Men's rituals Saudi Arabia

[NeilL]

Men from Najran (south central Saudi Arabia) get together for some bonding. Saudi society is a mix of social groups, with diverse internal and external allegiances. Segregation between the genders is pervasive and non-negotiable. The repetitive singing in high falsetto, alternating between two groups, and the dancing forward and back in opposing lines, punctuated by solo pirouetting, continued for an hour, waxing and waning as the spirit took them. This took place after a big feast of camel and rice. The evening ended with recitations of Arabic poetry, to the music of mobile phones. More from my salvaging project, with apologies to the Nikon 5700 I was abusing at the time. Hope there is something to enjoy in them.




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[gefillmore]

interesting stuff-

I particularly like the third one with the framing-

[T. Bombadil]

very interesting.

is there significance to the color(s) they wear? i notice there seem to be 2 or 3 styles of headress. and one fellow is wearing grey, 2 or 3 are in black, while everyone else is in white. does that mean anything?

looks like enough precious rugs to cover a football field.

[NeilL]

very interesting.

is there significance to the color(s) they wear? i notice there seem to be 2 or 3 styles of headress. and one fellow is wearing grey, 2 or 3 are in black, while everyone else is in white. does that mean anything?

looks like enough precious rugs to cover a football field.

Hi Bruce, thanks for looking. White is the color Prophet Mohammad recommended Moslems to wear. Moslem men dress entirely in special white outfits when they do Hajj. White robes have been worn in the south eastern Mediterranean region as a sign of holiness since very ancient times. That is the ancestry of the albs and surplices worn by ministers and assistants in churches today. White is also a cool color to wear in temperatures which in summer average 40+deg celsius. Black is worn in the coldest weather, when desert temperatures can fall to freezing. Other colors are worn according to taste, at least in standard dress. Headdress patterns and styles are partly linked to groups within Saudi, personal preference and degree of formality. The most formal attire, equivalent to white tie and tails, is all white, of a creamy tone, of the finest material, often polished, with gold trimmings. Head scarf with an elegant white-on-white pattern. Sandals of cream or red leather studded with bright metal. Head scarves can be bought with labels from haute couture Western houses. This is as much as I can tell you. There are of course layers of significance which I cannot fathom.

[xris]

Interesting shots.

Question: I think I've heard something about Moslems not being allowed to have their pictures taken. Something about 'stealing the soul?' I'm I right? Can you enlighten me on that?

[NeilL]

Interesting shots.

Question: I think I've heard something about Moslems not being allowed to have their pictures taken. Something about 'stealing the soul?' I'm I right? Can you enlighten me on that?

Thanks for looking, xris.

There are different flavors of Islam as there are of Christianity. Saudi Arabia is the Holy Land of Islam because it is the birthplace of Prophet Mohammad and the location of Islam's holiest sites, to which non-Moslems cannot have access. There are apparently verses in the Holy Qu'ran or Commentaries which prohibit the making of images of any created thing. This is considered by some to apply to photography. The Sunni ruling tribe of Saudi Arabia is Wahabi Moslem, a conservative kind, and wishes understandably that Saudi Arabia be an exemplary Moslem society for all the world to see. Another aspect of this issue is the cultural taboo in Saudi Arabia, as distinct from religious prohibition, of women showing themselves in public, so that in Saudi Arabia, in advertising material for example, the face and other exposed parts of a woman's body are blurred/edited out. For these reasons, all image making in Saudi Arabia is fraught. The "stealing the soul" idea, and other photo phobias, are quite widespread globally in all cultures. Why do so many Westerners NOT like being snapped? Don't many people feel that somehow our images compromise us in some way?

[xris]

Thanks for looking, xris.

There are different flavors of Islam as there are of Christianity. Saudi Arabia is the Holy Land of Islam because it is the birthplace of Prophet Mohammad and the location of Islam's holiest sites, to which non-Moslems cannot have access. There are apparently verses in the Holy Qu'ran or Commentaries which prohibit the making of images of any created thing. This is considered by some to apply to photography. The Sunni ruling tribe of Saudi Arabia is Wahabi Moslem, a conservative kind, and wishes understandably that Saudi Arabia be an exemplary Moslem society for all the world to see. Another aspect of this issue is the cultural taboo in Saudi Arabia, as distinct from religious prohibition, of women showing themselves in public, so that in Saudi Arabia, in advertising material for example, the face and other exposed parts of a woman's body are blurred/edited out. For these reasons, all image making in Saudi Arabia is fraught. The "stealing the soul" idea, and other photo phobias, are quite widespread globally in all cultures. Why do so many Westerners NOT like being snapped? Don't many people feel that somehow our images compromise us in some way?
Thank you for the very thoughtful and thorough explanation, NeilL! I live in a very cosmopolitan city with a large number of Muslims of various 'flavours.' I've often asked about this matter, but have received only cursory responses. Now I'll be more sensitive and understanding of the issue when it arises.
:thumb

[~Jan~]

Very interesting shots!! My favorite is the first. I just love the placement of the lights.

[NeilL]

Very interesting shots!! My favorite is the first. I just love the placement of the lights.

Tnx, Jan!

[Awais Yaqub]

Image making is Prohibited because people at that time use to make images and sculptures and worship them.Many scholars of Islam have passes opinion that image making with camera is not harmful and have seprated it from paintings and sculptures.

You will often find photography is prohibited in mosques etc that is because few mosques became picknick spots :D.

Muslims come in various flavours and only one type of flavour will be allowed to kingdom of heaven.

Simplicity is encourgaed in life from cloths to food.
Islam is simple if you stick to texts if you fell in judging through opinions you will be lost may be because most of the muslims are illitrate :scratch
just my opinion
thanks

Great photos Neil !

[photocat]

Beautiful exposure and lighting in the shots. Some have a bit of movement which I like very much. If we would see more shots like these, it might bring us a bit closer to one another. This is a positive impression of muslims. We need more of those.

[NeilL]

Image making is Prohibited because people at that time use to make images and sculptures and worship them.Many scholars of Islam have passes opinion that image making with camera is not harmful and have seprated it from paintings and sculptures.

You will often find photography is prohibited in mosques etc that is because few mosques became picknick spots :D.

Muslims come in various flavours and only one type of flavour will be allowed to kingdom of heaven.

Simplicity is encourgaed in life from cloths to food.
Islam is simple if you stick to texts if you fell in judging through opinions you will be lost may be because most of the muslims are illitrate :scratch
just my opinion
thanks

Great photos Neil !

Thanks for looking Awais! I am an admirer of your photos - they show great sympathy.

[NeilL]

Beautiful exposure and lighting in the shots. Some have a bit of movement which I like very much. If we would see more shots like these, it might bring us a bit closer to one another. This is a positive impression of muslims. We need more of those.

Glad you liked them, photocat!