Those roundabouts would make a fun post, we thought, so we started snapping photos – as well as we could – while circling them in traffic.

In Hail, a welcome to the city represented by the traditional hospitality greeting in Saudi Arabia, a small cup of Arabic coffee poured from a vessel like this (with dates to eat). The center is an incense burner that adds fragrance to life within a home.

In Hail, a celebration of the UNESCO rock art nearby which includes many depictions of ibex (curved horns) and oryx (straight horns). This was not exactly a roundabout, but a hillside forming part of a cloverleaf intersection as it was lit by the setting sun.

In Jeddah, where the desert abuts the Red Sea, here’s a camel in the elongated style of a Modigliani sculpture.

In Jeddah, large doves skimming near the seashore (attended by small pigeons roosting on them).

In Jeddah, the Cosmos or Astronomy sculpture rises to the skies some 44 meters high (about 150 feet).

In Taif, the Time Monument in a circle at the edge of the fascinating old town. Seizing the moment?

In Abha, this was strictly more of an entry point to a popular walkway off a roundabout, but it’s a charming tribute to watchtowers in local architecture – one standing over lava rock of the area and the other, for some reason, over umbrellas.

On Farasan Island, a typical local fish with shellfish (and life preservers) around it.

Also on Farasan Island, a less typical fish with a handle

At Jizan, on the Red Sea coast, a tribute to sailing and wind power – in the middle of car traffic.

At Najran, a clocktower amid traffic honors the famous tall clocktower in Makkah (Mecca) and similar roundabouts within Saudi Arabia.

In Najran, this sculpture shows off the local architectural style in clay with white trim, as well as the notable watchtowers built in the desert mountains.

At Najran, another welcome with traditional coffee (plus sugar cubes).

At Hima, the symbol of Saudi Arabia (palm with crossed sabers) sits atop a kind of torch.

Mashups…an amusing observation

You can learn a lot about a culture while shopping for food – whether at a noisy open-air market or local shop or, in this case, a huge chain supermarket in Saudi Arabia. What we found was, well, not much different from a major American or European one – with many of the same brands and approaches to cooking.

Hmmm, O Organics, Amy’s Soups (and, in other aisles, Morningside, Lay’s, Kikkoman, Old El Paso, Activa, Crest, and on and on)…where am I? An Albertson’s? A Whole Foods? A Continente? No, the Tamimi Supermarket in a mid-sized Saudi agricultural town!

And it seems shoppers should stock up on Barbeque equipment for their next party.

We were quite surprised – and had a big laugh – when we saw this offer at one of many Baskin&Robbins here: the famous Portuguese cream pastry, Pastel de Nata. B&R is just one of many familiar chain eateries like Starbucks, KFC, McDonald’s, Popeye, etc.

The post People & Places: Recollections of Saudi Arabia first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

We enjoyed so many casual and extended conversations along the route, learning about differences in culture and also commonalities. Many of these were with the workers from so many other countries that constituted the labor force across Saudi Arabia. These photos just show some of the many people we met, the ones we remembered to photograph.

Hasheem, our guide in Riyadh, introduced us to Saudi culture and was a very enjoyable companion as well. Here he models princely fashions for us at the Riyadh souq.

Shopkeepers – from suits to nuts – often wanted to talk with us.  The owner of this shop, which supplied and repaired the headgear used by Saudi men, also gave us a demonstration of his craft.

The men working at the sheep and camel market in Buraydah were just finishing their morning trade. These Yemenis stopped to talk with us after herding the sheep onto a truck.

Frequently local Saudis, men and women, initiated conversation out of curiosity. At this restored fort in Hail several groups came up to us. This one (we should have taken a better picture) included a son studying English; another consisted of five young women in town to enjoy a pleasant afternoon.

Nancy with the mother of two sons who invited us to join their picnic – dates, coffee, biscuits, etc. – at the Al Ula desert. As we said in our post from there, we truly enjoyed their hospitality and openness about life in the country.

Getting lost helps. We couldn’t find a famous cave near Madinah where Mohammed hid when wounded at a local battle against other tribes. Instead, we found a restored stone-walled resting spot for pilgrims as well as a long conversation with this friendly Saudi man and a merchant from Mauritania. They both suggested Barry start wearing the traditional Saudi robe, or thawb.

What was perhaps most distinctive about the million or so people absorbed in prayer at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah was their lack of attention to us. Surely we were evident outsiders at this holy site, but we were just accepted as guests. The same thing happened at Quba mosque, another revered site in Madinah, though there we were invited to visit within.

One of many date shops we visited, this one in old Jeddah, generally by the invitation of the shopkeeper. This young man was delighted to share his wide variety of dates with us (even without a sale) as well as some time in conversation. So were others at cafes, juice bars, nut shops, and stalls offering other specialties.

Keepers of the scent helped us sniff various products at the Rose Factory outside Taif, home of their world-renowned roses. We were able to have a short conversation after they finished selling boxes and boxes of aromatic liquids to a Korean tour group.

The best places to snorkel on Farasan Island seemed to overlap with the best places for the fishermen to anchor their boats and deliver their catch. We were a curiosity to them but had the most extended conversation with the island patrol guards who ensured we didn’t get in the water at all.

Our last full day in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took us out of Najran to Hima for a ride through a spectacular desert landscape to see rock art and camels. Sara, on the right, was our guide with much to add about Saudi culture. The man knew how to explore the vast space we visited and spoke about the art and Islam as well (with her translation). We even had the opportunity to visit his home and meet the family. Despite very limited financial resources, he had three wives and 19 children. His extended family (brothers, cousins, etc.) provided the means for him to marry and acquire his modest but spacious home about an hour’s drive out of Najran, the largest city in the area. He is currently seeking a new third wife.

Asif, our driver for some 4000 kilometers across much of Saudi Arabia, turned out to be very helpful – and skilled in Saudi driving methods. In finding him, we were very fortunate because just a few days before our circumnavigation of the country we discovered that we couldn’t rent a car due to age! And we were fortunate that we were relieved of the challenge of Saudi competitive driving and circuitous roadways. Asif was a Muslim from Mumbai who spoke Arabic, though not much of a conversationalist in English. Mostly he said “OK” no matter what we asked. His best hidden skill was spotting the small Arabian gazelles during our jeep safari on Farasan Island.

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The extensive mountain chain that parallels the Red Sea coast of western Saudi Arabia has long attracted desert dwellers to its much cooler climate. They formed their houses and towers out of the rocks from those mountains, taking a hint in reverse from a traditional Arabic saying: “The mountains are from rocks,” i.e. small things add up.

The Quran adds that mountains are God’s anchors for steadying the ground. As we drove within the region, however – from Taif to Al Baha to Abha – these mountains repeatedly shook us with dizzying vistas and spiraling roads.

• Taif

In the late afternoon, the old town of Taif enlivens. The stores in the souq and the cafes open to the gathering crowd. We sat in this plaza enjoying the view of several stone buildings while sipping a fresh squeezed juice. By mistake, we left a backpack on a bench in the plaza for 15 minutes but returned to find it untouched. Later we sat in another plaza where we conversed with a local woman about life in our two countries. Small things add up.

An old café and resting spot for visitors to Taif was constructed, as expected, out of stone and mud – the best of local ingredients. Here, in a few sitting rooms, we found our fresh juice, made from the best of local fruits.

Taif is famous for its perfumes and scented oils, especially those derived from its renowned roses. Only the mountains here can cultivate this special variety, whose quality is nearly sacred as the traditional aroma for the Holy Qaaba in Makkah (Mecca). These ancient distilling vessels have been replaced with newer ones in the veteran factory we visited, but we loved the historic ambiance of this old room.

This natural park amid the mountains between Taif and Al Baha features a picturesque waterfall, when water is running, as well as a picnic/playground area with canals that feed the waterfall. That suspension bridge and its companion zip line offer steep views of the drop.

• Stone Villages

Also between Taif and Al Baha, we took the back roads to explore a number of old stone villages in the countryside. This one is mostly in disrepair, but you can see the detailed decoration on the watchtowers characteristic of the region. The new houses without stones have supplanted the old now. In the vicinity, the wealthy have built large villas on most available hilltops as escapes from the extreme heat of the lowlands.

Among the stone villages we found, this was in very good shape and showed various decorative features typical of the buildings. In the background, you can see some new villas and apartment houses that the wealthy use as summer retreats away from the hot desert. The turret of an old castle is just visible on the mountain at the top.

• Al Baha

The view from the city’s edge at Al Baha. The valley levels off at about a kilometer (3300 feet) below the rim and a breath-taking road winds down into it.

The hilltop Heritage House near Al Baha, a restoration of a historic stone village.

South of Al Baha, this vista rewards visitors who climb to the top of a hilltop stone village restored as a display of Saudi heritage.

• Abha

This typical example in Abha of the distinctive architecture of the mountainous region has been renovated and turned into a museum.

We drove west of Abha to Jebel Souda, the tallest mountain in Saudi Arabia at around 3000 meters (10,000 feet). This was one of the views we enjoyed near the top.

A colorful town nestles below some impressive desert peaks between Abha and Najran.

And the peaks vanish into the blue of infinity.

• Najran

At the southern end of the mountainous region, Najran surprised us with mountains of a different composition – volcanic rock – and features common to ancient lava flows: tubes, domes, and cannonballs.

This view shows some of those mountains in the distance, with a splendid example of local Najrani architecture in the foreground. The green in the middle is a palm oasis, whose waters have long been the sustenance for the people here.

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What to do when your plans fail? Take a deep breath – and adapt.

Our two-day plan was to snorkel/swim and explore the Farasan Islands, a marine coral reserve in the Red Sea off the coast of southern Saudi Arabia. So, we put in hours and hours of effort just to find a hotel and book the 90-minute fast ferry. It was disappointing to discover, unexpectedly, that we were prohibited from using the beautiful beaches and coves with calm turquoise waters. (Too close to Yemen?) The open beaches were those with turbulent waters and no coral. The only dive shop had been out of business for years. And the island landscape was mostly flat desert. So, we adapted. We wandered the beaches and inlets. We admired the sunsets. We watched the plentiful birds. And, best of all, we did an unplanned two-hour safari to see the rare and endangered Arabian gazelle.

