Libya War Maps: First Batch

Libyan War Maps:  The Second Batch 
Libyan War Maps:   The Third Batch 
Libyan War Maps:  The Fourth Batch 
Libyan War Maps: The Fifth Batch - The Geography of Oil
Libyan War Maps:  The Sixth Post - The Coalition's Size
Libya War Maps: The Seventh Post - The Invasion of Tripoli
Libya War Maps: The Eighth Post - More Battle of Tripoli Maps

While I am working as a geographer in Afghanistan a new war in the Greater Middle East has erupted.  Coalition Forces comprised of American, British, Canadian, Danish, French, Qatari, and Spanish militaries are striking locations loyal to Colonel Gaddafi and his government, the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Republic.  The military actions are in support of the rebel forces which are united under the National Transition Council and it's proclaimed government, the Libyan Republic aka Republic of Libya.  The Libyan Republic is viewed as the legitmate government of Libya by France, Portugal, and the Arab League.

Currently I can find three good war maps but I'll post more and link to them on this post as I get them.

The Daily Mail has this one covering Operation Odyssey Dawn.

The BBC has this one of who controls what cities.  Of note is that the rebels have been pushed out of central Libya and only hold the eastern edge of the country.  Click the map or the hyperlink to toggle various layers and see more information.

The BBC also has a map showing where aircraft are aircraft are launching from.

The Good of Saudi Arabia

All the news and rumors about Saudi Arabia plus some of my own encounters have created internal negative feelings towards Saudi Arabia.  However, to be fair I must stress the kindness of the Saudis I met.  In fact, I must say that people were friendlier in Saudi Arabia than in Qatar.  The stereotype of all Saudis being authoritarians was also proven false during my time in country. Below are two of my many experiences that reflect the goodness of Saudi Arabia.

The Camel Hunt:  Everyone Was Real Nice

During my first full day in Saudi Arabia I went looking for wild camels.  I bought some apples to feed to the camels and made sure to bring the camera in case I was able to get a good Kodak-moment.  I was unable to locate any roaming camels but I did find the Riyadh camel suq (market) while managing to drive for hours in the desert.  During the hours in the desert I encountered several people, some who did and some who did not speak English.  Everyone who I met was extremely kind to me.  Everyone greeted me with the standard Islamic greeting "Assalamu Alikum."  This was somewhat of a surprise as most orthodox schools of thought forbid the Asslamu Alikum greeting to Christians and other non-Muslims.  No one in Iraq or Qatar has ever greeted me with Asslamu Alikum yet everyone in Saudi Arabia did.


Jeddah: Pro-Liberty, Pro-Woman


After the Al Baik adventure I was ready for bed.  Peter, the "eight piece" friend, and me caught a taxi back to hotel.  The taxi cab driver was in a fantastic mood, talking a mile a minute, and using his broken English skills to tell us about how "all Jeddah loves freedom."

The People versus the Religious Police (as told to me by the taxi cab driver and remembered by me):  A female guest worker was doing gardening work.  Apparently, too much of her hair was showing and a religious policeman took notice.  According to the taxi cab driver, the religious police man went up to the woman and wacked her on the leg (I can vouch that this is standard practice by religious police to dress code violations).  Other female guest workers saw this and jumped on the religious policeman.  Other people, both men and women, walking nearby then got involved by joining in the anti-religious policeman beatdown.

Anti-religious policeman violence does happen in Jeddah.  Some Hijazis still feel like they are occupied by Riyadh-based backwards, fundamentalist tribesmen.


Final Note


My time in Saudi Arabia ended after a week.  I did not come down with a case of Orientalism but instead had my eyes open by the materially wealthy Qatar and the personally friendly but organizationally hostile Saudi Arabia.  All I can hope is that all my future travels be as much of a learning experience as was my Middle East 2010 trip.

The Gastronomical Delights of Saudi Arabia and Its Enemies

"Do you like chicken?"  That was the first thing I was asked once I got past Riyadh's airport security.  My friend Peter, who lived in the country at the time, was happy to see me but was thrilled at my "yes" answer.  "Great, in two days I'll make sure you get some good chicken," he exclaimed.  What seemed at the time like a trip to the local KFC turned into a 500 mile journey involving a glutinous amount of fried food, falsely assumed corporate espionage, terrifying religious police, and a tribal battle for the control of one of the most successful restaurant chains in Saudi Arabia.

