Saudi

More of Jeddah and its surrounding area.

The Desert on the Edge of the City

In Saudi Arabia, the city stops and the desert starts. There are no areas suburbs as we know them .The Camels are just outside of town.

Another Gold Merchant

Here is a photo of the gold merchant that we did business with. All you see is real gold and it is 21 carat weight. It has an unusal color. The gold trade in Saudi is highly regulated by the government as well as the Moselm religion. The Government has inspectors that show up, take several pieces at random, and test them.If these pieces are found to be something other than gold, the store is closed and the Owner is jailed. The religion specifies that when you give your measure, it should be larger than bartered for.

In the Souk during the day....

The sun can be blistering in Arabia. Most activity occurs in the cool of the evenings, when it is quite comfortable. Usually Saudi Arabia has 365 days of sunshine. The time I was there it was out of the ordinary...3 days of rain. It was beautiful to see the desert come into bloom and turn green. Oh, I did not mention the sand storms....Well, during the rain we experienced a major sand storm. Visibality was extremely limited...about 10 feet, at best. But here is the best part....when it rained and the storms blow up....It rained mud. It was the most amazing metrological phenomon I have ever witnessed.