Given the trouble of booking the ferry, we should have sensed something might go awry. There was nothing wrong with the ferry itself: quick and comfortable – and completely free for us and the car. But our hotel needed to book it for us. We needed about an hour to re-book at the ferry office once we arrived in Jizan. We endured lengthy credentials checks and security screenings (though perhaps the proximity to Yemen and other Red Sea hotspots justified that). We needed to wake up at 4:30am to arrive 2 hours before the 7am boat back. Next time, however, we would comply like the locals: arrive barely an hour before departure, at the most.

The hotel we wanted was the only one on any Farasan beach, but it had adopted several names over time and had a very confusing presence on the internet. Plus its ratings were mediocre. We expected to rough it. To our surprise, the manager helped us a lot, including booking the ferry for us and finding a great laundry service in the nearby town. Better yet, it was a very comfortable place with a fine view to the beach, lots of easy birdwatching like this bittern, and in pretty good shape. The cook proved to be excellent as well.

We drove all over the 30-kilometer-long island, finding none of the expected coral and no place to snorkel – including here at Snorkeling Point! Why? Dangerous, the coastal guard police argued to us for about a half-hour, with unclear rationale. Not obviously dangerous in our eyes, as this photo suggests. Too close to Yemen, perhaps? Go to the formal beaches, they said, all of which were frothy in the strong winds and very uninteresting for snorkelers.

Many of the finest bays were occupied by fishing boats and off-limits to us, reportedly with many fishermen from Yemen.

We hiked a bit to some of the coastal areas and inlets like this, with lovely waters and flocks of birds, as well as a few nice viewpoints across other waters we weren’t allowed to snorkel.

We don’t usually sit on beaches, so we walked a few when we were shut out of the water itself. This fine conch shell showed us that the waters must be rich in marine life, if one was allowed to get in the water and observe it.

The best adaptation was discovering we could do a safari across a desert reserve that supports about 300 of the rare and endangered Arabian Gazelle. Even that idea started poorly as we wandered the reserve aimlessly for a while in the morning. Then, a helpful ranger kicked us out, but told us to return after 4pm.

In the slanting light of the late afternoon, amid the grasses and scrub acacia that gazelles like to eat, we followed another ranger in our SUV across obscure tracks, over rough rubble, and along the desert plains. Around 20 of these lithe gazelles came into view. The exciting experience made us forget the unfulfilled snorkeling plan. The gazelles were worth all the trouble.

Our first sighting of a gazelle, with a nice long set of horns in the late light of day.

Amazing how fast they can run across the broken rock of the desert. Our car could only do about 5km per hour.

Our hotel faced west on a broad bay, with a small private beach and an extensive public beach and park right next door. After our safari to see the Farasan gazelles, the sun finished the day in style by putting on a light show.

The post Peaks & Seas: W. KSA (Jeddah, Mts, Farasan, Najran) first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

The southwestern part of Saudi Arabia surprised us with the fascinating contrasts of Jeddah, the stunning mountain landscape that parallels the Red Sea, the unexpected Farasan Islands off the coast, and our return to the prehistoric desert at Najran.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city

Jeddah, stretches along the Red Sea coast in the west. It has long been a major entry point by sea (and air) for pilgrims to nearby Makkah (Mecca) and Madinah. Plus, it is a major port for goods and resources as well. Like so much of the country, Jeddah has renovated or built over its historic infrastructure. So, a long boardwalk, with many eateries and entertainments, lines the city’s shores. But leadership now recognizes the value of the old for tourism and education. That’s why so many of the centuries-old tall houses of old Jeddah, whose facades are covered with latticed wood windows or screened balconies (roshans), are getting a facelift in time for 2030, the country’s Vision Project.

• Al-Balad, old town Jeddah

Unlike many Saudi cities, old Jeddah has retained some of its original souq/market buildings like these, which only open in the morning and then around 4pm when the daytime heat lessens. This is in the clothing and textiles section.

The traditional souqs of Jeddah continue the merchant tradition from ages past, including many of the same type of goods traded for generations – including dates, incense, textiles, and of course gold as in this jewelry shop. We were surprised to find a huge number of such shops, as well, in the very commercialized streets adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque of Madinah. But then, with a million pilgrims daily, we realized that the appeal was inevitable.

Since around 1900, pilgrims to the holy sites have frequented the Qabil souq in the western part of Al-Balad marketplace to purchase a variety of needs.

Only four stories high, this building in Al-Balad, old central Jeddah, is comparatively short compared to the 6-story skyscrapers built by other traders during the Ottoman period of the 16^th to 19^th centuries. Yet it demonstrates much of the elegant detail typical of the taller ones: facades covered with latticed windows and screened balconies festoon a structure formed from large blocks of coral stone harvested out of the Red Sea.

Old Jeddah features many traditional cafes still, and others that have modernized their style for the locals and visitors alike. We thought this lovely place offered a roof-top seating area to survey the town, but we didn’t mind the lack so much as we tried their special smoothy made from barley, cardamom, cinnamon, and sugar. Surprisingly good! And we helped entertain that young Saudi on the left.

The old two-story structure on the left shows the extent of renovation that transformed this four-level building in Al-Balad, old Jeddah. The polished new woods of the roshans (balconies) and arched windows gleam in the light. It was difficult to walk in this northern part of the old city because so much rehab work was ongoing.

The buildings in this plaza toward the center of Al-Balad, old Jeddah, demonstrate the architectural beauty of its old buildings even without a facelift.

One of the most famous of Jeddah’s tall merchant homes, the 19^th century Nassif House has been restored as a museum of the old life. Unfortunately, like so many appealing spots in town, it is closed for further work. But the exterior shows extraordinary craftsmanship.

The interior of one merchant house, Matbouli, showed less flamboyance in its coral stone exterior, but was wondrous to explore inside. We climbed the narrow stairs from the male and female diwans (greeting areas) on the ground floor to the plainer sleeping area above. Then we continued upwards to view the inside of wooden punch-out roshan balconies lined with bedding, as well as the private lounging areas like this one with elaborately decorated plasterwork.

• Al Tayebat Museum of Science and Knowledge

Something completely different. In an otherwise mundane part of town, this effusive display of Hejazi style – with carved doors, elaborate minarets, wooden latticework, gorgeous detailing – clearly stands out, even though less than 40 years old. The Hejaz is the western district of Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea, supposedly settled originally by Biblical Abram and Hagar, then much later ruled by the Ottomans.

The gorgeous interior of the Al-Mabarra mosque contained within the Al Tayebat museum building. Notice the elaborately carved roshan to the left defining the women’s prayer area on the second floor.

The entry hall at the Jeddah international airport as we departed from Saudi Arabia.

• Corniches of Jeddah

The old styles and narrow streets of Al-Balad contrast markedly with the modernity and openness of Jeddah’s long shoreline, or corniche, which fills with strollers late in the day. Here a family heads toward one of the mosques built along the coast.

Farther north, another seemingly floats on the water.

The coastal waters along the boulevards of the Jeddah shoreline seem surprisingly clean, encouraging a lot of birds and fish for us to see. Here a purple heron ignores us while it sunbathes and fishes.

More wildlife at the shore: two reef sharks work the waters for food.

These colorful fish, feeding along the rocks of the Jeddah corniche, would look more beautiful if we joined then in the water, but there’s no swimming except at the beaches.

The post Peaks & Seas: W. KSA (Jeddah, Mts, Farasan, Najran) first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

To see the UNESCO World Heritage rock art of Chalcolithic and Thamudic people at Hima, in south Saudi Arabia, we needed to hire a desert-ready vehicle and guide. As expected, cruising the rock formations and plains was spectacular and we saw plentiful art.

But the experience was so much richer than our visit to Jubbah in the east: a safari among herds of white and black camels, a lunch full of local specialties on the desert plain, extensive conversation about life here, and a fascinating visit with the family of our driver. The trip proved a highlight of our time in Saudi Arabia.

At barely perceptible transitions in the terrain, we could climb a bit to piles of the lava rock that made these low mountains. These piles acted as watchtowers, slight vantage points so tribes could defend their land against others in an older, more violent era. Now, hillocks like this offer a placid vista of great beauty. Several times, we passed small camps of the those who still live here, a combination of traditional open tents and modern equipment.

Our guides explained about the half-dozen species of camel during our desert drive. The hump of this white camel seems to be echoed by that mountain hump.

One of the rarer species is the black camel, a type we never knew about. This was one of perhaps a dozen in a herd we passed.

Our trip covered dozens of rock art sites, many notable as much for the boulders and surfaces chosen as the art itself. The art and texts left by desert dwellers and nomadic traders spanned nearly 10,000 years. One of the most striking collection of images included these large domestic bulls, surrounded by little images of oryx, ibex, ostrich, camel – and people. Note the mounted figure carrying a spear just to the left of the bulls, plus another tiny warrior to their right.

The most unusual art we saw…no, not Nancy, but images of a pre-Islamic goddess at a sacred site where the Bedouin people invoked her blessings. In the vicinity were thousands of inscriptions on unusual slabs of rock that had tumbled from the mountainside. Aliaa was, like Athena and Astarte, the goddess of fertility and love (but also, oddly, mercantile fortune and war). She was a figure of the sun as well, so her hair often appears more like sun rays.

Our guide and hostess for the trip to Hima prepared many treats for our lunch, tailored to vegetarians, including the traditional coffee and dates. Lounging at the edge of that landscape and conversing with her and the driver were pleasures which we were sorry had to end.

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Al Haram. In Madinah and Makkah (Mecca), the two holiest locations in Islam, Al Haram is the part of town that is restricted to Muslims. At Makkah, that’s the entire central city, where Muslims may even need a pass called an umrah because of the millions and millions of pilgrims traveling to pray there. At Madinah, the restricted zone has narrowed to the Prophet’s Mosque and some other mosques, rather than the inner city.

So, we felt privileged even to come close to the gleaming white Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, on an evening when perhaps a million people had come to pray. That mosque has been impressively enlarged into a vision of paradise over the years at the site where Mohammed himself built the original mosque – and where he is buried.

This is the Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah after evening prayers. The devout from innumerable countries had filled the mosque and the entire plaza around it. One and a half million can attend a service at any time.

