Search the Site
BBC News: Middle East
- Iran violations may amount to crimes against humanity - UN expert March 20, 2023
- Iraq War: The helmet that saved a Black Watch soldier's life March 20, 2023
- Why did the US and allies invade Iraq, 20 years ago? March 20, 2023
- Saudi Arabia invited Iran's President Raisi to visit, Tehran says March 20, 2023
Category Archives: Travelogue
Ha’il Compound Apartment (Photos)
Posted in Photos, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Photos, Travelogue
Tagged apartment, compound, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia
Hiking in Ha’il (Photos)
Posted in Photos, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Photos, Travelogue
Tagged climbing, Ha'il, hiking, mountains, photos, Saudi Arabia
Me at work in Sakaka! (Photos)
Posted in Photos, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Photos, Travelogue
Tagged Al-Jouf, Al-Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia, students, teaching
Video of Sakaka from a Rooftop
A video taken from the rooftop of the PYP (Preparatory Year Program) building at Al-Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia.
Posted in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Videos, Travelogue, Videos
Tagged Al-Jouf, downtown, rooftop, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia, video
Downtown Sakaka (Photos)
Posted in Photos, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Photos, Travelogue
Tagged Al-Jouf, downtown, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
A Guide To Graffiti in Sakaka!
Graffiti is, of course, a common sight in the West, but what about graffiti in the Middle East? Have you ever wondered what locals in Saudi Arabia feel compelled to spray paint on their walls? Here is just a sample of the kinds of things you’ll find written. These were taken from Sakaka, a small and relatively more conservative city in northern Saudi Arabia, where I have been living for the past 8 and a half months. Click on a thumbnail to open a slideshow of the graffiti with my notes included. I hope you find them interesting!
- موقف خاص “Private Parking” – Why buy a sign when you can just spray paint it on the wall?
- Here it simply says باب “Door” – just in case people weren’t sure what that rectangular shaped thing was! Then again, I guess it might be pointing out the fact that this is the entrance and not the metal doors a few metres down labelled “Danger.”
- خطر “Danger” – in case the scull and cross-bones weren’t clear enough. I assume some sort of electrical unit lies behind those metal doors. Either that or a toilet, knowing the state of some around here!
- Sakaka may not be Paris, the city of love, but apparently there’s still at least one person here who has been struck by Cupid!
- الهلال “Al-Hilal” is the name of a very popular Saudi football team (literally: “The Crescent Moon”). The question is – was it a fan that wrote the team’s name on a bin or was it a rival trying to send a message…?
- فتى الحِرمان والعاصي ينداس – Apparently this is the writing of a disgruntled boy who feels like he is being trodden all over by someone.
- Buried treasure perhaps? A mysterious “3.0” written using English numerals. The sign above is the name of the street and local area: “Algeria Street, Al-Shalhoub (Area).”
- Here someone has simply written “Memories” followed by a date in the Hijrah calendar. I suppose it is the equivalent to “I woz ere”. Perhaps it was Bunder, who has been kind enough to spell out his name on the electrical unit, as well as volunteer his hotmail address!
- وادي سرحان – “Sirhan Valley” is in northern Saudi Arabia, stretching from Sakaka up to Jordan. “Sirhan” literally means “wolf.” Someone is obviously very proud of their valley!
- أبو غيث – “Abu Ghayth”. This type of graffiti is very common. “Abu” (which means “father of”) is used in this way to create a nickname, either positive or derogatory. In this case, literally “Father of Rain”. I’m not sure exactly what this particular nickname implies and if it is positive or not.
- أبو رميثة للموت – “Abu Rumaitha for death”. I’m not entirely sure about this one, but it appears to be a rather disturbing combination of the nickname “Abu Rumaitha” plus a threat on his life!
- وطن لا تصادر عيالي بظلم – “Nation, do not oppress my children.” There are several possible translations for this, none of them positive about the country. It may be translated as, “Nation, do not imprison my children unjustly”, talking more specifically about wrongful arrests.
- فسفس أبو متعب – literally: “FusFus, Father of Annoyingness”. “Fusfus” can mean “bedbug”, but in Saudi Arabia it is also the word used for “watermelon seeds” and “watermelon” itself is sometimes used in Arabic as a kind of nickname. I have been informed by a local Saudi that “Abu Muteb” can also refer to King Abdulla, since one of his sons is named Muteb.
- …يكفي كهنوت يا “That’s enough, clergy, you *****!” Whoever wrote this obviously has something against the clergy! A similar looking font and colour, this was possibly written by the same person who wrote the sentence nearby speaking out against injustice.
- الزعيم جيمس بوند – “Commander James Bond” (written at the top of the wall). Obviously someone is a fan of James Bond – why not, he’s awesome! Out of all the graffiti I found in Sakaka, this was the most unexpected!