Catholicgauze Goes to Al Baik

The logo of Al Baik from its Facebook page. Why an Arab chicken is wearing a top hat, cape, and bow tie is beyond me.

For those two days I relaxed, swam, played tennis under the desert sun, and went driving in the desert.  However, chicken became a frequently brought up subject.  I constantly heard things like "The eight piece fried chicken is the best deal for your money,"  "Oh man, get it spicy,"  and "The thick garlic sauce is to die for!"  Apparently this was no ordinary chicken but Al Baik chicken which is served only in four cities in the western fringe of the country.  When I asked why this seemingly delicious fast food fried chicken was not sold in the capital or anywhere else I found out about the "Great Saudi Chicken War" as Peter called it.

The Great Saudi Chicken War (As told to me by Peter)

Al Baik is a family run business owned by a tribal clan which has lived along the Red Sea coast (the Hijaz) for centuries.  Being like most Hijazis, the family has traditionally been independent-minded (The Saudi-Wahabbi alliance conquered the Hijaz in the 1920s and there is still a feeling that Saudis are outside occupiers).  In the early 1990s a Saudi price "offered" a business deal which would allow Al Baik to go international if the Saudi prince became a main partner in the company.  The family said "No, we wish to keep this in the family," to which the Saudi prince declared Al Baik would never be able to open a restaurant location outside the Hijaz.  To this day Al Baik are still restricted to the Hijaz.  (Note:  Readers from Saudi Arabia tell me the ownership is from other parts of the Middle East and the prince story is a rumor)

Saudi politics limited Al Baik to the west coast of the country but fortunately I was travelling there.  Peter and myself met one of his friends in Jeddah on chicken-day around noon.  The following conversation made me wonder what the power of this chicken place really was.

Catholicgauze:  So there are several Al Baik's in Jeddah, which one do you recommend?
Friend:  The eight piece.
Catholicgauze:  Yes, I've heard about the eight piece.  But which location do you recommend?
Friend:  You got to get the eight piece.
Catholicgauze:  So...
Friend:  The eight piece.  Spicy.

The night finally came and their was excitement in the air.   Al Baik is done fast food-style with third country nationals, mostly Pakistanis, cooking up chicken and french fries like mad.  For about three dollars I ordered the eight piece meal which gave me the ungodly amount of chicken, an aluminum box load of fries, drink, bun, and garlic sauce.

Don't ask me how many calories are shown here.  Photograph by me.

Apparently Al Baik is under constant fear that the Saudi prince who has kept them captives in the Hijaz was and still is trying to steal their secret recipes.  The moment the above photograph was taken three workers came up to us and told us sternly that photography of the food was not allowed (I wondered if they ever thought a spy could order the meal to go and then take photographs of it outside).  This was the only time I was not allowed to take a photograph while in Saudi Arabia.

The food was delicious.  I managed to get three pieces down until my body reminded me I cannot handle greasy food well.

About twenty or so minutes into the meal something happened.  People started hurrying out the door.  Then all the sudden the three restaurant workers who told us about not to take photographs walked back up to us and started packing up our food into to-go containers.  Before we could ask something along the lines of "what are you doing?" we were rushed out of the door.  The door was then locked, lights turned off, and metal gates were lowered to prevent anyone from looking inside.  What made the moment even surrealer was that several men stood around a parked car counting the number people who came out.  As I stood in confusion at what was going on the call to prayer began.

The men were religious police, mutaween.  The mutaween are volunteers, more like free lance mercenaries, who receive money from the religious establishment to enforce sharia law.  They are separate from the government which reports to the Saudi family.  The have the authority to enforce laws like the closing of businesses for the call to prayer.  If we were to eat in the restaurant or been served while the call to prayer was going on the mutaween could have arrested the workers and closed the business down.  Only "family" restaurants (one's where women can get with their family) are allowed to remain open during the prayer call.

The mutaween ensured the panic shutdown of other restaurants I ate at as well.  A a Turkish-run sit down restaurant manager came up to us apologizing by saying "Please go, I cannot allow you to stay.  I am so sorry.  We Turks do not like to do this."  In a discussion with the Turkish-manager and Peter I found at that most Saudis will delay going out until the last call to prayer in order to avoid the mandatory half an hour shut down of businesses during the call to prayer.