A glimpse inside the Prophet’s Mosque. In the last few years, the rules barring non-Muslims have changed. That’s why we were allowed to come so close to the mosque. After the mosque finally emptied of all those praying within, we came up to one gate and inquired if we were allowed to enter. After surprising uncertainty and debate among the guards, one official said definitely no. At least we could admire part of it for a moment. Why the prohibitions? Around the world, most mosques are very welcoming to non-Muslim visitors. But these inner sanctums are so sacred as Islamic pilgrimage sites that tourists or gawkers seem terribly out of place.

After evening prayers, over a couple of hours, the million worshippers streamed out of the mosque itself and the plaza where so many had prayed. We wondered if our presence would trouble anyone, but some greeted us in welcome, while most seemed indifferent to us because their focus was on what they had just experienced.

The revered prophet of Islam, Mohammed, is buried beneath the green dome at the side of the Madinah mosque. After prayers, many worshippers queued to visit this area and the tomb.

Another view of the plaza around the Prophet’s Mosque and one of its striking watchtowers, as worshippers departed. This gives a good sense of the size of the place. Those lit stanchions are actually large umbrellas that open to shelter pilgrims from the intense sun during the day.

The Quba mosque at Madinah, site of the first mosque built by Mohammed. The second was the main mosque in Madinah. We both were able to visit the interior separately – Nancy in the women’s area and Barry in the men’s – but respectfully left a few minutes before formal prayer began, even though we were invited to stay. It was plainly decorated, with countless arched columns supporting the broad ceiling.

Here we stood with hundreds of pilgrims on a hill at Uhud, on the outskirts of Madinah, near several key 7^th century battles against the Quraysh Makkans. Born in Makkah (Mecca), the Prophet Mohammed was chased out by the polytheistic Quraysh leadership when he preached the monotheistic religion of Islam. He fled to Madinah, where he found a more receptive people. A religious war between the Makkan Quaraysh and the Muslims from Madinah, eventually won under Mohammed’s leadership, led to many battles around Madinah. Several occurred near this hill, which supposedly hides a cave where Mohammed took refuge when wounded. Battle sites like these have become pilgrimage destinations as well. That’s why there’s a large mosque below, with an adjacent cemetery, and why busloads of Muslims from around the world visit.

Mohammed eventually captured and converted Makkah, toward which a divine vision revealed Muslims should pray, rather than to Jerusalem.

A revered battle site in Madinah where Muhammed proved victorious now features a collection of mosques, tributes to the historical importance, called Seven Mosques. This is one of the oldest of them and one of the few we could visit due to renovation work on the whole site.

Makkah

One of two gates across the highway around Makkah that announce the restricted area. We were still able to transit along the road though not exit from it. The arms join at the center and support a book representing the Quran, Islam’s holy text.

A distant view of Makkah (Mecca) for a non-Muslim, out on the ring road bypassing the city. Exits from the road are clearly marked Al Haram and staffed with guards to turn you away. We could probably have found a better view at some mountain top among those circling the city. But we honored the limitations.

What you see here is the tallest clock tower in the world (surrounded by 7 very tall hotels for pilgrims). These mark the center of the city just a few hundred meters from the Holy Qabaa, the famous black cube. It is considered the House of God originally established by the Biblical Abraham, where Muslims go on their hajj pilgrimage and toward which (the direction, qibla) all Muslims pray.

The post Serene & Sacred: N. Saudi Arabia (Al Ula, Hegra, Madinah) first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

As the sun slid beyond the bulbous hills, and the moon unveiled itself in turn, we stared from our tent across the sands. The light wind cooled the ebbing heat. The day had filled us with awe, peering at sandstone cliffs and outcroppings of gold, ochre, red. And discovering Hegra’s World Heritage tombs carved in stone, monuments that recalled the Nabatean masterpieces at Petra. Still, we felt, the quiet desert evening could just rival those daytime spectacles.

Al Ula

Typical gorgeous vistas at Al Ula

We hiked up a ridge near Elephant Rock to reach the gap known as Vase-Shaped Rock. You can see the vase behind us. We found it exhilarating to stand inside and look far down at the desert valley below. But the best thing we found was a family. These two men and their mother were picnicking near the vase. They vigorously beckoned to us and invited us to sit with them on their rug. As is usually true of Saudis, they quickly offered us drinks and dates and cakes, as well as lively conversation about our homelands. As courteous guests here, we accepted their hospitality. When we left, a half-hour later, a newly arrived group gave us another gift of dates. The warmth here is not just in the temperature.

Those in charge of Al Ula make a spectacle out of the formation on the right, known as Elephant Rock due to its apparent body and trunk. You can’t even visit it until evening, when the sun and the locale put on a light show for people gathered to revere the elephant. We thought seeing it during the day from a high point was so much more interesting – particularly since the elephant seemed to be ready to butt heads with…uh, use your imagination…perhaps a buffalo?

A myriad of colors and shapes crowd the landscape at Al Ula.

Reputedly the largest mirrored building in the world, this event center named Maraya (or “Mirror”) never fails to enchant. From afar, it nearly disappears into the background; close, it captures the magic of the light and color around it.

The magic of a quiet desert evening

The Oasis at Al Ula

Water, water everywhere…oases are the source of life for those who inhabit the desert – settling around them to live or linking them as routes for trade. Al Ula is best known as an important settlement 2000 years ago for the Nabateans, whose capital was Petra in Jordan. But it later thrived as a place to live and trade because of the underground waters of its oasis. We took a walk through its surprisingly green landscape during our visit.

These mud-brick buildings remain from a town that thrived for 1000 years because of its oasis. The walls delineate the spaces for homes and meeting areas. The town was so big that it had 14 gates and a hilltop fort for protection. It was able to grow because it could farm extensively. But it was a key stop in trading a major commodity from the east, incense – a kind of all purpose source of scents, insect protection, and rituals. Pilgrims heading to Mecca and Madinah also stopped here, though now most visitors come for the beautiful landscape and Nabatean history.

This bee-eater was one of the many birds we saw enjoying the abundant life around the oasis.

In the winter months, it can be hot in the sun despite moderate temperatures. But this industrious ant kept working, hauling a huge, nourishing date – and occasionally faltering – on its way back to its nest.

The current oasis has an educational function as well, demonstrating the range of agriculture manageable from the water supply. Here cabbages and lettuces flourish amid the flowering trees.

Oases and palms are synonymous in the desert, producing robust crops of dates since eons past. These are young plants regenerating Al Ula’s old oasis. The date itself is a super-fruit with many health properties as well as a mini water vessel. It’s no wonder that traditionally hosts – and all hotels – serve dates alongside Arabic coffee in greeting guests.

Even banana trees can grow in the desert!

Peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley – all have their place with a view in this working garden within the old oasis.

Golden, ochre, green…Ancient mud dwellings of Al Ula reflect the hues of the timeless sandstone landscape.

The Nabataeans at Hegra

Not much can be seen of the ancient Nabataean city at Hegra other than the impressive carved tombs.

But this imposing space carved out of the rock is a meeting site, or diwan, for the Nabataean leaders and to do religious rites. Benches are carved into the stone as well. The narrow passage leads to a sacred site. All along its walls pilgrims engraved prayers or placed votive altars in carved niches. (That woman in green – with an inappropriately low-cut blouse – is not Nancy!)

Four temple facades mark entrances to family tombs of the wealthy at the Hegra site. These were carved into a huge sandstone rock called Jabal Ahmar. One of these tombs yielded an astonishing find by archeologists. A wealthy woman called Hinat had conscripted the tomb and was buried in it, surrounded by jewelry and other goods that survived till recent exploration. The find demonstrated the high standing of women in the Nabataean culture.

The largest – but mysteriously incomplete – Nabataean era tomb at Hegra (or Mada’in Saleh), Al Ula. It was intended for Lihyan son of Kuza, but is popularly known as the Lion Tomb. Hegra was the second capital of the Nabataean Empire after Petra in Jordan, during the 1^st century AD. This soars 22 meters high (72 feet), hewn out of the massive sandstone rock. Unusually, it features four columns, but includes the common stairstep to heaven at the top.

It’s a family affair within a Nabataean tomb. Bodies were wrapped carefully, treated with preserving fluids, and then laid in the horizontal cutouts or placed in layers within the deeper sections (far right). With great ceremony, mourners gathered outside the tombs for the burial or visited later.

Tombs at Hegra within a magnificent sandstone mountain

A single tomb on the face of this stunning rock formation demonstrates the ziggurat patterns, stairways to heaven.

An example of the detailed sculpting on the facades of the Nabataean tombs. The columns below, with wavy capitals, support a classical pediment complete with rosettes and mini-columns. At the top, are two funerary urns and the remains of an eagle invoking the protection of the god Dushara. Even more notable is the Medusa figure sporting two snakes like lightning bolts, also warding off evil.

Two tombs emitting a creamier, rosier light

Dating from 2500 years ago, a nearby site at Al Ula exhibits hundreds of simpler tombs like these, carved into the colorful rock of an extensive flat mountainside. They were made by the Dadan people, who preceded the Nabataeans. The most noteworthy tombs – and it seems those of the wealthiest – were marked by lion statuettes carved atop them.

The post Serene & Sacred: N. Saudi Arabia (Al Ula, Hegra, Madinah) first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Buraydah: A Stopover with Legs and Arms

It seemed like a pleasant mid-sized town, a stopover after the big city of Riyadh, but with few sites of interest to a visitor. However, we were delighted to find one of the largest camel, sheep, and goat markets in the country as well as a sprawling date market called Date City – both a result of the large oasis farms that made Buraydah an important economic force in the country. Oil is king now; but water from oases or springs owned the past. And we were charmed by a family history museum, whose collectibles showed how trading across the Arabian Peninsula enlarged the city’s economic importance. The town proved a lot bigger than it seemed.

We were invited into one tented stall at Date City to sample a few dates, exchange introductions with the farmers, and then wriggle out of purchasing huge boxes of the fruit. Date City consists of a few large buildings and a parking lot for many sellers, but we happened to be there when things were oddly quiet. Bad dates?