- It’s difficult to make this one out, but obviously someone was not too happy to see it. I shall have to go back at some point and get a better look at what was scratched out.
- It’s clear to see what was on this person’s mind!
- أبوك – “Your father”, written next to the smiley face. Perhaps a comical variation on the use of “Abu” as a nickname.
- أبو غافل – “Father of Carelessness”. I think it’s quite clear this person just doesn’t give a f**k!
- It’s difficult to make out the words in green, but the word in black above, however, is quite clear: زب – “penis”!
- الرجاء عدم الوقوف أمام المنزل – “Please do not park in front of the residence.” A much more aesthetically pleasing version of the casually spray painted موقف خاص (private parking) seen elsewhere.
- أبو عقل – “Father of the Mind.” A seemingly positive nickname someone has given themselves.
- Kla$h + Blade… the ultimate combination? “Klash” is a crime-thriller about a character named “Stoney” (played by Giancarlo Esposito) and “Blade” (played by Wesley Snipes) is the hero of the vampire-action film “Blade.”
- Some more Sakaka love…
- !أبو ؟ – “Abu…?!” Once again we see “Abu” being used to introduce a nickname, but this time it is left up to us to complete! As for the number 87, it’s likely the year the person was born.
- أبو غازي – “Abu Gaseous”. Perhaps the person is known for using lots of gas – or for producing a lot of it. What kind of gas, however, is another question! Apparently written this year, 2012. I’m not sure of the significance of 501 though – perhaps January 5th.
- ليت الزعل ممنوع – “If only irritation was forbidden” – Perhaps it was this person’s boredom that was annoying him! Here he is called أبو مناور – “Father of Skylights.”
- أبو رحب – “Father of Spaciousness.” Potentially this is being ironic, seeing as it points to a rather cramped entrance-way!
- اذكر الله – “Remember Allah.” This kind of religious graffiti is also quite common and you sometimes see it written on the outer walls of mosques.
- ذكريات الحارة – “Memories of the neighbourhood.” Someone seems to have fond memories of this area, although they are not specified. The street sign says طريق الملك فيصل “King Faisal Road.”
- الهلال – “Al-Hilal”, the name of a popular Saudi football team (literally: “The Crescent Moon”). This type of graffiti is very common. You will also see الاتحاد (Al-Itihad, “United”) – another very popular team and rival of “Al-Hilal”.
- أبو شرشر السرحاني – “Abu Sharshar Al-Sirhani”. أبو حاتم السرحاني – “Abu Hatim Al-Sirhani”. Two names, both hailing from the area of Saudi Arabia, Sirhan Valley.
- أبو عرق – “Father of Sweat”, or alternatively, “Father of Arrack (the strong liquor)”. Seeing as alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia and sweat is much more common (the weather being what it is here), I am inclined to think it is talking about a person known for his over-perspiration!
- This is a very crowded wall, but one thing stands out a bit too well, the swastika. Unfortunately, this is not the only instance I have noticed this anti-Jew symbol in Sakaka. It can also be found on some students’ desks at the university.
- “No longer in use” The Arabic word written on each of the vehicles is يزال which literally means “is ceasing”, in other words, no longer working or “out of order.”
Posted in Arabic, Arabic in the Wild, Saudi Arabia, Travelogue
Tagged Al-Jouf, Arabic, graffiti, Saudi Arabia
Al-Jouf University Graduation Day
As members of staff and faculty, we were invited to attend Al-Jouf University’s graduation ceremony on the 15th of May, 2012. We were representing the university’s Preparatory Year Program (السنة التحضرية). Since our students are all in their first year, none of them were actually graduating, but some of our students were participating in the ceremony as members of Al-Jouf University Boy Scouts. Here is a video of the Scouts practising their routine:
The ceremony was held at the new university campus, located near Al-Jouf airport. The brand new campus is still a massive construction project, which looks more like a small city in the making than a university it’s so huge!
In attendance at the ceremony were all the bigwigs, including the university president, the deans and even a guest appearance from the prince of Al-Jouf himself! Both the president and the amir gave speeches congratulating the graduates.
After the ceremony had finished and the crowds of students made their way outside we managed to get a rare sample of a traditional Saudi dance, called the “Daha” (الدحة), which some students broke into spontaneously in their celebration. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a video of the dance, but here is an example of a typical “Daha”:
Here are some photos from the evening, which include several of my colleagues and fellow teachers. Click on a thumbnail to open the slideshow.
Posted in Saudi Arabia
Tagged Al-Jouf, Al-Jouf University, ceremony, dance, graduation, Saudi Arabia, students
You might be in Sakaka if…
Sakaka, Saudi Arabia – a surreal place, to say the least! It never ceases to amaze me and there is never a lack of strange things to see, out here in what feels like the middle of nowhere, lightyears away from the real world!
