Tag Archives: ghuttra

CDP Theme Day: Contrast

Posted on October 1, 2009 by

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 , , , , , | 22 Comments

Saudi Headdress

Posted on July 29, 2009 by

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 , , , | 3 Comments

Typical Dress

Posted on July 20, 2009 by

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 , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Just Shootin’ the Breeze

Posted on April 27, 2009 by

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 →

Posted in Buildings, Clothing, Culture, Life, Tradition | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Traffic Stop

Posted on April 15, 2009 by

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 , , , , , | 9 Comments

Customer Service

Posted on January 14, 2009 by

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 , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Man on Cell Phone, Driving

Posted on November 12, 2008 by

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 , , , , , | 7 Comments

City Life

Posted on October 13, 2008 by

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 →

Posted in Buildings, Culture, Life, Middle East, Photo, Saudi Arabia, Shopping, Tradition | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

I Do!

Posted on October 9, 2008 by

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 , , , , , | 7 Comments

All Decked Out

Posted on October 7, 2008 by

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 , , , , | 23 Comments