Buraydah has a much more formal market for domestic animals than the wilder one we saw at Nizwa, Oman. Here a buyer is checking out one camel, whose leg has been tied up briefly to keep him from moving.

Nancy checks out a herd of goats that had been running wildly away from their Yemeni goatherds, who stopped to talk with us.

“No, sorry, we’re not taking you home with us…”

The Al-Oqilat Museum crams more than ten thousand documents, photos, tools, maps, and stuffed camels within its old family dwelling.

The displays illuminated centuries of trading by the al-Oqilat tribe across the Arabian Peninsula and into India – as well as much of Saudi history. This is the reception room where visitors now gather for the traditional welcome of coffee and dates, often with the heir to the museum who is gesturing at the left of the picture. In the past, purchases of camels, goats, textiles, weapons, and more were finalized here under the thicket of sticks that form the ceiling.

A lounging room for visitors with typical Najd decorative features and a display of coffee pots and tray service. The adjacent room focused on the Arabian horses used by the tribe.

One of many gorgeous doors within the Al-Oqilat Museum.

A typical inner courtyard for a home, at the Al-Oqilat Museum. The white bell-like trim of Najd architecture makes such a contrast with the beige clay walls. Some other features are not typical, like the constant trickling of water at the well to the lower right (with a traditional water bucket made of camelskin), the swooping of birds from perch to perch on the rooftop, and the stuffed camel. The camel was one of a half dozen or so on display in various rooms, presumably old companions of the traders.

Hail and Jubbah: High and Low

Hail seemed a typical Saudi town, with the usual residential streets in a grid with major commercial arteries crossing at regular intervals. Add a few green spaces and an historic fort hung atop a lone mountain and you have a pleasant Saudi town.

Hail

The A’arif Fort dates from around 1840 under Rashidi rule. Its traditional mud-brick construction was common at that period, but most examples are gone now.

The view over Hail from the parapets of the fort.

Late in the day, several groups of visitors arrived at the fort, including these young Saudi women who stopped to talk with us and a family group that also introduced itself.

Jubbah

The World Heritage site at Umm Sinman in Jubbah, about an hour from Hail in northeastern Saudi Arabia, is an open-air museum of drawings and messages dating back 8000 years. Nomads, traders, and more permanent dwellers scratched their thoughts on sandstone cliffs, an early form of social media that has endured till today. The oldest are stick figures and domestic animals. The most abundant come from the Thamudic period in the 2^nd and 3^rd millennium BC: warriors astride camels and horses, realistic animals like ostriches and ibex, thousands of them, as well as 5400 texts still read avidly by archeologists. Early Arabs added camel riders holding reins and images of everyday life. And Muslims then recorded extensive thoughts and prayers to seek for peace on their journeys. Jubbah’s open-air classroom delivered a fascinating history lesson.

Not just a pretty face. We nearly missed discovering what’s here: hundreds of figures and inscriptions from the distant past cover the darker stone. We just needed to look a bit closer…

On the dark patches of that landscape, per the image below, you can see the density of activity often found on walls here. Neolithic stick figures appear amid camel trains, ibexes, and goats. On the panel above, Thamudic text messages abound from thousands of years ago.

On the right side of the following panel, we found an unusual representation in this region of a chariot drawn by two horses, guided by the little figure astride the horse to the right. Nearly all drawings show side views; this virtually adopts the perspective of someone between the two horses. It dates from the Thamudic period about 1500 BC. Other images have been worn away, but notice the long shadowy man etched into the stone during the earlier Neolithic period. To his left, a very detailed ibex: its curved horns carefully show off their ridges. And the later figures above it, which seem to show a fight between a mounted warrior and one on foot. Plus, on the rock to the left in the background, an Islamic inscription from more recent times.

A full slate: a hunting scene on the right with a fully armed man hunting for food, beyond which sits a curious spidery thing. A large bull hovers contentedly in the center amid other domestic animals. Carved more deeply at the back end of the bull is a Neolithic human figure with sinuous legs. To its right, ancient Arabic text runs vertically. Scattered above the bull are a herd of wild oryxes, with their long straight horns. IMs from thousands of years ago.

The next photo shows a portion of one of the most interesting and densely covered walls at Jubbah, with a wide array of periods and styles. In the center, a number of camels wander about, but the one toward the upper left is being vigorously driven by a rider holding the reins. That’s a lion with sharp claws at the bottom near the yellow marker, with perhaps a brave man keeping it at bay. To their right, carved deep into the surface from top to bottom are neolithic figures of cattle including what seems to be a calf inside a cow at the top, and various horned beasts. More wander across the top. In other parts of this wall, one could see similarly engraved long, lean neolithic humans. And ostriches!

In several places at Jubbah, figures likely to be priests or royals conducting some ceremony appear as larger images.

For more of rock art in the country, see our post on the south of Saudi Arabia.

The post Desert & Dreams: Riyadh and Eastern Saudi Arabia first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a land with a rich past mostly unknown to westerners. You can trace thousands of years of history, carved in stone or written in manuscripts, at this crossroads between cultures. In recent history, many tribes warred to control its resources until, beginning in 1902, Abdulaziz of the Saud tribe eventually unified the country under his rule from Riyadh.

Earlier in 2025, we had visited Al Hasa, the renowned World Heritage oasis between Riyadh and other Gulf States like Qatar. To read about that visit, see our Al Hasa posts.

Riyadh, the Capital

Riyadh is huge, a sprawling city of 8 million, which rapidly continues to be transformed. Few old things remain to be seen, like the city walls that were pulled down a while ago. Other historic structures have been restored or reconstructed, looking as good as new in many cases, largely to educate the young about the past – or, now, to entice tourists.

The legendary 1865 Masmak Fortress where, with courage and stealth, Abdulaziz overthrew the ruling Al Rashid tribe in 1902. This began the Third (and current) Saudi Empire, during which he united the provinces and tribes into the one country of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of early 20^th century Riyadh, the fort has been fully restored to look newly made. The architecture demonstrates the Najd style of the east: clay brick walls reinforced with straw, the small holes for ventilation and viewpoints, plus white detailing around inner windows and around rooftops.

Some of the delicately etched wooden doors of the 19^th century Masmak Fortress plus the typical Najd use of triangular features.

The traditional Najd architecture of the royal residence of King Abdulaziz after he united the country. We could view the exterior, but the inside of the palace was closed. Note the triangle designs, the white trim including the runners at the roof-line, and the bridges that allowed passage between the king’s quarters and the residence for wives and children without going outside.

The governmental center in old Riyadh, though nothing looks very old here now. This is Al Safat (“wide smooth stone”), where camels and weapons were traded once. More notably, it is also called Justice Square because public punishments including beheadings used to take place here, but not anymore. Its more macabre name was “chop-chop” square.

Just like the recovery and rehabilitation of the past, this is a place for big plans. Nothing is small. Not the restaurants, nor coffee shops, nor new complexes like the 135-kilometer long sports facility being built to cross the city from east to west, or a massive new entertainment center where the old airport operated, or a whole new central city near the revived old one of Diriyah, where a forest of cranes operate.

The palace of Imam Abdullah bin Saud in the older 18th century Diriyah district during the First Saudi Empire. The remains of this original city in northern Riyadh are a World Heritage Site due to their cultural importance. You can see here the results of the ongoing restoration work, blending the rough, old stones with reconstruction using the same methods as the old (brick and clay mixed with straw). The palace clearly shows those tiny triangular windows frequent in Najd architecture.

A part of 18^th century Diriyah yet to be restored, demonstrating the condition of much of it before the renovation work. In the mid-ground are the palms of the oasis that fostered the old city. And in the background, the forest of cranes marks just one of the huge projects ongoing in Riyadh. This one, as big as a whole city in itself, comprises a massive additional living and entertainment complex – one of the plans in the Vision 2030 program.

All of this activity in Riyadh, and in the rest of the country, is part of leadership’s Vision 2030 program, looking toward a future economy not so reliant on oil. Like other Arab states, the leaders aim to boost tourism, entertainment, sports, business investments, and so on – even alternative energy like plentiful solar.

Catching the rays…On the road out of Riyadh, we were astonished by what seemed to be a dark blue sea running alongside the road for 4 kilometers (2.5 miles): it was, actually, a 4 x 4 kilometer solar farm. We have also seen expanses of wind turbines at work.

Many new skyscrapers like this one rise out of the flat landscape of Riyadh, and there are some groups like the new Financial District, but Riyadh does not yet have the large skyscraper clusters of some Gulf States. The older villas in the adjacent neighborhood (seen at the base of the pyramid) are slowly being renovated or replaced.

An inviting park in old Riyadh. New parks around the country could be considered entertainment complexes, but this lovely one featured flowering plants, a modern art installation, and preparations for a light show during this week’s evening celebrations of the city. The old city is now one of many “centers,” scattered across long stretches of the city where traffic is regularly stalled in every direction despite the network of wide 6+ lane roads and highways. These form a kind of grid; within the sections of intersecting main roads, you find warrens of single-family homes or small apartments. The gleaming metro system of 176 kilometers and 85 stations is just starting to help move people faster. More lines are in the works.

A section of park near Diriyah featured hedgerows and date palms. This pays tribute to the vital role of oases and their abundant palms in desert life, as well as in the agricultural economy. The additional water required for farming and drinking is all pumped from desalination stations on the coasts. So, Saudi Arabia now supplies a wide range of fresh vegetables and fruits (including berries) to its markets.

The Edge of the World…outside Riyadh

It’s the Edge of the World, as we know it…and we were fine. On an escarpment of multi-colored sandstone that rises abruptly to 600 meters (about 2000 feet) over the outskirts of Riyadh, we hiked and danced. And peered at the vast sweep of land sprawled far below us. That’s why, here in Saudi Arabia, they call it the Edge of the World.

It was mind-blowing to follow the trails around the crumbling edge. And mind-blowing also to find fossilized shellfish, coral, fish, and wood there! For we were actually walking along an ocean bed from millions of years ago.

A fossilized fish discovered amid the rocky shale and sandstone of the escarpment. We saw many fossils of shellfish and coral as well.

With our savvy guide Hashem Alshareef at a canyon carved by the occasional water flows atop the escarpment.

Picture perfect at 600 meters.

