Warning: potential rant post
This is one thing that irks me about Saudi Arabia: lack of addresses. When you go to visit a friend for the first time there is nothing easy like, “We are number 61 Prince Bandar Street which is the 3rd left off xyz street.” Directions will more like: “We are on Takhasussi street, just after the Riyadh Bank and behind xyz shop. It’s the building with vines growing up the sides.”
This was my experience this morning when I had to take an electrical item to the service center to be fixed. The directions I was given were misleading in the first place as I was given the names of two streets far from eachother, the compound taxi driver and myself had never heard of the building name given and the company were not answering their telephone.
Said taxi driver stopped and asked at a couple of other electronic shops and eventually he was able successfully to find the building. (It is a huge bonus if you are from the Indian-Subconinent in this country and can converse in Urdu or one of the other languages of that region! Note to self: give up trying to learn Arabic and start learning Urdu. Jee!)
Once at the correct building with directions in hand, “Behind xyz centre,” I proceeded through the very deserted looking building, none of the few shops inside were open so I exited from the rear hoping to find the service centre there. Trekked over to another building that looked more promising only to be pointed to yet another building… that shop turned out to be the supplier not the service centre. Thirsty from fasting and walking in the 40+ degree centigrade heat I headed back towards the original building and found the taxi driver inside waiting for me. He had found another fellow Urdu speaker who had been able to give him correct directions to the 8th floor of the building.
Thanks to the driver I was able to find the service centre which was in essence, an office on the 8th floor. I thank God for the driver, I am sure if I had been with my husband we would never have found the building!
Come With Me To The Casbah
I’m convinced most divources/spousal murders happen in the car. My dh would never have found the place and never asked for directions. I usually just beg him to pay a taxi to show us how to get there.
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lol.. did you tell hubby this?
Assalaamu alaikum
LOL, you may be right UmmAdam! Although at least my husband is OK with asking for directions.
No need to Ammena, he wouldn’t disagree, that’s just the way it is here. Hard to find places unless you have step by step directions with every landmark listed. It’s just very, very useful having an Urdu speaker with you in this country and dh isn’t one!
Thank god for the taxi driver, people like that are hard to find these days!
LOL! Your experience brought back many memories of the type that are funny after the fact Things weren’t any different back in my day.
Here in the US, GPS units are all the rage. They wouldn’t even work in Riyadh!
BTW, I don’t need one. My training in Riyadh gave me excellent directional skills!
You’re right Sonya!
Marahm: The GPS units are very popular here too but as you say, I am sure they are useless in Riyadh!
I’ve asked my husband why there are no addresses here many times and he always replies that it is because of privacy. But what about businesses? Why would businesses want their locations to be private? Yet another confusing example of things that goes on here in the Kingdom that totally miff me. Great Post and I am totally with you in your frustration.
hahaha! I never understood that, when I first moved to Duabi,why there are no proper addresses…. it seemed like common sense right? And I am terrible at giving directions, so… its so hard to have visitors! Here in Egypt I think its even worse because it is sooooooooooo big. There are some street names, but no one really knows them. We even bought a GPRS thing that is supposed to help with directions… but it doesnt have a proper map, only the main roads. Why people want to make like more difficult is beyond me! Welcome to the Middle East
I think the lack of addresses is less about privacy and more about the mercurial growth of a desert tribal society into an international center. Certain modern conveniences– such as addresses– have not yet been incorporated.
Susie: That would be a bizarre notion: companies wishing to remain private!
Umm Travis: I was wondering if the situation is the same across the MENA; seems that it is so.
Marahm: I think you may be onto something there; that definitely makes sense.
Salam,
Hey I am getting to know so much of K.S.A.
I am really curious, love your’s and Ummadam’s blog.
Jazakallah Ya Ukhty
Ana min Junoobi Afriqiya
rayyan u r a sister? i thought u were a brother cuz that’s my son’s name!
