Saudi

Old Houses in Jeddah

Following the Historic Jeddah post, this one is to take you further inside on of the renovated Hijazi houses such as Ba'ashen house and Al Saloom house. There is also Nassif house in the area, but it was sadly closed at that time of the day. Ba'ashn house was converted into three galleries, but Al Saloom house was returned to its original state (more about it below!). I also got to see the building for the House of Traditional Arts in Jeddah. 

Al Saloom house was built in 1880. In 2014, the house was refurbished and renovated by a private enterprise called "Jeddah, Our Days of Bliss Residence." The house is 497 square meters and has four floors. It was really cool going there and seeing the interior design of the olden days. It must have been lavish back then. 

Historic Jeddah

When I visited Jeddah, I was really eager to go see the Historic area known as Al Balad. I made the mistake of going there between 11 to 1. It was March, so the weather was good, but most places don't open till 4 or 5pm. They also have few activities on the weekend, so keep that in mind when you are planning your visit. I still got to walk around and photograph the surroundings. It was empty and quiet. I met two people who volunteered to show me around out of the kindness of their heart when they saw my confused looks. I was very thankful. It made the experience richer. A number of buildings are being renovated. It was nice to see that part of town. I noticed that the Architectural style was inspired from Egypt (Mamluk) and Turkey. Below are some of the photos I snapped there. Two more posts about the same day are coming up this week. 

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Must Visit Art Galleries in Jeddah

In the past few years, the artistic scene in Saudi and the Gulf region has been getting more recognition and  attention. Thanks to many efforts from Art galleries, individuals and books such as Contemporary Kingdom: The Saudi Art Scene Now. I was very excited to visit Jeddah earlier this week to checkout some of the galleries I have been following on social media. Thank you to Saudi Art Guide as well for the recommendations when I arrived. I managed to visit four galleries. 

I started with the Saudi Art Council. Their current exhibition is called "Earth and Ever After." I loved how big the space is and the selected displayed works. They were all unusual and felt original to me. 

Then went to Hafiz Gallery. It was a solo exhibition for the artist Mounirah Mosly. Her work was lovely and done on various types of mediums. The gallery was small and could be completed in half an hour. 

Afterwards, I went to Athar Gallery. The space was big. It was the solo gallery of Ayman Yossri Daydban named "Give Me the Light". It was really good to see his work from early years to more current pieces. It was presented nicely and I liked the dark room and the flashlight idea. Outside the exhibition space in the staircase leading to the roof, I found Momad Ink work.

All three galleries were in close proximity from each other by car. It's not really possible to walk from one to the other sadly, but I would suggest finding a driver to take you to all of them.

I ended the day, with the newly opened Rochan Gallery and the solo exhibition of Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah. There was a collection of works by HRH. Some were different and inventive. It was good to see various styles and techniques. 

Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah Exhibition
The starting point by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah
Najla by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

Najla by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

Faces from Childhood by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

Faces from Childhood by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

PostCard Painting

It was a day filled with all sorts of beautiful art and inspiration. I really enjoyed visiting all four gallery. Art has a way of fulfilling me. 

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