On the Edge. We learned later that the escarpment continued to the west of KSA, turning into the mountainous region that parallels the Red Sea.

The post Desert & Dreams: Riyadh and Eastern Saudi Arabia first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Oil is now the biggest cash crop of the Al-Ahsa region in Saudi Arabia. But the world’s largest oasis here still enriches people with its abundant supply of spring water. Lured by the government’s offer of farms to own, the population of Al-Hofuf has swollen to form a sprawling city of 900,000 that has turned desert sand and date palms into villages. Over a hundred years ago, this was the first conquest by founding father Abdulaziz (or Ibn Saud) in making a unified country – and it was also our first experience of the Saudi state. Here’s a look at that city.

A large road runs through the center of Al-Hofuf, lined with strip malls and fast food outlets. Other sections of the town, known locally as villages, reach into what once was desert. This is a typical village intersection of low-lying buildings in various styles. We couldn’t tell one village from another.

We noticed plenty of strip shopping centers and large malls here, but the town’s traditional bazaar, the elegant arcaded Qasariyah souq just by the restored old city walls, is not touristy. Its stalls mainly offer day to day items, attracting throngs of young and old for clothing, food, spices, and – yes, now – mobile phone paraphernalia.

Many shops offer clothing, from traditional Saudi garments to western styles. In this shop, you can find robes fit for a royal audience, reportedly in enough colors to fit each day of the week.

So you need a saber, or scythe, or axe made to order? Just head to the right part of the souq and this sharp blacksmith will fix you up.

This elaborate gate marks a passageway along the side of the main souq. It looks much more defensive than its function, an invitation to the market. Parts of the restored old city walls are visible through the opening.

On the far side of the limestone caves we showed in our last post (click here to read), we visited a pottery complex of various stalls each offering handmade earthenware vessels. It was strangely untouristy considering the antiquity of the operation, begun by Dugha al-Gharash and handed down generation after generation for 600 years. The photo shows the master pot maker of recent years, whose children and grandchildren still make – and sell – the pots by hand.

It seems the locals still appreciate the traditional crafts to stock their homes. We also tasted the tradition at a renowned bakery frequented by the Saudi king, where they still cook the breads by slapping them against the sides of a clay oven.

This fragrant shop in town offers 10 different types of wood chips to burn in the hourglass-shaped containers visible on the counter. These are very popular in Saudi Arabia. The store also offers numerous oils for the discriminating nose.

In a nostalgic re-vitalization of a 19^th century building, this open courtyard in the central city welcomes local families for a bounteous, delicious lunch after prayers on Friday. The arcaded space with lavishly decorated walls, along with people watching, made the meal even better.

Most women at the restaurant wore the typical burqah dress, generally black, with hair covered. Some women also wore the niqaab, the face covering, awkwardly eating by lifting it up demurely. No one seemed to mind the western women without any of that. Some men wore the traditional white robe with headdress. But, as is often typical in the west, most men dressed like they were heading to a sporting match. We had a chance to talk with one local family who had a son studying engineering in Seattle. We wondered why they spoke English to the waiter. “It is necessary in ordering since the waiter speaks better English than Arabic,” one woman told us.

This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, with delightful Ottoman style doorways. It houses a religious school founded in 1610 that also taught languages, though the building has been renovated.

In central Doha, you can visit a camel market that is part of the old souq, though it’s as much a tourist sight as a market. We like our camels in the wild so we kept an eye out during our journeys through the deserts. This camel train showed up near Al Hofuf, against the backdrop of the non-stop electrical transmission lines also traversing the desert.

The post Greater Al-Hofuf, Our First Saudi Town first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

The oohs, aahs, and wows keep happening when people visit the caves of the Al-Qarah Mountain, part of the World Heritage site of the Al-Hasa oasis in Saudi Arabia, whose palms and farms we also toured (click here to read the post).

We certainly kept gasping during our visit. From the outside, the sprawling, low-lying mountain has some interesting features. But it hardly suggests the truly wondrous parts hidden within.

Its colorful, striated limestone shifted and settled, evolving into caves over time within these rocks.

Unsurprisingly, Al-Qarah has been considered sacred, with the largest of the caves becoming a popular spot for weddings due to its resonant acoustics amid the natural beauty. The residents also tell of a more mundane advantage, as a refuge from the extreme heat of the summer due to the caves’ constant 20C (about 70F) temperatures.

The wide access to the caves…

Another part of the entryway to the caves, with especially colorful striations luring us in.

About to enter the caves. The limestone pillars loomed over us, but are probably just about 25 meters (80 feet) high.

Some of the caves are well lit, but others are eerily chiaroscuro like this passage for Nancy back to the light.

One of the loveliest passageways amid the limestone pillars as they form an arcade leading to a sliver of blue light seeping in from above.

A narrow passageway in a different section of the caves is distinguished by the bulbous shapes of the limestone formations overhead. It did not feel threatening; cosy, rather.

Our guide awaits at the end of a natural hallway of leaning columns topped by a richly colored bowl.

The exit from the cave is the last of the oh-wow moments, a set of gorgeous sentries leading to a clay watchtower, all hailing our fabulous journey through the interior.

The post Wandering the Wonder Within: Al-Qarah Caves first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Lured by the World Heritage status of the Al-Hasa oasis at Al Hofuf, we decided to venture into this part of eastern Saudi Arabia during our stay at the neighboring Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. And, as usual, we found more than an oasis: fascinating historical and cultural hallmarks as well.

By the 20^th century, the eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Hasa, has been allied with the Ottomans for centuries. Al-Hasa prospered from two advantages: it had access to the Persian Gulf for trade and it had abundant agriculture because it contained the largest oasis in the world. In 1913, Abdulaziz (or Ibn Saud), the pre-eminent 20^th century founder of the modern, unified Saudi Arabia, made this his first major conquest outside of his base in Riyadh.

The Oasis

We’ve seen other oases in northern Africa and the Middle East, but here in particular private ownership of the farms has divided up the lots behind walled enclosures, so the palms are seemingly held in captivity. Still, the scale of the place is incredible. The oasis contains some 2.5 million date-bearing palms with over 100 different types.

Hundreds of springs water the oasis. Not so long ago, these springs reportedly sent 11 million gallons per hour to the surface. Because of various diversions, urban expansion, and climate changes, that flow is down to 3 million gallons per hour, still an appreciable amount. With such abundance of water, the inhabitants of Al-Hasa have developed extensive agricultural usage beyond dates – fruits and vegetables, flowers like the fragrant roses in this garden, and – most remarkably – rice, both a savory white type and a famous red one.

The major springs have been harnessed with storage vats and irrigation channels. This channel, however, takes the water that runs-off from the farms to a huge lake some 40 kilometers away. Largely, there is no need for any pumping; the force of the springs and the natural contour of the landscape handle the chore.

The owner of the date palm grove, flower gardens, and rice fields we visited. Many locals came by while we were visiting to buy his products from an open stall manned by his assistant. On a chilly morning, he sat with the refreshments – tea, coffee, dates of various sorts – at this table in a pleasantly shaded structure lined with comfy benches. We tried quite a lot, including the Arabic coffee with cardamom and tea with rose petals fresh from the garden. He conducted a very animated conversation with our guide, repeating an odd expression over and over again. We asked what that word was. “Listen to me!,” we were told, because he was insisting on attention from the guide.

The two trees in the foreground, with the bit of wispy leaf in between, show three generations of palm trees. The grandmother is the large one on the left, a bit aged now for fruit-bearing. Her offspring is the one leaning a bit too much to her right, but still going strong. The new baby is that set of fronds between them, formed from an offshoot of the mother’s roots, and it will be transplanted after a while.

We learned a lot about the palm trees in the oasis – how to tell age, not by rings, but by the number of palm leaves cut off to make those lovely patterns on the trunks (the grandma in the photo is about 40); the utility of the wooden chunks left on the trunk for heating and oven fires; the use of the leaves for fibers to weave in various ways; how each root of the tree corresponds to one leaf; how to breed more palm trees; and so on.

The History

The Ibrahim Palace dates from Ottoman occupation of the region in the 16^th century. This is the broad plaza within the walled structure. Hardly a palace, it is more aptly called a fort (qasr) because it served over the years as barracks for whichever force controlled the region, either local leaders or the Ottoman troops. Here Abdulaziz successfully defeated the forces opposing him at Al-Hasa in 1913, and made the fort his own. The large building to the right is a very Ottoman style mosque. In the foreground, in front of it, was the water source for the fort, with drinking stalls still visible. To the left, with its own domes, was the residence of the military governor. During the cold of the winter, he descended beneath the small dome in front of it so he could work comfortably in the steady temperatures underground.

This 19^th century Khuzam Palace, with its unusual trapezoidal towers, long hovered on the edge of the desert until the urban expansion of Al-Hasa encircled it. Its role was to keep the Bedouin tribes from harassing the townspeople or each other when they came to trade.

The interior of the walled Khuzam Palace (qasr) where the “policing” forces were stationed at the edge of Al-Hasa. The tree marks the presence of a natural spring that provided water for the troops. Another spring nearby watered the Bedouin tribes trading with or harassing the local population.

The mosque within the Khuzam Palace/fort features a dazzling carpet of Arabic decoration and old roofing made from date palms.

The ancient Jawatha Mosque, built in the form of a fortress, dating back to just seven years after Muhammad’s founding of Islam, some 1500 years ago. The builders apparently were even more dedicated to Islam than the population in Medina, site of the first mosque. The usual domes and watchtowers were not typical features then. This building had evidently been renovated since then, including the addition of air conditioners. Nearby, the old town of Jawatha lies under desert sands, yet to be researched by archaeologists.

The post The Flow of History around Al-Hasa Oasis first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Some of the most notable places in Doha to experience its balance between modernity and tradition are its museums. In three we visited, striking architecture enfolds Qatar’s celebration of its religious and cultural heritage.

The Museum of Islamic Art

The Museum of Islamic Art – designed by the renowned IM Pei – thrusts out into the blue waters of the Gulf, and looks like the watchtower of a mosque formed of stacked sandstone blocks. People wander out the back to savor panoramas of the Doha bay dotted with old dhows bobbing in the water and with a clear view of the skyscraper forest of West Bay.