Salam,
Nice post on the address. Let me put in another incident about the Urdu thing. Although from India, I don’t know Urdu and only enough arabic to read the qura’an. I was at a hospital one day, waiting for my appointment when two girls came to sit beside me. they were wearing western clothes without any hijab. I was wearing abaya. One of them turned to me ans asked, “do you know urdu?” I said no. Then came the next question, “do you know arabic?” Again a no. She stared at me and asked “Muslim?” to which I replied “yes”. It was after that I understood that some people thought Urdu and Arabic as ‘holy’ languages of Muslims.
Wassalam.
so, when we got a delivered package from a person with an address of “behind the girls’ college”…THAT WAS SERIOUS???
i mean i live in a village with no house numbers but but…that’s…
najeeba, i’ve met some people who can’t believe i’m muslim because i don’t speak arabic…
ooo…they also can’t believe there are muslims in the caribbean and how did we get there? did our parents just migrate? did we migrate? um…about 100 years ago..or more…seriously? how? when? and you’re muslim? and you don’t speak arabic? (or urdu depending on where the person is from)
[...Note to self: give up trying to learn Arabic and start learning Urdu...]
Lol that cracked me up. I could give you private lessons sis
Alhamdulilah you found the place in the end.
Another thing that baffles me is the saudi postal system! They are sooooo behind. I remember after I got engaged Dh sent me a parcel and it never reached us! It’s still a mystery as to where it can be…
Assalaamu alaikum,
Rayyan: Insha’Allah you find all the information you are looking for.
UmmAdam: It must be one of those names suitable for girl or boy because I know m&f with this name.
Najeeba: lol… soon after I coverted I was in France and a little Tunisian girl asked how long I’d been Arab for!
Lilandra:
I’m interested in learning about Muslims in the Carribean… how large is the community?
Nabbu: Purlease don’t remind me of the postal system!
hey salams sis!
loll, i learnt something new today! god, how do people get around then?? must spend alot of time getting lost
here in the UK, its soo different, we actually give out the street name, or road name, and u find it. And theres also the thing of having one big main road in every town that mojo of people are familiar with, so if u mention that then….happy days!
but alhamdulilah the taxi driver was there and u found it eventually. Being lost is not a nice feeling
[[[ x Smiley x ]]]
I noted that when visitng the UAE , i didn’t speak Arabic but seemed most spoke Hindi! Great stuff for me . Algeria is so similar with addresses, landmarks for directions!
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Assalamualikum Sister,
A very nice and informative article …… it’s sooooooo annoying this way without proper addresses here (sigh) ….. I had read in the newspaper that they had strted putting street names and adresses for home addresses ….. but I think it’ll still take a loooong time for everything to get in place here ….. Anyways I liked your blog very much …… thanx for sharing your experiences …… And I wanted to add your blog to mine if you don’t mind ….. Could you pls add mine to yours too….. Jazak Allah Khairan ….
http://uneekmuslimah.wordpress.com
Salam,
Yes Ummadam, I am a sister, I know my name is deceiving.
Well it is not my real name, but I just love this name!
Kuniyah? am I right?
Arabs like having nicknames, isn’t it?
Assalaamu alaikum,
Smiley: Lots of detailed instructions are required and a big alhamdu Lillah for mobile phones too!
Rainbow: Yep, Hindi is a useful one too!
Uneekmuslimah: There are street names around but the smaller streets are only marked in Arabic and added to that I think there is quite a lot of repetition with street names. Riyadh is divided into many areas but the areas may well have street names in common. Btw, have linked you.
Rayyan: Nice alias.
Found it very interesting – can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to find an address!!
One question though…how does the mail get to each house then??
(btw I’ve added you to my blog roll – if you don’t mind!)
Assalaamu alaikum Aalya,
Well half the same mail doesn’t seem to find it’s way.
That’s my experience anyway. 
I’m not 100% sure but maybe people use PO box addresses. Mail is not like it is in other countries anyway; we had mail on a daily basis in the UK – bills, statements, junk mail etc so it’s kinda refreshing not to have any of that stuff coming here!
The compound where I live uses a PO box address but I normally give out hubby’s work address as mail arrival at that address is more reliable.
Thought I had you on my blogroll but I was wrong… off to update…
hahahaha- i’ve often said the same thing- urdu is more useful around the kingdom than arabic!
Ruhsablogger: Glad someone agrees!