Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - part five

The Masmak Fortress was built in 1865 under the reign of Abdullah bin Rasheed, an invader from the north, who had seized control of the city from the rival clan of Al Saud. In 1902 the Fortress was captured by the future King Abd al-Aziz, and the event restored Al Saud control over Riyadh.  His descendants still rule Saudi Arabia.

The citadel, renovated in the 1980s and now housing a museum, is made from sun-baked bricks plastered over with straw and mud. 

We entered through a thick, carved wooden door, and I was immediately relieved for the temperature change. I’d had a hard time finding anything in Toronto that was suitable to buy to wear under the abaya (not realizing I could just have worn anything,) and the only thing I’d brought was a long black polyester nightgown. Not my best work. I sweltered for the entire trip.

The inside of the citadel was just as impressive as the exterior. The museum exhibits showed the historical successes of the Al Saud family, with little mention of the Al-Rasheed clan. Everything was written in English, as well as Arabic, which was handy.  It was easy to get lost in my imagination in there, with the numerous dark rooms - into which light peeked through triangular holes in the thick walls – and intricate carved and coloured doors and walls.

         


















Beams, and the rickety ladders that stretched up to connect the various levels inside, were simply unstripped tree trunks, making it feel very earthy, and yet quite eerie. I loved it.

After a couple of hours exploring, we emerged into the heat to start filming. Almost immediately, I was soaked in sweat. Because I couldn't be seen to be working, I decided, without thinking about the wisdom of my actions, to head off to the nearby souq to see if I could find something cooler to wear under my abaya. 

Alone. Unaccompanied. A big no-no. Illegal, even. I’d only been on my own about 15 minutes before I realized I was being followed, probably by one of the Mutaween (religious police,) and very quickly headed back to the crew, who were done with exteriors.

We headed back over to the Souq al-Thumairi, which is known for gold and antiques but sells almost everything – from coffee to chain mail. 

The vendors seemed pretty happy to have a film crew around. We were soon surrounded by salesman trying to get us to shoot in their stall.

Colourful carpet sellers hawked their wares. Antique dealers tried to entice us with good deals on ornamental (or not) daggers. Fabric sellers flashed their brightly coloured scarves and mirrored cushion covers our way. And then the call to prayer started. Quick as a flash, we were shoved out the door, which was pulled down behind us. That was our cue – we headed out into the square to film the sun going down behind the Masmak fortress while the melodious adhan called the faithful to prayer. Magic.