Saudi Stuff

Here's a small, random collection of some of the funniest things I've come across here: from products you'd be hard-pushed to find anywhere else, to exclusively Saudi situations!

Here, for example, we have the entrance to a marina, with separate entrances for men and women, clearly marked, to avoid mingling of the two sexes. The fact that the entrances lead to the exact same pathway obviously has no significance, whatsoever. 

Abaya shampoo! Because we wouldn't want to see our favourite blacks fading out now, would we?

 Uh-oh, this looks dangerous. Time to call in CSI Jeddah. Meanwhile, if any ladies are interested in contacting one of these young villains, a BlackBerry Messenger pin is provided. Seriously, this is how teenagers flirt around here. When a boy sees a girl who seems to have potential under her wrappings, he walks by her and quickly mutters his BBM pin out of the corner of his mouth. If he's lucky the girl will offer hers as well, and the flirty texts will commence.  These exchanges usually happen in malls and supermarkets. Other techniques for boys include "writing my BBM pin in huge letters on my car in the hopes that some girl will dig my ride and hit me up", and the all time favourite "calling random mobile numbers at all hours in search of a female voice".

Tired of swimming with your abaya dragging you down? Thanks to this modern burqini (burqa + bikini), it is now possible to enjoy the beach and preserve your modesty. (Note that this is actually way too radical to actually be worn on a public beach around here. From what I've seen, women generally just sit on the sand fully covered and watch the men prance around enjoying themselves.)

So it was prayer time in the furniture store, and this salesman decided to take a refreshing nap on the merchandise. When I first came here, I thought this sort of thing was pretty remarkable, until I realised that the same rule that applies for picnicking applies for sleeping, as well: it's acceptable anywhere. 

 

These signs are found on virtually every escalator in every mall. Apparently, getting the apostrophe right is an issue. Even so, I think it's good advice, considering how often I trip over my own abaya. 

The "water fountain" at the souk. For a drink of water just fill the tin cup hanging from the barrel. Everyone uses the same one, so it really strengthens your immune system. Sharing is caring!

In the album covers of this box set,  Amy Whinehouse brazenly shows off her bare arms, knees and collarbone. Thankfully, someone went through all the boxes in the store and scribbled over the uncovered areas with marker, saving us from this disgusting display of promiscuity.

Same with all these bathing suit-wearing mothers on the outside of these inflatable toys' boxes. There were practically hundreds of boxes in the store, so I couldn't help but wonder if they hire people especially for this purpose. It could be a legitimate profession in this country: "Unveiled Woman Scribbler". It would actually be really good for the economy, as it would create thousands of job positions, while simultaneously helping the promotion of morality.

Fitting Room Mystery Solved

After an extended holiday in Athens, I have traded in my winter coat for an abaya once again, and returned to the Kingdom, ready to get back to blogging. The first post of the new year, brings what may be the explanation to one of the first things that struck me as incredibly odd in Saudi Arabia.

A few posts back I mentioned that most stores in malls don't have fitting rooms. Instead, the clothes must be bought, taken to the bathroom and tried on there. This is an arrangement I have not encountered anywhere else in the world, so I assumed it is the product of some Saudi belief. Saudis are very preoccupied with concepts like modesty, decency, etc, something very understandable, since they strive to live in accordance with Islamic law (Sharia). I was recently told by several people that there is a very concrete reason for the absence of changing rooms.
Apparently, a number of years ago, it was something of a trend for young (unwed) couples to meet up secretly in malls, the man concealing his identity under an abaya and a veil, so it would seem they were just two girls out shopping. These couples would often proceed to the then existing fitting rooms, where they would engage in acts of sexual nature. It seems that this scandalous, and indeed, very haraam* behaviour, became a frequent phenomenon. After a few of these incidents, it was decided that the root of this evil were the changing rooms, as they provided a space with enough privacy for the sinful act of premarital lovemaking. Lo and behold, they were removed from practically every clothing store.
I must stress the fact that this is just something I heard, so I can't be sure that it's the actual truth. It seems bizarre, but very plausible at the same time. After all, anything is possible in a place where sex is considered an extremely taboo subject and sexuality is, consequently, widely oppressed.

That's all for now, just a little fun fact until I can readjust to life in Saudi and start posting regularly. Also, I just added a subscribe field, so if you'd like to follow Hellenic Hijab, all you have to do is submit your e-mail address in the space provided on the top of the sidebar, and you will receive a notification every time a new post is published :)



*Haraam - sinful, a term used to refer to anything that displeases God (Allah) .