Old Houses in Jeddah

April 13, 2016 in Jeddah, Saudi

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.

House of Traditional Arts - بيت الفنون التراثية في جدة

old houses in Jeddah - البيوت القديمة في جدة

Jeddah Traditional houses and windows

Historic Jeddah - جدة القديمة / البلد

Hijazi Windows

بيت باعشن في البلد جدة - Ba'shan House in Jeddah - From a traditional house to art galleries

one of the galleries inside the converted house

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.

Al Saloom House, "Jeddah, Our Days of Bliss Residence." بيت السلوم - بيت جدة و أحلامنا الحلوة

البيت الحجازي القديم في جدة - Old style Jeddah (Hijazi) living room

Art and Decor in historic houses in Saudi

1800s Kitchens in Saudi

Historic furniture in Jeddah, Saudi

Historic Jeddah

April 11, 2016 in Jeddah, Saudi

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.

Historic Jeddah, AlBalad - جدة القديمة البلد

الفنان هشام البنجابي - Saudi Artist Hesham Al Bunjabi

He renovated one of the old houses there and turned it into an Art Academy.

Mamluk Style Windows in Saudi

Tiles in Jeddah

There used to be water in that structure that provided water for all of old jeddah

Painting in Jeddah

Birds and Architecture in Jeddah, Saudi

Abu Sami, the Saudi Tour Guide that volunteered to show me around

One of the oldest bakeries in Jeddah

El Seed's Mural in Jeddah, Saudi

Must Visit Art Galleries in Jeddah

April 05, 2016 in Jeddah, Saudi

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.

Cotton Tige by Pascale Marthine Tayou

Sidelines by Manal AlDowaan - على حافة الهامش - منال الضويان

6*6 meters

The Other by Zaman Jassim - الآخر - زمان جاسم

same work lit up: The Other by Zaman Jassim - الآخر - زمان جاسم

Hafiz Gallery in Jeddah حافظ غاليري

Solo Exhibition for Mounirah Mosly أعمال الفنانة منيرة الموصلي

Artwork by Mounirah Mosly عمل الفنانة منيرة الموصلي

Give Me the Light by Ayman Yossri Daydban

The arabic writing means "It will get better - it will all be fixed"

Screen Printing on Wood by Ayman Yossri Daydban

Still movie images and subtitles by Ayman Yossri Daydban

Solo Exhibition of Ayman Yossri Daydban named "Give Me the Light"

Momad Ink Work in Jeddah

Momad Ink Staircase Illustration in Jeddah

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.

The starting point by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

Faces from Childhood by Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah

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.