There was one place where the mutaween could not prevent my consumption of delicious food during prayer call.  In a strip-mall in the middle of Riyadh there is the best Thai restaurant which caters to the Thais who live and work doing the odd-jobs Saudis do not do.  The pad thai was the best I ever had.  The fact that it cost less than two dollars for food and drink made it better.  And being able to enjoy it because we were in the "family" section prevented any panic rushing out the door.

Coming next week:  Saudi Arabia: The Bad and Overlooked Good of Saudi Arabians

Saudi Arabia: A Neat and Orderly Police State

The Government of Saudi Arabia kindly wishes to inform you that they do not like your geography blog.

These are hard post to write.  My feelings of Saudi Arabia are incredibly mixed.  The physical geography is beautiful and I can only heap praise on the many Arabs I met in the country.  However, Saudi Arabia is the first time I truly felt in a different world.  Being raised in the United States I have been able to share cultural traits which I encountered while in Latin America, the Caribbean islands, and Europe.  Even Iraq and Qatar had a wannabe, Westernish-modernish feeling to them.  Saudi Arabia though, is different.  My time in Saudi Arabia has given me the impress that Saudi Arabia wants to be modern but on its terms with as little Westerness as possible. 

A Neat and Orderly Police State
 

The Government of Saudi Arabia kindly wishes to inform you that they will kill you if you bring in drugs.

Doha, Qatar's airport is one of the most disorganized cosmopolitan places in the world.  I saw Americans, Brits, French, Germans, Saudis, Egyptians, Iranians, Pakistanis, and Filipinos cutting in front of each other, pushing, and desperately seeking anything that could guide them to their gates.  At the ticket counter a dolled-up, fake blonde young Arab woman became my smiling savior as she guided me to my Riyadh-bound flight.

When the plane took off I was thinking that Saudi Arabia would be similarly chaotic.  I was quickly diverted though when a East Asian flight attendant handed me a customs form which in bright red lettering threatened me with death if I was trafficking in drugs (If only "Death for Terrorism" or "Death for Human Trafficking" were on the form).  For the rest of the flight I, a non-drinking, non-smoking, non-drug using Catholic, just dwelled on this stern warning while remembering movies like Brokedown Palace.

When I landed the stereotype of an Arabian chaos was shattered.  Everyone quickly yet quietly formed a line and stayed in it.  We all went through security silently.  Heavily armed police overlooked the whole process.  Women in face showing burqas, more skin reveling than in Qatar but much less fashionable as they were cotton and not silk, checked in women while men in uniform (much like Homeland Security in the United States) checked men in.

Qatar relies on cameras for enforcement.  Police cameras are everywhere and used in malls, sidwalks, roads, neighborhoods, and even in restaurants.  In Saudi Arabia police are everywhere while the camera was virtually unseen.  Going to the hotel and around town there were many road checkpoints manned mostly by police but at several places by military-equipped National Guard.  Even the hotel I stayed at had a heavy police presence.

What truly made me feel in another world was the openness of punishment.  Public punishment has gone out of sytle in the West.  The biggest controversy is if the names and addresses of ex-convicts should be placed on the internet.  In Saudi Arabia there is no real controversy over any form of punishment public or private.

The seemingly innocent public square in front of the Ministry of Justice building.

In front of the Ministry of Justice building is the "Ministry of Justice Square."  I visited it on a Thursday evening.  Little kids were playing in the main fountains that came out of a complex gutter system while older kids played a soccer game.  Some adults walked in and out of the square while others were merely enjoying the cooling evening shade. 

While I was enjoying the view someone came up to me and asked if I was going to be in the square tomorrow, Friday.  When I asked why I was told that I should.  "You should come.  We will put you up front so you get to see everything."  I quickly found out that the Ministry of Justice Square was used for executions and amputations for people caught stealing three times.  Crowds and the police will move foreigners up front with the preference for those who they consider likely Christians.  That way foreigners get to see "true, Saudi justice" while the last thing the condemned see are kafir Christians.

The man probably saw the shock on my face.  He responded with "Don't worry.  The criminals are drained of blood so they cannot struggle and no blood will get on.  The rest of the blood and washed away by the fountains."

Later this week: The Gastronomical Delights of Saudi Arabia and Its Enemies

Qatar is Not Quite a Shopping Mall

Earlier I wrote how an early impression one gets in Doha, Qatar is that the whole country is like a giant shopping mall. Western goods, rampant commercialism, and the wide spread use of the English language can remind many Westerners of their local shopping mall.

