Merging Worlds at the Mall

Although our tours and meetings with various Saudi officials have been superb, a short jaunt to the mall (which was attached to our hotel in Riyadh) was a true slice of life in Saudi Arabia. A friend of mine had suggested I should check it out for the Cinnabon and Dunkin Donuts, should I get tired of the breakfast buffet at the Al-Faisaliah. (I don’t know how one could ever get tired of the delectable and never ending options at the buffet, but I digress.) There was so much to learn from this pedestrian place.

At the women’s section of King Saud University we determined that there are some things that are just universal—women like to shop! As the mall was connected to the hotel, the women of the group were permitted to wander there unaccompanied. With a short break in the schedule some of the ladies decided we would take a stroll to see what was “in store” at a Saudi mall.

Through the hotel lobby and a skywalk we emerged into a four-story mall—the cookie cutter type that can now be found in nearly any corner of the world. Saudi Arabia proved no different. The Al-Faisaliah Mall covered all the top stores from the US and Europe, from BCBG to Harvey Nichols to Mango. We started on the top floor with the food court that boasted every western food chain you could want. There were of course distinct lines at each for men and women, conveniently separated by large signs signaling the specials and deals. Clearly using any available space for advertising is a globalized concept!

We then wandered through many of the stores, the majority of which were staffed by non-Saudi men. The prices at many shops were exorbitant--a casual dress costing as much as $1000. In some ways you felt very much like you were in America. For instance, I was able to purchase a pair of sandals from Gap that had sold out last season—major score! In other ways there were of course differences. The majority of the women were wearing the full abaya with face covering, an interesting dichotomy as they perused the lingerie shop “Womens’ Secret”.

As we strolled back to the hotel we heard the call to prayer. The stores in the mall would close for that moment, but within minutes we could all be back to Big Macs and stilettos.