“Celebrations are unique around the world. They have a capacity for allowing visitors to be enfolded into the events of culture.” – Old Sean
Moonlit Riyadh
A week ago, I returned from an impromptu trip through Rome. Now, back in Saudi Arabia, I felt my spirit dragging.
As mentioned in previous posts, I’ve been having trouble finding functionality during Ramadan. With my schedule still operational for daylight hours and very few activities to occupy that time, I mostly lounge around wishing I had Netflix.
But my friend Ahmed reached out during a weekday dinner drive and asked if I wanted to join him on a road trip to Jeddah. He said that Riyadh wasn’t a fully Ramadan-experience location. The city instead served as a major economic hub, but most people actually preferred their hometowns for true Ramadan activities.
Intrigued, I agreed. I think that experiencing Ramadan in an Arabic country is an entirely unique experience. And my opportunities to take part in Riyadh were severely curtailed. So I agreed, and on Thursday after work, I hopped into Ahmed’s car to begin the long hour drive to Jeddah.
The Arrowshot Road
Upon looking at maps, Jeddah is about a ten hour drive from Riyadh. But the reality is much swifter. Straight roads and high speeds allow the distance to be covered rapidly, especially once the traffic of Riyadh is escaped.
I hopped into Ahmed’s Lexus where his son and brother were eager to begin the trip. We wove through traffic over the next hour or so until the gridlock began breaking up. Afterwards, we zoomed through the night, distance falling behind us.
The drive itself is oddly serene. Saudi Arabian roads are highly functional and don’t have many drastic natural barriers forcing them to curve or climb. So our night became one of coffee, books, idle conversations, gas station snacks and phone games. Between the desert scenery and profound darkness, there wasn’t much to see. With the spotty reception on the route, we were effectively bubbled off from the world, a little solo rocked ship on concrete.
Eventually, we reached the mountains around Taif. Our pace slowed drastically due to the sweeps and construction of the highway. There was a remarkable point where we drove into a sudden, impossibly dense fog bank. A pungent, tire-like smell sliced at our nostrils as we forged through and Ahmed suggested that there was a fire nearby. But in the meantime, the entire mountain pass was smokescreened.
Eventually, we caught up to the cause. A semi truck, still in motion, was spewing a dense cloud of white smog from one of its wheel-wells, trapping lines of late night drivers behind it.
Once we maneuvered around, we zoomed the rest of the way into Jeddah.
The Rest of the Feast
Once in Jeddah, we made a series of stops to finalize our route. Ahmed dropped his brother off at his home. We then dropped Ahmed’s son off with his aunties. Finally, we attended Ahmed’s own family home where our friend Mohammed met us with armfuls of Indian food.
For the rest of the wee hours in the morning, we stuffed ourselves silly on dense, delicious Indian cuisine. Even though we had all finished fasting by this point, there’s something appealing about a few moments of true gluttony.
After finishing our meal, Mohammed drove me back to his spare apartment where I entered a comatose state. For the rest of the night and morning, I was in hibernation.
Amusingly, I decided to join Mohammed and his wife for the traditional breaking of the fast, Iftar, the time of adhan (call to prayer) of the Maghrib prayer. Because everything was closed for daylight hours and I was winded from the previous night’s drive, I was happy to spend my day in semi-consciousness, constantly waking, playing on my phone and falling asleep again.
Full Immersion
The entire point of visiting Jeddah was to enjoy a deeper Ramadan experience in Saudi Arabia. So I was cheered when Mohammed and his wife invited me to some of their favorite dining locations. We had a night of coffee while waiting for another Indian restaurant to open up before beginning a feast again.
It was a lovely evening out. We caught up on stories, talked about current projects we’re working
Since both Mohammed and his wife had work in the evening, they suggested I visit Al Balad, otherwise known as the Jeddah Historic District. This area, filled with curving seastone walls and traditional window coverings. These traditional Hijazi houses are characterized by their wooden Roshan (Arabic: روشان) windows and balconies which allow for greater privacy. The area has undergone massive restoration and preservation efforts over the last few years.
I’d visited Al Balad before, but never during Ramadan. Eager to see the historic center of Jeddah at night, I agreed.
Nights of Al Balad
When Mohammed dropped me off at Al Balad, I was immediately struck by the enormous milling crowds and endless soft lights of the area. There were wooden stalls everywhere, eagerly providing snacks, trinkets, clothes and other goods to all visitors.
Walls were decorated with spiraling Arabic artworks, Lights were strung low and soft over walkways. Tiny flags on string fluttered slightly in the night. White awnings looped over shopping bazaars. Malls were packed with shops showcasing specialty offers and traditional lanterns. The crescent moon of Islam rested in parks. Everywhere I turned, roads were closed off to better direct foot traffic into deliberate loops, making navigation easy by deviation difficult.
My entire night, though spent alone, was lovely. I ate myself silly on all sorts of traditional snacks and sweets. I browsed the Bedouin Market, seafood shops, projector artwork walls, fabric shops, Abaya fashion displays and perfume stores.
Additionally, I made a point of attending every free-entry museum I stumbled across. I stopped to peer inside the Matbouli House Museum. I waited in line to browse the famous Nassif House Museum. I passed the Old City Walls.
But my favorite feature, by far, was the Tariq Abdulhakim Center. As a military officer and musician, Tariq is considered one of the giants of Saudi Arabia’s musical heritage. He refined, popularized and created contributions to the musical culture of the country. Among his other accomplishments, Tariq is responsible for creating many of the military tunes which define the country’s genre to this day. He is considered a visionary and singular champion of Saudi Arabia’s national music identity.
Unsurprisingly, the museum is filled with historical information and carefully preserved instruments. They speak of Tariq’s childhood and upbringing in nearby Taif. The museum goes on to discuss various traditional aspects of the nation’s music culture, including traditional attire, the use of the oud, the popularity of vinyl in Tariq’s time and the incorporation of the ardha, a traditionally masculine sword-dance of Saudi Arabia.
Nightly Rightly
I met up with Mohammed again for the rest of the evening. We enjoyed drinks and ambiance until I confessed sleep was starting to catch up with me. By three AM, I returned to my bed, where I settled into a nest of blankets.
It was a lovely was to end the day. But my sleep lasted me most of the following day. My entire sleep schedule was irrevocably shifted and I only ventured forth again once night had fallen.
This time, I left the apartment to the Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina to meet with Ahmed. We ended up walking around the posh bay area where super-yachts lounged under decorative skyward spotlights. The food and drink in the area was almost hilariously expensive, so Ahmed and I ventured south to the Jeddah Promenade where numerous live performances were ongoing. We ended our evening by stuffing ourselves silly at Wood Fire Pizza Lenuo. Afterwards, we made an odd stop at an art-gallery area called Hay Jameel.
With that, my evening ended again. I needed to head to the airport to make it back to work the following day.
Less than Home
The flight home was swift and uneventful. I finished reading the Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk and sent out a slew of Easter messages to friends and family.
As one might expect, I like adding little jokes to my holiday well-wishes. The one I opted to employ is the following:
“My favorite Easter tradition is going to the graveyard and picking all the flowers I planted there. I’m sure Jesus would approve. Especially of my rose from the grave.”
I have less than a month left in Saudi Arabia. My apartment is already gradually getting packed up. Additionally, on that happy note, I leave for Turkey in four days for the Eid holiday.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written March 31st 2024
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Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. Two years ago, I bought two more Osprey Backpacks for my younger siblings on their first tour outside the country. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.
