Growing up in Jeddah in the 1980s
Jeddah is a port city located in Saudi Arabia. The city
is close to the Red Sea. The temperature by Saudi Arabian standards was
lukewarm in’ the city of Saudi. I Makkah, Madina, and Taif for example were hot
in the summer. The other thing is these
cities were more restrictive relatively in religious clothing and other
cultural norms. The period I talk about is the 80’s. The Good Old 80s’ was the
best quote I could find from the A-Team” serial.
Read our earlier post on this topic.
It goes like this:
“Hey I thought you were Amish.” This is in reference to an episode involving
A Team and Amish people.
The response was:
“Hey
Man, This is the 80s”
The 80s was a very good time in Saudi Arabia. We went to Jeddah in 1977 and I was really
young. I mean by the time I figured out where about who am I, the country or
location it was Jeddah. The roads in our area were not completely built and
were dusty. I remember African ladies called “Hajja” selling Gold coins on the
street. They literally sold gold on the streets. Once the adhan (Muslim Prayer)
was called, they left their stuff on the floor and covered it. Then they left
for prayers. Yes, they left valuable possessions like gold on the street and
left for prayers. ! I am not kidding since I was there.
The society there was an Islamic utopian society and in
simple terms, it was like:
·
See
No Evil
·
Hear
No Evil
·
Say
No Evil
In the whole 13 years I lived, as far as I remember I
heard of 4-5 cases of theft and other crimes. There were no thieves, no
burglary no kidnapping and you could move any time in the night without fear.
The
Koreans built the roads. That’s true Koreans built the roads in
Jeddah, and I am saying from memory. Later on Chinese and others might have bought,
and I cannot remember. There were sweepers from the City Corporation and they
were called “Baladia”. These guys were suits. In those Saudis were the
distinguished and did not work in blue-collar jobs but only in important jobs,
white-collar jobs, or heads of businesses. I think they were getting subsidies.
Saudis prefer to work in the universities and get jobs there. They respected
doctors and engineers. Doctors and Engineers and working for King Abdul Aziz
University (KAAU) meant that person had immunity in comparison to other blue-collar
job holders. The laws were strict and in accordance with Shariah (Islamic
Law.).
The earliest food I remember eating with eagerness and
a taste is the Broast chicken which has sauce with a chicken logo. That is Al
Baik. That is another story of how they started and became KFC’ of Saudi Arabia
and eventually the Middle East. Keep following our blog. (People who grew up
here still cannot forget the delicious mouthwatering taste. It is an attraction
if you are visiting Saudi Arabia. Later
on, change came slowly in the 80s and many new buildings were made.
Where
to eat Al Baik Chicken?
| Albaik Al-Khumra | Al Khumrah District | Sultanah Street |
Amongst others were drinks we grew up with. I am
talking about Non non-alcoholic
drinks, sodas that is.
The drink Suntop was an orange-flavored
drink made by Binzagr Company.
Suntop.
It is supposed to be rich in Vitamin C. A joint venture by a Danish company called Co-Ro and Saudi Binzagr. This company we knew used to make Suntop juices but it was already an established logistics company. It was really happy since as a fifth grader each of us received 2cartons of suntop juice, key rings, stickers, and other things I can’t remember
Many brands we all thought were from Saudi Arabia but werent".
I recall an incident where we went to visit the Suntop
factory in Jeddah, from our school Manarat Jeddah. The year was 1984 and it was
a great time we had visiting the company.
Our
Neighbors
They were Saudi and we visited their house very often
and I learned Arabic through the interaction to their house. They would offer
us fruits, snacks, or any food. We were invited in most occasions. At first,
the Kabsha was not our taste since lacking in spices. Then we got used to it.
But we had neighbors who were Bengali and worked with
my dad or they knew up through community friends. They were mainly from
Bangladesh.
Friends
and Neighbors
We used to visit friends of my father (colleague) who
were Bengali and from Bangladesh. It developed into a strong bond. Sometimes
going in outings to the beach or having to go to purchase furniture or weekly
shopping like fish (in bulk) or any bulk shopping. The bond was so strong even
now that it was like they were part of our family. Most of my father’s friends
worked in KAAU, called in short KAU.
