My Green City…

Green City compound in Riyadh was our home for about 2 years back in 1990’s. We all have so many fond memories there. It was a brand new compound with large spacious villas and best of equipment. In a lot of ways it was a bit of a resort. It was situated near the Sheraton hotel and had a lot of empty blocks right around it.

On our recent visit to Riyadh I made it a first priority to go and revisit the place and its environs. Some of the old food shops which were around the corner were still there like Mama Noura’s. That place has some mighty mixed grilles, shwarmas and freshly squeezed juices.

 

Another view:

 

Everything else was there, the chemist, opticians, kepsa shop, and of course the mosque right on the corner.

However it was a bit heartbreaking to see the compound entrance. It has been turned into a fortress. There were substantial barriers and machine gun nests everywhere. I guess it did remind me of the realities of life here in the middle East. We take things like vehicle checks, compound barriers and security everywhere as pretty normal. Our compound here is guarded by the National Guard corps. You always know when there is something going on as they turn out in their full combat gear, bullet-proof vests, helmets and guns in hand. The vehicles have to stop and are checked with underside mirrors, boots open etc. When things are normal they just wave us through.

This is the entrance to the green city now:

 

 

This is the back:

 

I guess that it is a reality and it must be done. I am just glad that we were here at a more innocent time and that we were able to enjoy the city of Riyadh pretty much unfettered.