In Riyadh, it’s the call to prayer that wakes me each morning at
about 4.00. It’s disconcertingly loud and comes from a tall minaret only a
dozen or so steps away from our villa. But last week in Prague, it was the chimes of the astronomical clock
in the Old Town Square that were a much gentler wake up.
It doesn't take long when you arrive in Riyadh, before you are totally over malls and shopping. However when you start looking around, you soon realise there's not an awful lot else here for women to do, especially in the hot summer months. I wrote earlier about looking for alternatives and visiting the King Abdulaziz Library. It was not exactly what you'd call a roaring success.
So when I heard about the Art of Heritage Organisation and the Al Nahda Center, I was immediately curious. All I really knew was what was written on a flyer I'd been given some years ago. It described the Centre as "a workshop where disadvantaged Saudi ladies make beautiful handicrafts. This is where the gorgeous Bedouin jewelled bowls and date pots are made."