A Facebook group
was created: Neighbors in Saudi Arabia (NIS). It was for Bengalis living in
Saudi Arabia from the late 70’s to 90 s in Saudi.
Same Expats:
A page for Expats who worked in Middle East from
70s-90s.
https://www.facebook.com/SAMEEXPATS
Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sameexpats/
Shopping Centers.
My earliest memory is of Caravan Market which was in
1977 or 178. I think from there I got a gift for my first Lego set as a gift.
It cost 100 Saudi Riyals.
Sarawat
Shopping Center came to Jeddah Saudi Arabia in 1981. It
was founded by Abdullah Binzagr. Woe, I did not know this. The same guys who
introduced Sun top orange juice with so much vitamin C. Another interesting
fact is that ACI Limited in Bangladesh is partnered with Co Ro of Denmark. The
company with rights to Suntop. But we do not see Sun's top products in Dhaka
stores much. Why? Going to Sarawat was a great feeling and we looked forward to
going there. Most new foods were found. We went to Sarawat in Hai al Nazlah.
There were two other Sarawats.
Jeddah
International Market (JIM) –We called it the International
Market and this market had a Sarawat, I think. (Sarwat1?). We visited a few
times and there was a Rolls Royce and my dad said it was worth 6 Million
Riyals. This market opened in 1979.
Pls like our Facebook (fan) for Sarawat,
We who grew up in Jeddah have emotional ties and some names like Sarawat bring
back memories. In Ramadan, like other businessmen, Sarwat offered discounts on
products. (100 percent)
Safeway
There was a store with this name, can't remember.
Amoudi
Center
This center was owned by Amoudi Holdings. It was a
great place to go and an interesting place to visit was Tihama Bookstore. A
book which I bought was Lord Tedric: The Black Knight of the Iron Sphere. (Brought
in Tihama store, Jeddah, 1986)
One of the restaurants that we went to was Hardees. The restaurant offered delicious burgers and
French fries. A meal consisting of a Burger, Pepsi, and French fries cost 5
Saudi Riyals.
This place was near to our school Manarat Jeddah and we
frequented it. Another place whose name I forgot next to the school was selling
Salami and Turkey Sandwiches for two riyals. There was a person from Kerala
selling French Fries (1984..) and gave as French fries in big quantities.
Amoudi Center was owned by the Amoudi family, a
well-known family in Jeddah.
Balad
Balad means the “City” and it was supposed to be a modern
part of traditional Jeddah. Next to it was Bab Sharif and Bab Makkah. The Bab Sharif had stores with spices, clothes
stores, carpets, and other related stores. A meeting place with a mix of
residents from Africa, and Egypt. Bab’ means Door. Then next to these was Balad’’,
a relatively more clean, modern with traditional UNESCO buildings. Amongst them
was the Ottoman Governor House called Naseef House. It was something like a traditional
Arab Bazaar. You just don’t shop but relax and socialize. In the late 1970s, once
the Adhan was given, every Muslim had to go to prayer and shut down their
shops. This was a special destination on the weekends. There are shops for
Musaakil and Sharma.
Saudi Arabia in the 1980s were at its prime. Foreigners
living here all bought Japanese Electronics: “Made In Japan”. These were of very good quality. Once you bought a TV,
it lasted for 10-15 years. That is going to be a problem now days and that’s
why Chinese Style Technology is better. The brands were:
·
National
·
Panasonic
·
Sony
·
Sanyo
Taiwan was seen as low cost
Electronics and were sold in footpaths. They did not last long.
TV
and movies
There was first 1 channel called “Kana al ula”. I
looked forward to see the Japanese cartoon called “ Grandizer”.
This channel had all in Arabic except news and, some serials and Movies. The
life of Laura Ingalls was shown with Arabic subtitles. The series being called:”
Little House in the Prairie”.
The other cartoons were:
·
Adana Wa Lina
·
Jazira ratul Kanj”(Treasure Island)
·
Bashar”- A story about Bee kid looking for
his mom. The song brings back old memories.
Saudia
___________________________________________________________________
Shopping
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