oh Saudi...

(Makkah 2011 - after completion of construction)

Where to begin when speaking of Saudi?

I recently had the good fortune to have gone to umrah and for those of you who have not been, I can tell you, alot of what the Saudis do just dosen't make any sense. First off, there is the issue of the current reconstruction of Makkah, which I really really really dislike (except for the extension of the masjid itself, this is definitly needed). I understand the need to "modernize", as many of the buildings were worn down and in dire conditions, however, there is a way to modernize without making the place a generic steel city. When the construction is complete, half of Makkah will be populated with the same generic 50 story hotels, there will be no greenery, no seating areas, no palm trees! All the little nooks and cranny's have already disappeared, there are no more intricate alleyways, hidden shops, or obscure shawarmas. It was precisely these little things which gave culture and life to the streets; shopping was not just an activity it was an experience, and that experience unfortunately is hardly existent now. All the shops -and alot of the street life-have gone hibernating in concrete malls, and the new construction only has plans for more.

I realize that shopping and cultural experience is not the point of going to Makkah, nevertheless, that does not mean I submissively approve of Makkah being turned into a mall populated steel city.

Well that's the end of my little rant...for now...