged Clothing, dress, ghuttra, thobe, traditional, transportation
9 Comments
Customer Service
This is a candid shot of several customer service representatives at one of the beautiful modern new malls here in Jeddah, and they are all men. Women are not allowed to work in any malls, except as janitors in the … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings, Clothing, Culture, Life, Middle East, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Shopping
Tagged business, Clothing, dress, ghuttra, Jeddah, mall, modern, thobe, traditional, workers
8 Comments
Man on Cell Phone, Driving
A man in the traditional native dress of a white thobe and red and white checked ghuttra talks on his mobile phone as he drives. I still find it fascinating to see sights like this, blending the old traditional garb he … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Life, Middle East, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged Clothing, ghuttra, Jeddah, modern, thobe, transportation
7 Comments
City Life
This huge open mall area in an older section of downtown Jeddah is completely tiled. Businesses and shops surround it. As you can see, most of the men wear traditional clothing, and the only woman visible is wearing the black abaya … Continue reading
I Do!
This wedding cake topper features the bride and groom figurines, Arabian style. I spied it recently when I was visiting a local sweets shop in Jeddah. The groom is wearing the formal white traditional headgear – the white scarf called ghuttra topped … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Life, Middle East, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged Celebrations, Clothing, ghuttra, Jeddah, thobe, wedding
7 Comments
All Decked Out
This magnificently attired four year old boy wears the traditional formal garb of Saudi Arabia to celebrate the Eid holiday marking the end of Ramadan. On his head he first puts on a smal white cap (called either tagiyeh or … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Life, Middle East, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Tradition
Tagged Clothing, dress, ghuttra, Ramadan, thobe
23 Comments