Hey Everybody!
This will be my last entry from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Tomorrow, we begin the long journey home.  Altogether, I think I am looking at about 33 hours of travel time from when I take off from Saudi Arabia to when I arrive home in Kearney.  My return home won't signal the end of this site completely.  I hope to do some follow up.  I am planning to pursue a post-trip video and am willing to answer additional questions as they arise.  More than anything, I hope you all have enjoyed following me along on this journey that has truly been for me an incredible personal and professional experience!

On to today's activities...Jeddah is a community of a couple million people on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.  It is a very old city and the legend surrounding it holds that it is the city of Eve's (of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic creation story) burial.  It has always been a great city of trade and has traditionally been the starting point for Muslim pilgrims as they arrive to complete the pilgrimmage during the Hajj or the lesser pilgrimmage (Umrah) during the rest of the year.  This extensive contact with travelers and traders has shaped it as one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the Middle East.

We started our day in Old Jeddah--an area where many old homes and shops are still intact.  Many of the structures were actually made from coral and then plastered over.  Many of the windows contain screens or mushrabiyya that allow the air to pass through, but protect the women of the house from the prying eyes of strangers.  Old Jeddah is also home to a souq or marketplace.  Within the souq can be found household wares, clothing, appliances, spices, and foods of all kinds.  Negotiating a price with the store owner is all part of the procedure.  Looking at the wares of the souq is a good example of the globalization that has taken the world by storm.  Typical Saudi clothing such as the thobe, gutra, agal, abaya, and scarves turn out to be made in China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, etc. upon inspection of the label.  An Arab coffee pot I was inspecting turned out to be made in Korea.

These two pictures show Old Jeddah.  Note the mushrabiyya on the windows and look for the combination of old and new structures in the second picture.



Our second stop was the Jeddah Port Authority.  This port is one of the top 30 ports in the world for volume of cargo loaded and unloaded.  It is also an arrival point for Muslim pilgrims from Egypt, Sudan, and other parts of Africa.  The port was absolutely enormous and a flurry of activity.  Some of the bigger ships were being loaded and unloaded at the same time by massive cranes.  Looking at the entire process shows just how important timely and safe distribution of goods and products is in our world economy.

Later this evening, we had dinner with a number of Saudi academics and business people.  Our featured speaker made a number of excellent points and others came about through informal discussion.  They included the following:

• The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States is a vital one for both and the Saudi people are thankful for the partnership that discovered Saudi Arabia's vast mineral wealth and made rapid economic growth possible.
• There are very strong connections between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  All three believe in the same one God.  Peoples of all three faiths descended from Abraham or Ibrahim (to Muslims).  Muslims recognize and revere Moses, Jesus, and all the prophets that led up to the Prophet Muhammed.  Problems today revolve much more around politics and land (particularly the Arab-Israeli conflict) than religion, itself.
• The media can be a problematic way for two peoples to gain a clear understanding of the other.  Certain kinds of news events receive a great deal of attention, while other events of just as great importance get ignored.  This shapes perceptions in a simplified, shallow way.
• Openess with one another can mend division.  The more dialog that is generated, the less distrust exists.
• People are essentially similar around the world.  We all want the same basic things and have the same basic needs.  Traditions and cultural practices differ, but these differences are not obstacles to coexistence, instead they are to be celebrated because they make the world a far richer place to live.

I hope you have enjoyed these closing comments.  Again, I welcome any additional questions or comments regarding Saudi Arabia Revealed, and be on the look out for a post-trip video shortly after my return.

# - Kevin Witte - 2/26/06; 6:53:22 PM -
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