First Stopover: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia

My first stop after Kuwait - where I had worked at KISR since 1976 - was Jeddah,
the port of entry for the HAJJ to Mekka.
Originally, most pilgrims came by ship, including thousands from as far away as
Indonesia, the World's largest Muslim nation. Now the city is greatly expanding its
airport facilities.
In general, construction appeared to run amock, witness the photograph below.
The pious atmosphere of the graceful mosque is direly disturbed by the ugly new
buildings overwhelming the scene.
Also, the classical dhow in the foreground is left high and dry ..



I was most hospitably received by the cousins of my best friend,
(Dr. Atta Hassan of Lancaster, PA a n d Kuwait City, Kuwait),
who were actively engaged in importing by truck foods and fruits from "Palestine".
I also met some dour Saudi professors of geology at the local University,
and left after a few days for Port Sudan, just across the Red Sea...