Saudi Arabia

November 2022

A 16-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more

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skip's retirement travel Saudi Arabia
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- Nov 12, 2022, 10:28am
- ⛅ 28 °C
- Altitude: 579 m
- Saudi Arabia Ar Riyāḑ Ad Daḩū Qaşr al Maşmak 24.631667, 46.71333324°37’54” N 46°42’48” E
Day 2
Al-Masmak, Riyadh
November 12, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The mud brick fortress of Al-Masmak dates from 1865 when it was built to protect the local ruler during a period of warring emirates. It's main significance now is the role it played during the conflict resulting in the unification of Saudi Arabia into the single kingdom it is today. Nowadays, it's a museum.
The 1st picture is of the fortress from outside. The 2nd picture is of a model of old Riyadh with it's city wall. The fortress can be seen just left of center. The 3rd picture is of the main door into the fortress. To the right of the small door, about even wit the bottom of the X, you can see the remains of a spear tip. This from a spear thrown by King Adulaziz that just missed the local emir. That emir was killed later.
The 4th picture shows the construction inside the fortress, and the 5th is of one of several courtyards. The 6th picture is an interesting ladder made from a tree that has some interesting twists, making climbing it interesting, as well.
The next 3 pictures are museum exhibits: weapons, a saddle and uniforms, respectively.
The last picture is of a local man serving cups of Saudi Arabian coffee. It is not at all what we would expect. It is a mix of coffee, cardamom and clove. And it is yellow. Totally unexpected, by me anyway.Read more
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- Nov 12, 2022, 11:00am
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitude: 601 m
- Saudi Arabia Ar Riyāḑ Al Malaz 24.671947, 46.73640324°40’19” N 46°44’11” E
Day 2
Riyadh
November 12, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and has a population of about 8 million, makes Ng it about the same as NYC. The city is located on a desert plateau, more or less in the center of the country.
I haven't taken many pictures as Riyadh is a thoroughly modern city that is similar to other places of extreme wealth that are building/rebuilding.
The 1st 2 pictures are taken from the sky bridge of the Kingdom Tower. This 302 meter tall building splits into 2 tower with the sky bridge between. The 3rd picture is the Kingdom Tower itself. The bottom several levels are a very high end mall with all the stores one would expect. You know, the ones I can't afford.
The 4th picture is a traditional Saudi welcome feast for the tour.Read more
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skip's retirement travel Saudi Arabia
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- Nov 13, 2022, 3:51pm
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 938 m
- Saudi Arabia Ar Riyāḑ Khashm al Manjūr 24.706667, 46.224°42’24” N 46°12’0” E
Day 3
Edge of the World
November 13, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Popularly know as the Edge of the World, Jebel Fihrayn is a 300 meter escarpment near Riyadh. The cliffs were formed by tectonic movement. The area had been a shallow sea. So, many marine fossils can be found.
The pictures are all various views of the cliffs and lowlands, all taken from the top. The last picture is at sunset.Read more
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- Nov 14, 2022, 1:16pm
- ☀️ 30 °C
- Altitude: 706 m
- Saudi Arabia Ar Riyāḑ Raghabah 25.161667, 45.80666725°9’42” N 45°48’24” E
Day 4
Al-Jeraisy
November 14, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Al-Jeraisy is a 400 year old castle located at an oasis in Saudi Arabia. It is currently in restoration and closed. However, the sure manager gave us access on the condition that we not take photos. When they do get this finished and open, it is definitely a place to visit. The approach they are taking is to stabilize part of the interior to make visible what the site was, and restoring part to show how it actually looked. It is a wonderful site.
These 5 pictures are all outside the walls. The 1st picture is the front of the castle. What looks like a square cutout in the wall is that exactly that: a section where the new wall has been left open, making the 400 year old wall visible. The 2nd picture is one of the 4 towers located in the corners. The 3rd picture is looking away from the front, showing other ruins.
The last 2 pictures were taken from atop one of the towers, looking out at the oasis. The last picture accidentally caught part of the rebuilt structures inside the castle. Again I say they are doing extraordinary work here.
Come and see!Read more
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- Nov 14, 2022, 3:36pm
- ☀️ 31 °C
- Altitude: 713 m
- Saudi Arabia Ar Riyāḑ Al Far‘ah 25.34, 45.19166725°20’24” N 45°11’30” E
Day 4
Ushaiqer Heritage Village
