NidalM Photography / Blog

Courtship and Marriage in Pakistan

In Pakistan, marriage is considered the union of two families, not just the pairing of two people. Combine the vested interests of extended family with the restrictions from culture and religion, and navigating the path to a wedding can get quite challenging for all involved!

Peter of Smile Productions gave me a call literally minutes after I’d walked into my house, returning from a 2-week long vacation/photoshoot in Pakistan. There was a comedy show in Riyadh in a day and he needed me in Riyadh. Weary from all the traveling, I almost said no. I’m glad I didn’t.

Lets face it. The outside world knows little about the traditions and customs of Saudi Arabia. Even I, as an expat raised in Saudi, knew little about Saudi marriage customs until very recently. And my knowledge of what actually happened at weddings was all hearsay and rumors.

Volcanic activity is not something new to Saudi Arabia. The region around the Wahbah crater is located in Saudi Arabia’s 5,900 square meter Harrat Kishb volcanic field. Our expedition to the crater opted to camp in to the east of the crater, at the northeastern edge of the lava fields.

Well, those of you tired of hearing about me climbing mountains all the time will be glad to know that this post is about a trip into a massive hole. Nono, get your mind out of the gutter. Not that kind of hole… pervert.

Saudi Arabia is huge. And for the most part, its filled with… nothing. Nothing at all. This is a story of what its like to drive through this nothing. Oh, and we got assaulted by a camel. Read on.

How chance led us to a chance to dine with the Emir of Turaif and see his amazing collection of pre-WWI Saudi weapons.

I panted heavily as I shifted my weight onto my hands, holding onto the ledge beside me and preparing to drop down yet another few feet along the granite path that seemed to lead down the mounting. Grimacing as I hit the hard rock underneath, my knees buckled halfway, exhausted by the torture they had received over the past 8 hours.

Did you know this was happening? I didn’t. But apparently the world’s best squash players were in Saudi Arabia last week, duking it out for the top spot in the squash rankings.

The previous few posts that I’ve done always seem to level hate towards Saudi cops. As a photographer (a marginally acceptable pastime in Saudi Arabia), run-ins with the police are frequent and seldom pleasant. But every now and then you have an experience that warms your heart. There are good, clear-headed people out there, and this story is about one of them.