Saudi Marks National Day

yesterday, on wednesday september 23, saudi arabia marked its 77th national day, not only to remember the country’s unification at the hands of king abdul aziz but also to celebrate its achievements in the educational, health and economic sectors.. being the world’s largest oil exporter, it has become a member of G20 and is the largest economy in the middle east

read more in arab news

Eid Mubarak!

sorry for being late with my congrats, sisters, i didn't have access to the internet.. eid mubarak to all of you! may Allah accept good deeds from you and me

Eid Gift Ideas From Saudi

eid ul-fitr is almost here and saudi residents are busy making their last preparations for the grand event

but not only are they buying new clothes for themselves and their children (as the egyptinas usually do), but they also clean their houses and refresh them by buying new furniture or refurnishing the old and buying gifts!

so because everybody wants their homes clean and renewed by eid, carpet washing and furniture upholster businesses get more profit in the last days of ramadan than they do during the year
during the last week of ramadan the malls are crowded with last-minute shoppers.. buying gifts for children instead of giving them traditional token money is a new trend in saudi.. one of the reasons for this is that children who don't know how do deal with money properly, often misuse it.. so grown-ups these days prefer to get them such suitable gifts as stuffed toys, clothes, video games and books, as well as giving a small amount of token money

my favourite part of it all is that other members of close family also get some gifts! so here are some gift ideas from saudi- jewelry.. well, everybody knows that "diamonds are a girl's best friends", so a piece of exclusive jewelry is always welcome but with the budget being tight and avilability of highly attractive artificial jewlelry, there are cheaper alternatives.. plus a number of stores here have special offers where you can buy a whole set of accessories (wrist watch, ring, pair of earrings and necklace) with a reasonable price.. a similar package for men (wrist watch, pen, key ring and a pair of cuff studs) is also available

- perfumes and oils.. i think this is one of the gifts for muslims - not only is it a wonderful fragrant gift always easy to get, but applying a perfume is sunnah of our beloved prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).. these days perfume shops also have special offers - gift packs which in addition to the perfume include shower gels, soaps, body lotions and bath oils of the same brand, available for both men and women

- clothes.. everybody wants to wear something new in eid.. however, make sure you know the preferances and size of the reciever (it'd better be a close relative of friend).. otherwise, why not give a nice scarf to a sister?

- electronic gadgets, such as mobile phones, laptops, gaming devices, music players and so on

- gift boxes comprising traditional sweets (like baklawa and konafa), nuts and chocolates.. these are especially popular in eid

are you going to present your loved ones with any gifts this eid?

sources: arab news, saudi gazette

Children Banned From Mosques

quite some time ago it was reported in saudi gazette that most of the mosques in dammam banned children from participating in taraweeh prayers.. they employed women volunteers as guards who do not let any children inside the places of worship.. some of the mosques even posted notices on the entrances and walls saying "no children allowed"

ok, we all know how disturbing it can be with toddlers running, crying or shouting inside the mosque during the prayer.. but the funny thing is that not only toddlers but children of ages 7 and 8 were reported not to have been allowed inside.. the female guard made them stand outside in the hot weather while the mothers were praying in the mosque

most of the mosques placed praying mats outside to let children pray there, but the extreme hot climate makes them very tired and cranky.. what a perfect way to spend your first taraweeh ever! very memorable indeed

some mosques, however, let children pray in the back row without causing disturbance to others.. mothers with young girls of 5 and 6 want their children to be allowed to pray in the mosque along with grown ups so that they can learn and experience the importance of praying


it is very important to develop in children the love for prayer from an early age.. make them aware of the virtue of taraweeh and congregational prayers as well as teach them the culture of praying and the behavior inside the mosque.. but how can this be done if they are not allowed to enter the place of worship? this is indeed weird

It's Interesting To Know...