November 14, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Ushaiqer is a well-preserved village that is one of the best examples of Nadji architecture which is characterized by thick walls, natural materials and "outlined" windows and doors. Also, the buildings are all connected, not free standing.
The area was 1st settled by Bedouins about 1,500 years ago. The town developed into an important stop for pilgrims to rest and replenish.
The 1st 4 pictures are various looks at the town and it's architecture. The 5th picture looks down one of the many narrow streets in town.
The 6th picture is in the mosque courtyard with the minaret in the background. The 7th picture is inside the active mosque.
The 8th picture is in one of many courtyards, and the 9th picture is in the 1st school. The posters tell about the 4 original teachers from about 150 years ago.Read more
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- Nov 15, 2022, 8:00am
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 624 m
- Saudi Arabia Al-Qassim ‘Uyūn al Jiwā’26.443674, 43.94209626°26’37” N 43°56’32” E
Day 5
Camel Market
November 15, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
The main market for camels and sheep in this part of Arabia. I'm told that most camels are bought for slaughter as camel meat is a bit of a delicacy here. I haven't eaten camel here yet, but I have elsewhere. It is good.
Some of the camels are bought for racing and breeding.
Rather than photos, it seems good to post a video as the sound effects were I large part of the ambiance.Read more
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- Nov 15, 2022, 3:03pm
- ☀️ 28 °C
- Altitude: 1,034 m
- Saudi Arabia Hai’l Region Al Hitaymah 26.993333, 42.2426°59’36” N 42°14’24” E
Day 5
Hutaymah Crater
November 15, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Hutaymah is one of a number of volcanic craters in this part of Saudi Arabia. The crater is about 150 meters deep and about 600 meters across. It is one of the largest in the country. It appears likely to be extinct.
The photos are all of the crater. In the bottom is a permanent salt water pool of potassium sulfate.Read more
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- Nov 15, 2022, 5:07pm
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Altitude: 1,122 m
- Saudi Arabia Hai’l Region Al Khuraymī Jabal Samrā’27.521667, 41.72666727°31’18” N 41°43’36” E
Day 5
Ha'il
November 15, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Ha'il is a city in northwest Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of the primary agricultural region of Saudi Arabia. Most of the nation's wheat is grown here. I can say it rains here as I got wet after supper tonight.
The pictures are taken atop a hill above a city park. We were there for the sunset that didn't happen.Read more
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- Nov 16, 2022, 10:13am
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 833 m
- Saudi Arabia Hai’l Region Jabal al Gharrā’28.031667, 40.91833328°1’54” N 40°55’6” E
Day 6
Jubbah rock art
November 16, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
This is 1of 2 sites near Ha'il (see another post) that together are a UNESCO world heritage site. The site contains some of the best and oldest neolithic petroglyphs in Arabia and the Middle East. The glyphs are at least 7,000 to 9,000 years old.
These are all photos taken there on my phone in the ambient light.
It's more impressive than the photos show.Read more
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- Nov 17, 2022, 9:15am
- ☁️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 716 m
- Saudi Arabia Al Madīnah al Munawwarah Al Ola 26.646667, 37.91333326°38’48” N 37°54’48” E
Day 7
Dadan and Jabal Ikmah
November 17, 2022 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
The ancient city of Dadan is an active archaeological site with excavation proceeding daily. The city was founded in the late 9th century BCE encompassing a portion of the oasis. The site sits on the old incense road, the major trade route through the Arabian peninsula. Hence it was a wealthy trading city.
The 1st picture looks at the cliff around the town with ancient tombs carved into the rock. The most significant is called the Lion Tomb as it has carvings above the entry. Count from the far left. The 5th tomb is the Lion Tomb.
The next 3 pictures relate to the excavation. The 2nd picture shows some of the artifacts recovered here. The 3rd picture looks back over an unexcavated area to the active dig. The 4th picture is of the ceremonial water basin with the temple wall behind.
The 5th picture is a couple of staff members demonstrating carving techniques in the native stone.
The rest of the pictures are at Jabal Ikmah. This site is referred to as the library as it has the highest concentration of Pre-Arabic inscriptions. This canyon became the place where various cultures traveling along the trade routes left their mark, often recording offerings to the gods. There are 3 pictures of a few of the inscriptions, and 1 looking along the canyon where the inscriptions are found.Read more
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