Sunday Lunch, Al Batha البطحاء & environs

includes one of the oldest submunicipalities of Riyadh, where I popped out of the metro station at Al-Bathaa (pronounced, 'al-bot-ha'):

to be rebuilt out of mudbrick or breezeblock. . . ?

I was heading to the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque wanting to see how it could accommodate 17,000 . . .

the interesting thing is that these two styles of architecture, the scenes above and those around the Al Masmak and the Grand Mosque, are adjacent to one another. . . the barber pictured above is on a street of barbers, doing good business, for all the men making their way through the sidestreets and dust, heading to the mosque

. . .but the way was repeatedly barred and I was headed off in one direction, then another . . . not able to sit here, not able to pass through there. . . to go through the metal detector, present at all public events. . .

I came to a park, on the map above, below the Courts Complex, where there was shade to eat and read, on my way meeting a man from Pakistan who invited me to his home to meet his family. . . and in that area there were many bodies curled up asleep in shady areas. Then, Al Dirah, where I buy coffee and bought that day Brazil nuts, finally, the Courts Complex metro station is shown:

Qasr al Hokm and home. . .

and back. . . the next day:

Al Dirah is near Souk Al-Zal and Al-Maighliah, each overlaps with the other if it's just shops and goods you're interested in, but then you miss that each is a territory and, whether you notice or not, you find yourself forming allegiances and loyalties, preferring this place here to buy what is available in any number of other places there. . . and this speaks to the relationships that take precedence above all, above what you can give me or sell me is what is between us; where I go for coffee they ask after my wife, where is she? more important than mere curiosity, it's a question of restoring the linkages and a way of affirming the lines of connection which go from person to person. . .

I met up with Jo, who's fond of Al-Maighliah and they're getting to know her there now, in the evening. . .

. . . meeting at Al-Masmak. . .

in time for the call. . .