at the red sea

open-air art museum

In the spirit of biggest is best, Jeddah prides itself on having one of the world's largest collections of open-air public art — part of the early oil boom civic effort at beautifying the city. You can walk along the waterfront for hours and be entertained by the array of good, bad, often just bizzare art.

My favorite tend to be those bizzare pieces, or in some cases, unconscious additions to the outdoor museum...

The owner of this estate was so bothered by a hotel built next door, that he erected this hanger-like structure to shield his property from the prying eyes of all those nosy visitors... Amazing!

Now, it is a distinguished addition to the curiosities along Jeddah's waterfront.

Got an old boat? No problem... Just about anything can become public art here...

... including these cars in a conceptual depiction of the Saudis' bad driving habits... And on that note, here's how one Jeddah resident put it:

It is only in Jeddah that you can make a right turn from any lane, including the third lane to the left. A red traffic light does not mean stop... The residents of Jeddah come from some 70 countries... they may not speak the same language, but they have a common medium of expression — their different and dangerous driving skills.

al kournaish

The Kournaish is Jeddah's waterfront — generously decorated with public art. Here is a peculiar and oddly revealing sculpture for a society where many freedoms are restricted and many eyes are watching.

Is that a really tall palm tree or a cleverly disguised cellular tower? Hmmm.