...that the kingdom of saudi arabia is one of the world’s largest producers of dates with 141,000 hectares and 21 million palms producing 884,000 tons of dates per year! the production and manufacturing of dates constitutes 13% of domestic product

the dates are eaten fresh, dried and in treats.. shops sell date-filled chocolates, date mustard, date syrup and date bars

visit any home or office in the kingdom and you will certainly find a small plate heaped with dates on a coffee table.. the sweetness of the fruit balances the bitter taste of cardamom-scented coffee served to guests in small cups.. date baskets, containing different varieties of the fruit, date cookies and date juice are often presented as gifts

dates are especially popular in ramadan as muslims are advised to break their fast with this delicious and healthy treat (more info about nutritional value of dates in this post by arab mania)

and here are some pictures

mmm... yammy!

date pie

date cookies

and some date chocolates

p.s.: sorry, i didn't mean to tease you :)

Is Jail A Cure For Suicide Attempts?

seems like hamoud abu talib read my mind after i read the news story "indian gets jail, lashes for suicide attempt".. here's what he had to say, and i couldn't have said better

I am not sure if this incident took place during Ramadan or before, but I am more inclined to the first probability since a local daily last week published it. On this occasion, I recall an interview published early Ramadan with one of the judges under the title “The Temperament of Judges.”
Asked about the influence of fasting on the verdicts issued by the judges during Ramadan, the judge said they tend to be lenient, soft and merciful. “Whoever is judged in Ramadan should consider himself a lucky person,” he said.
We go back to the news story published in one of the local dailies last week. It said a summary court in Jeddah sentenced an Indian expatriate to two months in jail and 50 lashes for attempting to commit suicide numerous times.
Here I must ask the judge who claimed that the verdicts issued during Ramadan are lenient and soft: Is this the mercifulness you are talking about? Is this an example of it? Dear all: there is no rational person who would attempt to commit suicide no matter how much pressure and stress he is under.
No one, regardless of his race, color, religion, education or culture, would decide to commit suicide unless that person was so mentally unfit as to be incapable of thinking properly.
If a single suicide attempt is enough proof of mental problems what can we say about a man who makes many attempts? He is no doubt a sick person that needs mental and psychological treatment instead of imprisonment and whipping.
He needs doctors to treat him not judges to sentence him.
This brings to our minds the many cases of mentally unfit people who have been sent to jail.
And what would have been the sentence on this desperate Indian man if it had not been issued during Ramadan when the verdicts are soft and merciful?

source: arab news

Arabic Coffee: Be All And End All Of Saudi Arabia

coffee is popular all around the world.. a much-needed mug of energy first thing in the morning and just the thing to combat both stress and fatigue at the same time.. in this part of the world too, coffee is often treated as a daily necessity, as well as an integral part of arabian hospitality

arabic coffee is a general name that refers to the way coffee is prepared in many arab countries throughout the middle east.. it can be prepared in various ways, but the saudi one (qahwa or gahwa as it is known) always contains more cardamom than coffee, and no sugar; it is made from green coffee beans and has a truly unique flavor

it is the traditional welcoming drink served on every occasion such as weddings, receptions, gatherings, meetings.. in a word, at any gathering of more than four people.. it is served to the guests almost immediately on their arrival, usually before the meal (parties start around 9 pm, the meal is offered around midnight).. stuffed dates, some with sesame seeds, some without, are passed around with the coffee

arabic coffee should be served from the traditional pot called dallah, which has a chunk of fiberous material stuck in the spout to serve as a filter, into very small arabic coffee cups filled only by half

the server then goes around with the pot to refill any cup that is empty, and continues to refill cups until the guest gently wobbles their cup to indicate they've had enough.. it is customary to take two or three cups.. more than three is greedy, less than two is not polite.. they say this is no joke - one way to upset your hostess real fast is to wobble after choking down the first cup.. this is why the dates are so important, without them to help kill the taste of the coffee, most of us would never have gotten to the meal part of the ritual

and now, ta-da! here's the recipe

arabic coffee

1 tbsp arabic coffee (green or lightly roasted coffee)

2 tbsp coarsely ground cardamom

2 cups water

put the coffee in a pot and warm it on a low heat for a few minutes, mixing with a spoon.. add the water, bring to a boil, and boil 3 or 4 minutes.. pour the boiled coffee through a filter into the dallah and add the cardamom.. return to heat, bring to a boil once more, then simmer 20 minutes