This elegant, intricate interior within the watchtower invites the visitor to ascend to dozens of rooms where one explores Islam’s sumptuous artistry across the globe and back in time.

Extremely colorful and elaborate volumes of the Quran have presented the holy text over the centuries. But these two suras come from one of the earliest written manuscripts in the 7^th century, just 20 years after the death of Muhammad. The manuscript is also valuable because it presents an early version of the Arabic language. From the Arabian peninsula.

The museum displays many illustrated copies as well as numerous antique ones like this rare excerpt with gold lettering from the late 8th or early 9th century in kufic script.

This 10^th to 11^th century engraved copper fountain head from Umayyad Spain gleams with silver and gold inlay. It must have been a lovely sight when it actually spouted water.

An 11^th century Egyptian oliphant made from the tusk of an elephant, with added brass and gold. Replete with rabbits, birds, and lions, it was used to rouse the troops for fighting or hunting.

12^th century stucco panel from Iran, likely from a royal palace.  Nestled in a kind of formal, decorative garden, the figures are shown partying under the watchful eye of that enthroned figure at the top center.

16^th – 17^th century Moroccan arch with intricate carved woodwork in cedar. Doorways often received loving attention in Islamic architecture.

Qatar National Museum

The eye-catching architecture of Qatar’s National Museum by Jean Nouvel is breath-taking in its complexity outside and relative simplicity inside. As we approached, we couldn’t figure out how it worked to house the displays; after visiting the interior we still couldn’t figure it out. The design looks just like a crystalline mineral called the Desert Rose, whose planes of pink gypsum and sand radiate like rose petals.

This view within the Qatar National Museum gives an idea of how the interior echoes the intersecting planes of the exterior, including broad walls and slanted discs that act as video screens. Along the staircase is a nice display of weaving patterns from Qatar. The rest of the museum offers interactive exhibits amid wide open spaces, touching on the history of the country, Bedouin and Islamic culture, and the natural environment.

View over the Old Amiri Palace, domain of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in the early 1900s. He ruled Qatar under the protection of the Ottoman Empire and then England. Fifty years after it was abandoned, the palace was renovated as the original National Museum. The new museum seems to have landed like a space ship next to it in 2019.

Msheireb District museums

One of a handful of older buildings that have been turned into museums in central Doha. Most have been so extensively renovated that they don’t give much sense of the originals, but they tell interesting stories. One reviews the history and people of the old Msheireb district of the center; another the story of Qatari oil explorations. This one shows more of the lifestyle from a century ago, with period décor inside and lovely decorative facades like this, opening onto a central courtyard.

The post Exploring the Past in New Houses: Doha Museums first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Qatar, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

There was so much we enjoyed about our stay in Qatar. It helped that we visited during the moderate temperatures of the winter. But we would have savored the food, the cityscape, and the friendliness of the people at any time.

We found that our focus, Doha, sitting atop the desert of the long Qatar peninsula, shared many characteristics with the capitals of Kuwait and Bahrain, but seemed to occupy a middle ground in many ways. To us it seemed less rigid in its principles; invested more in parkland and public transit (keeping its many foreign employees on the move); equally committed to daring architecture and invented islands but perhaps more devoted to tradition and heritage; and somewhat more cosmopolitan as well as quite active in world affairs. We thought it best offered a balance to captivate a western visitor, while avoiding the hyper-glitz of Dubai.

Yet even the city’s extremes added to the pleasure:  the sweep of the gulf against the stretch of desert; the densely packed skyscrapers offset by surprisingly broad, green parkland; the endless shopping centers juxtaposed with engaging art museums; and the great wealth of the Qataris served by its international cadre of workers. It was fascinating.

Sleek veteran boats and traditional broad-beamed dhows sit along the corniche of the central city near the large MIA parkland, a popular urban gathering place. In the backdrop, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away is the Manhattan of Doha, the area called West Bay – a forest of skyscrapers competing for corporate attention

Part of several linked passages with fixed umbrellas to shade walkers across the vast Al-Bidda park, a Central Park mix of open terrain and wild forested areas.

We walked through the wilder region of Al Bidda park, at the edge of the Doha bay between the central city and the skyscraper forest of West Bay. We had to remind ourselves that we were in a desert.

Two forms of inventiveness…First, in the background, the remarkable crescent building echoes the crossed scimitars on the Qatari flag. It’s a Fairmont Hotel in a large northern suburb of the city. Nearby are four aluminum-clad office buildings by Norman Foster that are swathed in colors at night. Second, in the foreground, a squeaky clean re-creation of Venice complete with canals and arching bridges.

This pseudo-Venice is called Qanat Qartier, the part of Doha – with a name mixing French and Arabic – in which foreigners can buy real estate. It’s located on Pearl Island, a completely man-made island curling out into the Gulf with a dragon shape, and otherwise stocked with high-rise apartment buildings. Plus, out on the end, superwealthy Qataris and royals inhabit an enclave inaccessible to others.

Doha’s al-Wahhab Grand Mosque sits up on a slight hill, but is difficult to view from the surrounding streets – let alone photo within the grounds. It’s named for the founder of the Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam. It’s a big as it looks, with capacity for 11000 men at prayer, and 1200 women, plus room for about 20,000 more in its plazas.

One of the most charming parts of the Souq Waqif, the central marketplace in Doha, showing Persian influence in the woodwork and marked above by the benign presence of an heir to the throne. If you can’t find what you need here – including food, clothing, birds, and even souvenirs for tourists – you don’t need it. In a separate section of the market, you can browse for a camel or falcon. Most of the souq buildings are renovated, but retain the ancient clay facades that you can see on the upper left.

Brunch along the main pedestrian path at the central Souq. The food offerings here – pizza, Middle Eastern, Yemeni, sea food – attract the local population who come to shop at the busy old marketplace. We were intrigued by the varied choice of clothing styles represented in this tableau: the gathering of four men near the center, with three dressed in traditional robes and one looking like he was off to play golf; the two women in western dress and uncovered hair to their right; the women beyond them, with hair covered, wearing burqas; and the female crowd of traditional black burqas and niqabs (face veils) at the tables to the left, together with men in casual leisureware. All typical of Doha.

Across from the main Souq Waqif in the heart of the city rises the spire of the Islamic Cultural Center, a source of learning about Qatari culture, Islam, and the Arabic language.

The watchtowers at the mosques of Qatar generally have this tapered candle look with a domed top. The locals work hard at atmospheric lighting; this one was especially charming.

Katara Cultural Village. This mix of neo-classical imitations and fantasy elements (notice the tentacles emerging atop the left buildings) is part of a huge wonderland of shopping/dining/entertainment in Doha popular with locals near the man-made Pearl Island. We didn’t stay long or visit the imitation Roman Colosseum either. The village also features one of the nicest beaches on Doha’s bay.

These twin towers sit next to a colorfully tiled mosque within Katara. They recall a centuries-old tradition of building towers like this to attract and house pigeons, a practice supposedly introduced by Persian and Indian settlers. Their builders were not just pigeon fanciers, however. The clay towers served as bird farms, primarily for the collection of pigeon poop as fertilizer, but also feathers for pillows and the pigeons themselves for food. These towers are a popular photo op for Qataris and tourists, but they still collect that fertilizing outflow for neighboring farms.

The lit-up bay at Doha. That gleaming skyline of towers is West Bay. The farthest high-rise to the right is a bit fuzzy, but its red-topped dome makes it look like a lipstick applicator. In the foreground are the harmonious low rise structures of the old downtown in a re-fashioned pedestrian district.

Downtown Doha is very different from the same district of Manama, Bahrain, which retained its older buildings and often seedy feel, or Kuwait City, which replaced much of theirs with skyscrapers. This central district has mostly been re-made in a consistent architectural style like this. Largely a pedestrian district where the buildings reach just six stories high, it feels older and very people-friendly. In this small plaza, a children’s play area adds some spice.

A typical passageway within the Metro system of Doha. The quiet electric trains come every few minutes, connecting much of the central city at a cost of a half euro per ride, or 3 for a whole day. The platforms and trains are as sparkling clean as this hall, seemingly cleansed non-stop by unseen minions. Ubers, mostly of the luxury sort, were quite inexpensive also.

The food scene is amazingly diverse in Qatar, in part because wealth attracts top cooks for all sorts of cuisines. We had just come from Georgia, yet found very good Georgian food and wine in a restaurant near our hotel. The top restaurants are typically found in grand hotels where they are allowed to offer alcohol with meals. The other reason for the food diversity is the huge supply of workers from around the world, who seek out their home cooking. Near us, we could try a dozen different Indian restaurants primarily catering to Indian workers. This spot, at the edge of our hotel, was odder: a Polish restaurant with pierogi and sausages, staffed by this fellow recently arrived from Lebanon.

On New Year’s Eve, we decided to skip the crowded fireworks display at Lusail, a northern suburb at the far edge of the metro system. A good substitute was the Irish Pub tucked into one floor of the downtown Best Western. Alcohol cannot be purchased in Qatar, but the large hotels are allowed to serve drinks, with most offering extended happy hours in competition with each other. As a result, most of the best restaurants are located in hotels. There was one Irishman in the pub that evening, but the rest of the crowd contained a global mix of British, Americans from Mississippi, Tunisians, Algerians, Bangladeshis, Qataris, and others. A great pleasure we shared with so many of the international cadre of workers across the Gulf states was discussing their home countries based on our travels through them.

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Wandering through the Gulf States, awash in modernity fueled by 20^th century oil and gas money, a visitor can feel that history began here only 50 to 100 years ago. There’s not much old here.

Museums tell a very different story – of pre-Roman empires, the rich heritage of Islam as it swept across the region from the 7^th century on, and conflicts among these states up through 19^th century British colonial influence, and then 1930s oil.

On Musharraq, the largest of the many islands that comprise Manama, we dove into the history of pearl diving in Bahrain then went even further back in time.

(For our take on the “newer” parts we saw in Bahrain, click here to go forward in time.)

Older Bahrain: Two Millennia of Pearls

Before there was oil in the Gulf States, there were pearls.

