As-salaam ‘alaykum!
So there I was at breakfast,
contemplating desert. To the east of Riyadh extends Al Rub’al Khalil, the Empty
Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. This is an extremely hot,
arid area stretching down to the Yemen; it is a vast wilderness whose area is
larger than that of France! That was no MERS symptom that had me coughing, just
the dusty, dry atmosphere.
Over coffee I struck up a conversation
with a local lady, a dress designer
who was holding an exhibition of her creations at the hotel. Naeema Al Shuhail very kindly invited
me to view her beautiful exhibits and graciously even allowed me to try a dress
on - imagine! No model, me - I think the gorgeous sandy-pink linen dress draped
better on the hanger than on moi. There was a mouth-watering array of cotton. linen,
silk garments in soft dusky pink, blue, grey and beige hues, reflecting the
muted, natural tones of nature. Others radiated gem-bright colours, guaranteed
to make Saudi ladies with their dark skin tones look like exotic birds of paradise.
Here is Naeema standing before her stunning
evening gowns - the bodice on the left apparently inspired by traditional
Japanese styles. She was originally interested in collecting traditional Saudi
clothes and in 2005 began making jackets with elements of these vintage pieces
incorporated into them. Her extended range of garments – elegant evening gowns
and swirling day-dresses – is all in natural fibres. Her pieces are frequently
bedecked with beading, appliqué, embroidery created by employees she selects
for their traditional skills. In this way, she is offering a life-line support
to some who are often living in difficult or constraining circumstances. How
admirable to cater for glam gals and at the same time support the less
privileged. Bravo, Naeema, it was a pleasure to meet you! By simply googling
her name you can view access to her latest collection.
In my last posting I focused on the Arab male
headdress, so now it’s time to talk about the Hijab, the general term for the dress code for Muslim women.
While I was there, a large, fine
black scarf served as an Abbayya to
cover my hair. The fact that I wore this drew some comments of disapproval from
acquaintances in Europe who don’t agree with the concept of the Hijab. Passing
judgement on a Middle–East convention, seen through a western perspective, as
it invariably must be, can often lead to simplistic or superficial observations
being made. At the airport I did see a few isolated cases of western women kitted
out in close-fitting clothes, without any head-covering. I must admit I don’t
applaud that approach. The real issue is very simple: if the life-style is not
to your liking, you simply don’t go there. My take on it is that I chose to go
to SA and I believe my opinion on their ethnic /religious dress-codes is
neither here nor there. I was on their turf and opted to wear my self-styled
Abbayah in response to and to show respect for local sensitivities. In return,
I was treated in a courteous and considerate manner.
Continuing on the theme of fashion, I was
intrigued to see that as young girls came into our male-free hotel-haven, many
would immediately shrug off their head-covering, secure in the knowledge that
no male was be there to object or to require their covering up. While enjoying
my evening meal, I was treated to entertainment from the balcony: two feisty
dames – one on keyboard, the other vocals - were rehearsing for a wedding party
(presumably ladies only). What they were hammering out was very dancey indeed. In
the dining room there were several groups of young girls, meeting up for a chat
over coffee, soft drinks, or a snack. It struck me as very interesting that
though the Abbayyah had been abandoned, the Chador, or full body cloak, was allowed to gape open but was never
taken off. To my great delight I spied one young girl sporting a T-shirt and
ripped jeans, but what really made me grin was the cool ‘dudesse’ decked out in
a crop-top , crotch-sagging rapper trews, finished off with a pair of scruffy
base-ball boots - why not? Go, gal!
Incidentally, the cell-phone is
just as much in evidence as it is elsewhere. When I visited the girls-only
college for the assessment I was to do, I learned that there was an adjacent
boys-only college, with the students following the exact same courses and
sitting the same exams, but with never the twain meeting. In theory. In
reality, the cell-phone allows for ….lotsa liaison!
Two more shots of Riyadh : one of a prestigious eye
hospital with those glorious palm trees nearby and
a dusty, desert cityscape. Can
you see some of Naeema’s subtle tones in there?
My departure was very early and
as I left the hotel it was to the sound of the ‘Allahu Akbar’ dawn call to the faithful. The sound transported me
back to my time in Yemen where a mosque lay just beyond my kitchen window. The
Sana’ani call to prayer was a
particularly melodic, soothing undulation. My sun-up-in-Saudi snap gives the sense of
just how dusty things can get out there.
Returning through Istanbul, I had
time to enjoy entertainment laid on by young men in cheery traditional costume -
ice-cream vendors extraordinaire. Featured
on You-tube, they can be seen wielding long-handled cone-holders from which
they decant ice-cream ……or don’t! It’s with sleight of arm, rather than of
hand, that the vendor, like a majorette, performs magic in the air. Just as he
offers you your cone and you go to grasp it, it flies beyond your reach,
swooping and diving, not a jot being spilled. Then you do manage to grab it
only to find he’s left you with a second empty cone from the base of the
holder, while once again your ice-cream is tracing kite-like manoeuvres
mid-air. They had a group of coy, oriental ladies reduced to embarrassed,
school-girl giggles. Brilliant marketing skills as their antics drew a great
crowd of spell-bound kids and amused adults.
With that my Saudi sojourn is
drawn to a close – it was a veritable adventure.
The mosque with its dusty
backdrop provides a fitting final note. You can just hear the Muezzin’s voice
soar into the cool early-morning air as he recites the adhan and calls everyone to prayer.
Ma’a salama …… Peace be with you!