Here are just a handful of the bizarre things that I have experienced during my stay here in this desert city.
So, you might be in Sakaka if…
- You’re at the shops and because you’re a foreigner wearing jeans you start to get Saudi locals asking you how much stuff is.
- You see a car joining the queue in a drive-thru lane at a fast-food restaurant and the driver proceeds to get out of his car, walk into the restaurant and make his order. He gets back in his car, waits, and picks up his order when he finally reaches the drive-thru window.
- You see a car zooming towards the traffic lights when they’re red, breaks screeching, then, skidding as it makes a right turn at the lights, it suddenly makes a U-turn, then another right turn, thus bypassing the red light entirely!
- You see four more cars do the exact same thing, one after the other!
- You can’t see any taxis anywhere.
- Gas is cheaper than water.
- You witness a car accident or the aftermath of one at least once a week!
- You walk down the main street of the city and stop to take a closer look at a seemingly empty plot of land between two shops, and suddenly realise that it’s a graveyard and those rocks dotted about in the sand are unmarked graves.
- While walking to a local restaurant for your lunch break you stumble across an empty bullet shell in the middle of the street.
- You walk into a bathroom and find a guy with his foot in the sink, giving it a good wash as he turns and says, “Salaam!”
- There is no toilet paper in any public toilets.
- When you use the bathroom (and have brought your own toilet paper) you’re not allowed to put the toilet paper down the toilet.
- You notice someone has thrown away some pita bread… in the bathroom cubicle’s trash can (…were they eating it in there??).
- You see a pack of wild dogs and a vicious dog-fight during your morning commute to work.
- Coca Cola and Pepsi are the same price. In fact, all pop is the same price, even the cheap cola-copies.
- The only Western restaurant you can find is Pizza Hut and the food there is at least two or three times more expensive than any other place in town, but is still cheaper than Pizza Hut in England.
- The local currency doesn’t make use of any coins – just paper.
- There is no half-Riyal, but a can of Coke is 1.5 Saudi Riyals. So, you either buy two cans or pay 2 Riyals for one can and get a free pack of chewing gum!
- You go into a shop and ask for something very specific and the shopkeeper informs you that although they don’t have it right now, it just so happens (by some miraculous coincidence!) that they are expecting it tomorrow. You come back the next day and, surprise surprise, they say come back tomorrow. It never arrives.
- You suddenly realise that you have not seen a single woman anywhere at all for days!
If you’re reading this and you, too, are lucky enough to be living in Sakaka – leave a comment with some of your own experiences for the list!
New Apartment!
Hi all! It’s been a while since my last post and a lot has happened! I’ve since moved into town and now have my own place! I’ve been here now since the beginning of February. I love having an apartment all to myself, especially one so close to work. I also bought a bike, which cuts my commute to work down to only about 7 minutes and is a refreshing bit of exercise in the morning before teaching! It’s nice to be able to wake up a bit later too; on the compound I would have to catch the bus at 7:10am for a 25 minute ride to work, but now, living in town, I sometimes don’t even wake up until 7:30am!
I’ve really enjoyed furnishing my new apartment and creating my own comfortable space, where I can both relax and study. Fortunately where I live happens to be near several large furniture stores, which has come in handy. For the first couple weeks or so after moving in I cycled down almost everyday to these stores. Exploring, hunting for furniture and haggling quickly became my new hobby as I finished work on my living room/study space. Here are some photos of the whole process…

My TV and books cabinet re-modeled with 5.1 surround-sound speakers, which I use with both the TV and my iPad!
The feeling of independence living in town is tremendous. Before I would have to work around the compound schedule. The compound bus would take 25 minutes to get into town and then only stay for an hour before rushing us back home. Now I can go into town whenever I like and for however long I want! Sometimes I just jump on my bike and go exploring for the evening, discovering new shops and restaurants and bumping into interesting characters. The whole city is bustling from about 8:30pm onwards, after the final evening prayer. Streets are packed, horns honking, shops open till midnight at least and both men and women can be seen going about their business. The other day I discovered a great little Indian restaurant, just a 3 minute bike ride up the road. Food over here is so cheap. It costs only 12 Saudi Riyal for a meal at the Indian place – really for all you can eat. That’s only about 2 British Pounds, not bad at all!
So, as you can probably tell – I am enjoying my new place! I figured there was no point in half-measures when it came to furnishing my apartment as I knew I would be here for a good while longer. For the time being my plan is to renew my contract with Al-Khaleej in September, but I will renew it on a monthly basis instead of another full year, continuing on until at least the end of November. In this way I can make myself available for work elsewhere starting January 2013, as well as make myself free to come home this Christmas. I haven’t been home for Christmas in two years after all! Before that of course is this coming summer, when I look forward to coming home for my sister’s wedding in June! It’s gonna be a lot of fun – can’t wait!