A Visit to Sami Anqawi’s House

This evening we went to an amazingly beautiful house, designed and lived in by the famous Saudi architect Dr. Sami Anqawi. This house was beyond belief to see, with a courtyard in the middle with a pool, and beautiful rooms all around. He has entertained many guests, including former President Jimmy Carter, at this house. He recently designed a new Islamic Cultural Center in Boston. Though the picture below doesn’t really do it justice, you can see a view of the middle area of the house.

After dinner we went to hear a presentation on Saudi women, and how they are doing gaining some rights. It was a good presentation, but we continue to hear the same thing—many Saudi women are in college because the government pays for it and even gives them spending money to go. The problem is there are not jobs available to them when they graduate (except for perhaps some education jobs, some nursing/medical positions, and maybe being a secretary). Saudi women can’t even be a sales clerk because they can’t sell any item to men. Another example of this inequity is the seating system at restaurants in Saudi Arabia. At a restaurant here you have a men’s only section (usually called the "singles" or men’s section), and you have a family section that women can sit in (with their children and husband, if they are present). This “family” section is often hidden behind smoked glass so that no one can see inside. A photo below shows the signs directing the Saudis to their entrances.

And, just for fun, here is the lobby of my hotel in Jeddah. Pretty nice!