Finding pearls and selling them constituted the cash crop for the kingdoms on the Gulf, especially Bahrain. The waters around its islands were reportedly the richest banks for those productive oysters. It was treacherous work for the divers. From their labor, though, wealth accumulated with the ship’s captains that could locate good beds and the traders/sellers of the bounty.

Bahrain honors that 2000-year old pearling past in a UNESCO recognized 3.5 km (2 mile) path through the old city on Muharraq Island, the second largest in the Bahrain archipelago. On the trail, you can feel the ancient streets – narrow, irregular, wayward. And see reconstituted homes built by those who prospered in the 19^th and early 20^th century from those perilous and precious pearls.

A typical lane of Musharraq Island, with one- to two-level stuccoed buildings painted in white or beige. Bahrain distinguished itself by its retention of the past like this throughout the island, while so much else in the city has disappeared in the rush into modernity. That red awning exemplified the ways the path livened up even the plain passageways for visitors. That pillar on the right with the ‘pearl’ globe marked the often tricky zig-zagging of the trail.

In December, the celebration of the pearling past becomes a month-long festival with special art displays, murals, art installations, etc. along the walk, and huge crowds at night. Particularly in the many small plazas hidden within the honey-comb of houses, we found sculptures, galleries, and celebratory pop-up art works to enjoy. This whole building, adjacent to a cluster of houses belonging to the pearling wealthy, impressed us with its huge tribute to Arabic calligraphy.

A pearl diver heads toward the oyster beds in the old days.  They free-dove with just a nose clip, leather finger-tip protectors for handling the oyster shells, a simple basket, and a large stone to help them sink – plus their ability to hold their breath. The oyster shells were shucked on board the boat. The pearls were precious because divers might need to retrieve a ton of oyster shells to discover a handful of good quality pearls, or maybe one in a hundred.

There are some two dozen rehabilitated buildings along the Pearling Path. Though many still give a feel for the 19^th century Ottoman era of luxury, with some re-created detailing and a sense of space, little else inside replicates the historical lifestyle. This is the best of them, Siyadi Majlis, at the northern end of the path, a wealthy pearl merchant’s home.

The complex of buildings owned by the Siyadi pearl trader included that attractive multi-story beige building and a private mosque. The mosque is marked by the dome-topped watchtower, a distinctive style for Bahrain and Qatar. Three men are arriving to pray at the mosque, which is now open to the public.

One example of pearls displayed at Siyadi Majlis, the best restored of the merchant houses. This 1918 “Flower Basket” brooch consists of diamonds and pearls on a platinum base. It was made by Cartier, just one of the western jewelers that frequented Bahrain to find the best of the catch for their home markets.

This exemplifies a renovated merchant’s house along the path, with re-creations of typical window treatments and porticos, along with other historic detailing. But the sterile interior largely consisted of bare spaces.

A good example of a rehabbed, but less renovated house along the path. This rough dwelling might have served as a home for pearl divers but was actually that of a noted singer and performer on the oud guitar.

An unrestored, but very picturesque doorway along the path, with typical grillwork patterns and two solar emblems in the upper corners.

Oldest Bahrain

Another day, we explored two fascinating remnants of the very old past in Bahrain’s capital of Manama – one from the Greco-Roman period and the other from the Bronze Age.

The forts of Qal’at-al-Bahrain

Together, on a slight man-made hill, this prime seaside location sits below two fortresses rich in history, qualifying them for UNESCO World Heritage status (Qal’at-al-Bahrain). Fresh springs still bubble up into the salt water of the bay.

In the foreground are the remains of Tylos, the older structure dating from the Greek and Roman eras, with the very new, very white museum in the background. Behind both, the very new city of Manama peeks out. The old Tylos fort was revived by Iranian leaders as a trading center in the 12^th and 13^th century. It supervised global trade: exporting dates and honey to China, horses and pearls to India, in exchange for spices, pottery, and more.

Burial stones from a necropolis in Tylos (the Greek town in Bahrain), from about 200 AD. These are in the style of Parthia, a contemporary empire based in Iran. The right hand is raised as a sign of worship or respect.

This new moat-enclosed fort at Qal’at-al-Bahrain dated from the 14^th to 16^th century under the Prince of Hormuz, including a period of control by the Portuguese in the 1500s. The fort occupies about 15 hectares of space, with each side about 55 meters long (180 feet).

Arched entry passage at the “new” fort of Qal’at-al-Bahrain.

Bronze Age burial mounds

The Dilmun Empire began in the Bronze Age and lasted nearly 2000 years until 500 BC, before it turned into the major Greek outpost called Tylos for 800 years. Only fragmentary remains of the Dilmun period survive to today except for burial mounds like this. This is in the Chieftain field, so called because the mounds appear to have held dead princes or rich traders. A typical mound consisted of a central domed structure with two chambers inside, surrounded by secondary chambers for family or clan members.

Circular burial mound from the Dilmun empire of 3 millennia ago. You can see the stone-walls of the structure, half of the dome that covered the central space, and some secondary tomb areas.

A look down two layers into the chambers of a burial mound. Nearly 12,000 burial mounds have been discovered so far in Bahrain, spread over six enormous fields, including 17 Royal sites.

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(For our take on the even older and oldest parts we loved in Bahrain, click here to go back in time.)

Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, seems very comfortable with balancing the old and the new. Bahrain, essentially a collection of islands, is overall much smaller than its Arabian Gulf neighbors with only 1.5 million people, half of whom are from elsewhere. Like the others, it is not shy about growing flashy skyscrapers and multiplying dazzling shopping malls.

But it has kept an urban core that burnishes the feel of the past rather than let it disappear in all but memory. We loved wandering through the spider-web of narrow downtown streets, with its commercial signage pushing jewelry in one district, clothes in another, electronics nearly everywhere, and so on.  Clean, but still a bit grungy in feel. Comfy like an old sofa, we thought, and very human-scale.

The most notable of Manama’s skyscrapers, the World Trade Center, with its spiky variation on a twin tower building – and its wind machines filling the gap. Other Gulf cities can be very densely packed with contending high-rises, but Manama’s more dispersed towers keep a human scale.

Suddenly, as we walked into the central city, that stunning black and white watchtower stood boldly against the older and newer beige structures around it.

One of the narrow streets downtown. This one features jewelry sales of all sorts, like the famous Bahraini pearls on the right, and gold or diamonds on the left. Plunked in the middle along the right side rises the renovated watchtower of an in-town mosque.

Another pleasant city block with a mix of merchandisers. A few such streets went straight-ish (or in this case curving) for several blocks, while most butted into others at intersections with odd angles or T’s. Walking them was fun, like meandering a maze.

The very colonial style entrance to the old souq, Bab al Bahrain, from 1949. Along with the formal market area, it has been renovated and cleaned up since then, but still presides over the district from its site in Customs Square. In reality, the whole central district of interlocking streets is a bazaar, or souq.

This section of the old Manama souq, like others in the Arabian Gulf, has been polished up and rebuilt since the old days – here, given very contemporary touches like these hanging chain-like things.

Unfortunately not open for dining while we were there, this charming eatery in the central city mixed an ancient style with modern décor.

We found this Indian temple occupying a large plaza hidden behind buildings and gates, and tucked into a nearly impenetrable set of streets and alleys. It serves the many Hindu workers that live in the city. Around the temple are a host of flower shops, like the one noted on the sign, offering arrangements for personal wear or weddings or adorning the temple.

In the consular section of town, many other countries hearkened to older styles, like the Iranian embassy channeling ancient Persia.

A typical, older apartment block outside the city center…nothing fancy.

Unlike dry Kuwait and highly restricted liquor use in Qatar, Bahrain offers open sales in state-authorized stores. The busiest of these BMMI stores is just a 10-minute ride from the heart of the city. On a Christmas Eve, the traffic outside in the parking lot here – and inside in the huge store – was frenzied. But that is normal around weekends, we were told.

A glimpse of the Grand Mosque of Al Fateh, lit up from the outside. We didn’t have a chance to go inside its spare but elegant interior, one that is consistent with its exterior.

These fanciful camels trotted along in various spots around town. This one appeared to be waiting for its owner to finish a latte at the Costa Coffee shop nearby, or perhaps to mount the peaks of the World Trade Center in the back. Western franchises are ubiquitous in the Gulf States, even ones that seem to have vanished from the west: KFC, McDonald’s, Chili’s, Raising Cane’s, TGIFriday’s, and on and on.

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Even your fingertip will be restored to you after death, says the Quran. Our guide selected this passage to recite during our visit to the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, which by contrast occupies a huge space in central Kuwait. Our fingerprints, he reminded us, are unique, as is Allah’s attention to us.

We certainly felt welcome there, down to our fingertips. Awaiting us were a cup of karak tea, a bottle of water, and seating on lacquered wood chairs. The women in charge ensured that visiting women were supplied with a full length covering for their hair and bodies. Then, on entering, we marveled at the splendor and scale of the mosque’s great hall, capable of holding 10,000 worshippers – and all their fingers.

Kuwait City Grand Mosque from the outside, occupying 20,000 square meters (220,000 square feet) and set between the old souq market and the harbor for old ships. It was completed in the early 1980s. Driving around it to find the visitor entrance takes a long time. Despite its size, it is used for prayers only on Fridays. Our witty guide lightly touched on key tenets of Islam while explaining the utility of the mosque’s details.

Each capital in the Gulf States proudly points to its Grand Mosque, typically a recent and sumptuous structure intended mostly for special days in the Muslim calendar. In reality, it’s just one of many, many mosques of all sizes. You even find little ones at the border crossings to accommodate required prayer times or appeals for a safe journey.

Kuwait especially is a quite conservative society. Unlike Bahrain and Qatar, there is no alcohol, not even for international visitors. The abaya is worn by most women, with at least a head scarf and loose clothing. Some do wear the hijab face masks. Kuwaiti men dress in white flowing robes with tribal colors on their headcoverings.

On first entering, we were awed by the ceiling of the prayer hall. Many of the decorative elements are also structural, our guide explained.

The great dome of the Mosque weighed so much that the architects needed to add supports (such as the gold arches to the right and left) for weight distribution after the construction.

