Important Notice

It is not my intention to denigrate Saudi Arabia or its people. It’s like everywhere else, there is good and there is bad. I would rather focus on the unusual and the humourous. Offence is not intended.

Politics
“The country is not perfect. The media cannot be trusted, mistreatment of religious minorities is common and there are some that live in fear.” You can decide for yourself whether that statement is about Saudi Arabia, the UK, or any country for that matter.
Religion

To quote the Joker, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

khalas.
That is all I will say about either subject.

Wednesday 11 July 2007

A Saudi's Home Is His Castle

In England there is a saying that an Englishman's home is his castle, meaning that his house is his little kingdom to rule. It's ironic when you consider that the majority of us live in houses like this:
Englishman's Castle
But in Saudi Arabia, a country where privacy is everything, a Saudi's home often really is a castle. They have the high walls, the fortifications, the jaw-dropping impact of "Wow! Look how huge it is!"
Saudi's Castle
The huge numbers of vast palatial houses in Riyadh continues to amaze me. If the country was not so dry I am convinced that many would be surrounded by a moat, with a drawbridge to let the select few in and out.
Castle with a moat
I'm sure that my father would have loved a Saudi house when my sister was a teenager. She wouldn't have been able to step out of (or into) the house without him knowing about it.
It reminds me of the debate about the Great Wall of China. Was the wall to keep the enemy out or to keep the Chinese in?

17 comments:

أبو سنان said...

You are right. When I was in England I lived in a detatched house, but it still looked nothing like these things.

Having been inside more than a few of these in the Middle East, I must say they are nice however.

lil fishy said...

i dont really think the high walls have anything to do with keeping ppl in or not. its more of to keep the women covered. like right now, there are certain parts my yard i cant walk around in if im not wearing a scarf cuz my neighbors can see into it. so if i ever build my own house id make sure my walls were high enough or that id have trees or bushes blocking the view, so that i could walk around freely. high walls r pretty important if youve got a pool too. and if u compare the price of land here to the price of land in the UK and also compare family size, thatll explain why houses here are larger.

martini said...

I love your blog! You are my "Evening Standard":) Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Hi Brit,
Just because you can't live in a house like that makes you joke about it .Admit it!lol
It is ok ,dear friend, Accept what God gives you and stop envying studies for living like kings and queens!
By the way fathers who own houses like that NEVER know what their daughters do behind their backs !LOL....Ask me I'm an expert! Jina :)

Abdulrhman said...

well like you said , privacy is everything in saudis live . so that why the tall walls , as for how big it is , you may know that , that Lot's of saudi's LOVE to have 8 \ 10 son's and daughters , it's hard to stuffing them in small house ya ?

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