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SAUDI ARABIA
1969, near Medina - This might be a world first-I offered this set around, no one seemed interested, so here, for the first time, a public viewing. The subject is the last Turkish railway station that Lawrence of Arabia attacked in WW1. I sgtill have a slice from one of the rails.
ahh I miss Medina very much (y) speaking about Turkey Utsmani the Saudi authorithy also destroyed the Utsmani's roof cone around Ka'bah www.lomography.com/photos/20338258 glad I could snap it
@hervinsyah Thanks for comment and sharing. I have fond memories, being taught to sign my full name in arabic, loosely transliterated as 'yusuf al khoran'. Back in Riyadh, asked to sign a document, kept eye contact while I did so. Person glanced at the paper and did the classic double-take at a script he did not expect.
It was a good time. Pity about the damn American firm I worked for. But I made a footnote in history, sued the bastards in the Saudi court system and won a nice payout.
haha you're welcome @novista I bet your experience are more awesome there especially in Riyadh (the capital city right?). I only visit Medina, Mecca & Jeddah.
@hervinsyah I almost visited Medina myself. The morning after I arrived, I had to drive one of the engineers to the airport, him going on holiday.The road from the mahataat TV to airport was commonly called the Christian road. An unfamiliar land rover and an junmarked road, I missed the turnoff on the way back. oticed out of the corner of my eye a soldier, with a rifle. Running. Hmmm. Coming to the top of a grade I perceived the dome of the Green mosque. Eek.quick u-turn and back only to find the soldier inmiddle of road, rifle at port arms. We had quite a failure to communicate un til I pointed to the inscription on the door.
But yes, I spent most of my time in Riyadh. Pickedup enugh language to get along in the suq, etc. Had better experiences with the locals than the people I worked for. But, all in all, it was a good time to be there. I had my family after a time, wife and two boys. Met and became friends with a number of people from different places, too. Egyptian, Lebanese, Italian, French, UK ...
Oh so local people are mostly in Riyadh? Because my short time hajj guide said that mostly at hajj season local people rent their house and go trip to foreign country. Medina & Mecca are dominated by none Arabic (I don't know the shop owner, maybe they're local people too), sadly most of them are beggar from Africa & there are also a cheater OMG I experienced it myself when my roommate and me after praying at Al-Masjid Al Haram, there is a cheater that just told by our guide that their motive gave you an envelope which inside it there is a letter in Indonesian language (but the cheater can't speak Indonesian) said that "I'm your brother moslem and I don't have money and my hometown are far from here. So can you give me your money, May God give you back" OMG that's very classic trick which unfortunately many Indonesian pilgrim are deceived by that trick. Lucky us we have had the story before. But this cheater keep insist my roommate to give him money. But my roommate is a tough guy. He didn't respond him until he leave us with angry face haha. Oh yeah when I read about your soldier with riffle everywhere story remind me of my experience get caught by Ka'bah police www.lomography.com/photos/18231285 lucky me he didn't take my horizon perfekt. haha sorry I'm talking too much, it really bring back great memories, true that old people said, the film made your past suck you back
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