This side room, with so much gorgeous detailing, is reserved for the emirs of the country who use a separate entrance to the mosque. At the time of construction, it seems, the emir was not pleased with the room, so the builders needed to redo it completely. In the center of the room sits a copy of a large-scale Koran manuscript dating from the first century after Mohammed.

A view to the rear of the capacious prayer hall. The lines on the carpet delineate the space for each worshipper.  The different styles deployed and the sourcing of materials were eclectic. Traditional Kuwaiti decoration formed just part of the whole. The tinted windows came from France and Italy.

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Kuwait has built “Cultural Centers” all along its Persian Gulf coast, places to celebrate the arts or recall the desert culture of the past.

These cultural centers offer insights into traditional culture and crafts like weaving, or reflect the Kuwaiti interest in contemporary arts. Kuwait City is sometimes called the Hollywood of the gulf: in just a few days we bumped into three filming sites without even trying. And then there is an unusual tribute to modern art - and marriage - at Kuwait’s Mirror House.

One typical cultural center we visited is the Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village. It’s like a mini-Epcot, a re-creation of an old Kuwaiti village, offering a bazaar and exhibits, as well as picnic space and amusements for children.

Just across the highway is another cultural center, the Amricani. Once an early 20th century American mission hospital developed by the Dutch Reformed Church of America, it now houses another private collection of artistic and calligraphic treasures like the Tareq Rajab.

These cultural institutions flourish though much of Kuwait’s wealthy society looks forward rather than backward – planting flashy skyscrapers, showcasing contemporary art, multiplying malls, rehabbing the old, and creating new suburbs. Even their Dilmun burial mounds are questionably preserved.

Tareq Rajab Museums

It was a pleasure, therefore, to discover the Tareq Rajab Museum, a hidden gem tucked into one of those suburbs. Oddly the hotel staff and our driver – some of the non-Kuwaiti workers that keep commerce going here – knew nothing about this place.

The museum constitutes a sterling collection of Islamic antiquities from around the world, gathered by the former Director of the National Museum (which itself has sadly been closed for four years due to conflicts over land use). He fought for the preservation of the past even while so much was bulldozed to make way for the new. His collection was so vast that it now occupies two separate villas near each other, one devoted to calligraphy.

Rare 12^th century bronze incense burner with lion figures drawing a stupa, from Afghanistan.). In the nearby rooms, we savored an extensive collection of swords and rifles from the region, as well as ceramics and ancient manuscripts.

Another section of the main Tareq Rajab museum was devoted to the diverse, elaborate jewelry from dozens of different cultures across the Middle East and Asia. This assemblage was typical and comes from Uzbekhistan.

13^th century Iranian jug adorned with Kufic and Abbasid styles of calligraphy. This was displayed in a second home for the museum, dedicated to the stunning beauty of Islamic calligraphy (Tareq Rajab, Calligraphy)

One of innumerable manuscripts and printed Korans, each of which exhibits striking artistry, at the Tareq Rajab Calligraphy museum.  This one shows a frequent application of the calligraphy, the definition of an object or figure with the writing, in this case a vessel.

One of a dozen display rooms at the Tareq Rajab Calligraphy museum showing just some of the richness of the collection. Those huge wood panels, presenting Sura 76 of the Koran date, from around 1400AD and come from a mosque in Egypt.

Mirror House

Close to those villas, we also discovered the artistry of another contrarian couple at their “philosophical” house – one completely covered in mirrors. Illuminating.

During the required tour of the Mirror House, we toured with the artist herself, Lidia Qattan. She dedicated 50 years of effort to covering the complete interior of the Mirror House in glass. She did all the work while her husband, Khalifa Qattan, a celebrated painter in Kuwait, was away for exhibitions and meetings – and then redid it after an invasion of termites forced a re-do.

Many of Khalifa Qattan’s paintings are in the house. He was a well-known Kuwaiti artist who exhibited around the world. His philosophy of circularism, based on the cycle of life that his wife’s work also echoes, took physical form in many of his paintings, such as these. Always reflecting and commenting on everyday life, he later painted works more overtly hostile to tyranny and war.

Each room devised by Lidia Qattan has a theme related to her own philosophical concerns about mankind’s relationship to the universe, our connection to nature, and women’s powers. Here her paintings on the glassed walls reflect the room’s theme of birth, the big bang, and cosmic forces.

The salon of the Mirror House, dedicated to Terra, our Earth…and, in this particular corner, fish. The kitchen next to the salon is also fully mirrored, including the refrigerator.

A hallway in the Mirror House, with more domestic imagery. No shoes allowed; you bring your own slippers or buy/rent them for the tour.

A corner of the bathroom in the Mirror House with an appropriately aquatic theme. You can just see the curve of the bathtub on the left. The toilet cover was mirrored, but the seat was not.

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Kuwait is the first of the three oil-soaked emirates we visited along the Persian Gulf (or what the locals now call the Arabian Gulf).

Kuwait has seen many changes in fortune since the early 20^th century, first because of British colonialists and warlike neighbors, then as prey to economic fluctuations. It swung up as a port town a century ago with a rich pearl trade and later as an oil-producing powerhouse. It swung down with the Iraqi invasion in the Gulf War of the early 90s and energy price fluctuations.

Still you can see the wealth everywhere – in the skyscrapers that sprout from the desert sand, in the grand family estates, or in the new highways and park projects. And yet you can also find deserted lots and incomplete projects throughout the city.

Kuwait may not be the most tourist-friendly state on the Persian Gulf. There is little of historical interest to see. Some things seem permanently closed, the major park has too few access points, and residents seem to know very little about interesting sights – outside of shopping malls, that is. Plus alcohol is completely unavailable.

We found it to be a pleasant but surprisingly chilly place in the winter (with highs of just 18C vs. 50C in the summer). And we felt the experiences we had were worth the extra effort. The Kuwaitis were very welcoming to outsiders like us, while the cadre of foreign workers treated us like royalty.

Reaching for the Sky

Like the other capitals in the Gulf States, central Kuwait City abounds in flashy skyscrapers, like the streaked one, second from the right, that we called the Whale and the tallest on the far right, Al Hamra, which folds in on itself like a rolled-up newspaper. This is the view from the entertaining parkland, Al-Shaheed, that arcs around the city center.

The wrapped surface of Al Hamra, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, yields environmental benefits by reducing its energy needs. It stands within a cluster of soaring buildings in central Kuwait City.

At night many of the buildings feature their own light show: streaks of light sweep up the Whale while a glassy skyscraper nearby blinks colored lights all over its surface.

Lights at night-time in one Kuwait neighborhood. The mosque at the bottom of the frame sits in the middle of a busy traffic roundabout. Lit up, it acts like a beacon even with the competing lights of hotels and businesses. The spike of a tower to the left, at 372 meters high (1220 feet), twice the height of those Kuwait Towers, is visible from all over town. It’s a communications center that also houses the Communications Ministry. It was named Liberation Tower because its construction spanned the Gulf War with Iraq, but survived.

Wrapped in green

Green space in Al-Shaheed park, with yet another skyscraper nearby.The extension under development includes a large, domed youth center and ice rink. We had a lot of trouble finding our way into the park because it is completely walled off except for a few access points. Odd, we thought.

A fish-y fountain within the “Green Belt” of Al-Shaheed park. The completed part already offers widely diverse sections including a few museums, cafes, running track, palm groves, pools and grassy areas, etc.

A titanium monument to the Kuwaiti Constitution in Al-Shaheed park, a celebration of the country’s special embrace of democracy from 1962. Though Kuwait remains an hereditary monarchy, the constitution codifies numerous freedoms and rights for its citizens. Its 183 articles are represented by the inset chunks of copper on the face of the two huge tablets. An extensive area of water and palms graces the access to it.

Markets and cafe culture

Kuwait is one of the least arable countries in the world, but its markets abound in products from more agricultural countries. This was one of many stalls rich in dates, some of which do come from a wetland area down the coast. It’s within the famous old souq, Al Murabakiya that sprawls over a huge space in the central city.

Stalls in the old, but very fresh-looking, souq of Al Murabakiya deliver a rich array of produce from elsewhere.

The guys get together for hours of talk over coffee or tea in one of the many cafes of the old souq, Al Mubarakiya. Women too eat at the open tables of the restaurants here, but seem to gather socially at home.

An intriguing mural at an open plaza full of art works within the Al Mubarakiya market. Kuwait prides itself on its interest in contemporary art (as well as striking architecture). Kuwait calls itself the Hollywood of the Gulf and, indeed, we kept bumping into film shoots all over town.

In between the Old Boats Harbor and the new boat harbor is a complete renovated market house for fish, aptly named Souq Sharq.  Amid stalls with fish neatly laid out in aesthetic precision, this one seller preferred his crustaceans in elegant arabesques. We thought that a purchase would disturb the artistry.

Water and wealth

The function of the Kuwait Towers, a symbol of the city, is far from obvious. On a spit poking into the Gulf waters at the northern edge of the city, these actually store desalinated water in the two balls, a precious commodity in this desert land. They’re the most spectacular of some 30 water storage towers altogether. The tower on the right has a rotating viewing platform within the top ball and a restaurant above the water storage within the lower ball. It reaches 187 meters (614 feet) high. The balls are clad in spiraling steel discs to echo the domes of historic mosques.

A view of the waterfront from inside the Kuwait Towers. You can walk forever along the beaches and boulevards that begin here. The white complex to the right is one of the many cultural centers dotting the coastline. Fashioned in many different styles, these centers feature Kuwaiti arts and culture. Unfortunately, the view toward the dense cluster of skyscrapers in the city did not make for a good photo: the low-lying sun lurked behind them and most of the windows were coated in desert brown.

Aside from a few notable museums, there is little antiquity to see within Kuwait. But these dhows in the Old Boats Harbor, formerly used for pearl diving and apparently still used for fishing, still connect the past to the present day. A short walk up the coast from here is a huge elliptical harbor for modern boats.

Along the beachfronts you can see fancy mansions owned by wealthy Kuwaiti families. In this newer part of town, Salmiyah, down the coast, the mansions are seemingly less ostentatious, but still enormous. In addition to the size of the homes, those covered parking spaces (and the others across the city) are a sign of wealth as they shelter the many luxurious cars that a typical family owns.

The post The Look and Feel of Kuwait City first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Kuwait, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)