Bedouins & Desert Living in Saudi Arabia

Bedouins & Desert Living

Men dancing the Ardha

One of Saudi Arabia's most compelling folk rituals is the Ardha, the country's national dance. This sword dance is based on ancient Bedouin traditions: drummers beat out a rhythm and a poet chants verses while sword barring men dance shoulder to shoulder. www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/saudi_arabia/culture.htm
left picture: www.geocities.com/kingfahadems/pictures_of_ksa.htm
right picture: http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Savage/janad.htm

Janadria Dance

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	Tents of the Arabian desert: The tent has been a dwelling-place for man since the dawn of history. Varying geographical features and differences in the culture of its dwellers may have altered its design, but its essential qualities are unchanging: a tent needs to be flexible, and it must be lightweight..
All the comforts of home while camping! sorry, no url	www.arab.net/saudi/culture/sa_tents.html	Even air conditioning helps desert living.

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Not only do satellite dishes go along for camping but also the receivers with the subscription card to get your favorite 'cable' programs!!

http://www.sat7.org/multimedia/photos/43.jpg

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He was the first Bedouin I met who let me shoot his gun. He had a simple 22 caliber rifle. I was quite thrilled for him to allow me to shoot his gun. It was one of those “firsts” for me in Saudi Arabia. www.baynardscastle.com/adventures/almuwayh.html A very nice travel log!!

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Road Sign

Signs that you'll see along the roads of the desert.

both pictures http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Savage/dhunt.htm

Road Sign 2

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Of course the trusted animal for desert travel is the camel. There are many pictures about his travel at this site.

www.alfatihoun.edaama.org/Fichiers/Saudia/Country/web/

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In the desert near the border with Iraq, a Bedouin father pauses to play with his children. Throughout Saudi Arabia, Bedouin ways and Islamic traditions are passed down from parent to child.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0310/feature1/

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Rock formation 1

There are many rock formations in the desert and some of them are 'different'. On the right is a picture that my son took just outside of Jeddah city.

www.galen-frysinger.org/saudi_arabia.htm

click for larger picture

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An example of Arabian hospitality.

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Flying over the Rub'Al-Khali

www.aramcoexpats.com/GalleryDetail.asp?gallery=101

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Tent site www.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/5653/

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The first half of the way was through a coral desert and low hills. Then we started entering wadis (valleys) such as this one, Wadi Ilyab. Compared to English green landscapes, these do not seem
exceptionally lush; but after being in the desert of KSA for a while, this was a small "nature shock".

http://www.silvija.net/2002SaudiMay/trips3.html