The Shopping Mall Qatar does exists and it is centered around New Doha, the northern part of the capital. However, there are overlooked parts of Qatar that many ignore.

South Asian Qatar: When one is in Qatar one realizes rather quickly that there are alot of Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshi nationals in the country. This is because South Asia is the favorite recruiting ground of Qatar for foreign labor to do many of the jobs Qataris do not want to do. These South Asians live in the southern parts of Doha. Their neighborhoods have more signs in English than Arabic, Hindi, or Urdu. However, South Asian Qatar is not allowed to imprint itself on the landscape too much. No South Asian architecture is present in Qatar, Hindus are not allowed meeting places for religious services, and no flags but Qatar can be seen waving from buildings.

Traditional Arab Qatar: New Doha's spirit is expanding into much of Qatar. The small suburbs of Doha are currently undergoing massive revisions due to the influx of oil money. Restaurants like Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Applebee's have spread beyond the capital. Somewhere out there though is a more traditional Arab Qatar. With the east coast being modernized and the western coast all natural gas and oil exploitation, only the central and north are "traditional." The central part of Qatar has a few small villages around oases but these are quickly being abandoned. Only the northern coast's fishing villages are surviving. These villages are much like Doha was at the middle of the last century, small communities that survived on fishing and pearl diving. While even these have modern, little convenience stores, those stores are the exception with most people still buying supplies from the local markets called suqs. Unlike the other Qatars, the traditional Arab Qatar does not handle the English language well.

These two Qatars break the mold of the shopping mall. These two are just as valid as the shopping mall Qatar, it is just that one has to travel outside the touristy and modern parts (similar but not the same) of Doha.

Qatar is a Giant Shopping Mall (Not Quite)

After a day or two in Doha, Qatar it is easy to think that the country is one big shopping mall. In fact, one quickly begins to feel that the shopping mall is in some urban American center like Northern Virginia, as I remarked to a fellow geographer.

First, the shopping malls in Doha are huge. The Doha City Center and the Landmark Mall in particular are simply massive with hundreds of stores each. These are modern, Western stores like Carrefour, the Hallmark Store, and Foot Locker. The food courts are populated by McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, and more.

Beyond the malls themselves there are plenty of markets, called suqs, that sell goods from the Middle East and other nearby regions. Chinese made goods ranging from cheap trinkets to clothing to electronics are everywhere (much like in the United States). Those expecting a traditional Arab market in Doha will be disappointed by how mundane and Western the markets are.

What really gives the mall feel is the culture and people. All but two, yes two, signs I have seen so far in the entire country have been in English and Arabic. While Qataris do stand out in their white and black clothing, a large amount of them wear the Western-style of clothing I am use to. There are plenty of Southern and Southeast Asians laborers and their families as well as many European and American expats and military. With English being a universal language sharing the landscape with another language and a very diverse population, Doha Qatar feels like any multiethnic American urban center.

The "newer", northern parts of Doha certainly is like a giant shopping mall. Diverse people, wealth and consumerism, and the dominance of English make Doha feel like a super mall in America. However, a trip into southern and northern Doha reveals different shades of Qatar.

To be continued....

Qatar Airways: Neo-Arabia in the Air

I am now safely in Qatar fresh from my flight on Qatar Airways. The airline is a prime example of the diverse, technology-driven land the Middle East in general and Arabia in particular have become. Religion, wealth, and flashy Western culture also made appearances on the flight.

First off, I was one of several nationalities on the plane. Americans, Indians, Southeast Asians, and Arabs were all represented on the flight.

• Americans were clearly military or employed by some company that in some-way-shape-or-form dealt with oil. Their haircuts and clothing with various logos gave away one's profession rather easily. While I am in neither group I have a strong feeling that I was in the very small minority of Americans not associated with the military or an oil company.
• Indians were possibly the largest minority or even the plurality on the plane. Talking to a few in line and on the plane I discovered they formed the upper caste of Indian workers in Doha. Many had computer or engineering degrees. They told me Doha was a good place for them and their families to earn more money before moving back to India. The women told me they had more simple retail jobs. They missed India but told me there is a large enough Indian community to give a sense of home.
• Arabs were probably the plurality of people on the plane. Men and women were not only dressed in traditional dishdashas and burqas but some others were in jeans and polo shirts. I sat next to an Arab man in Western clothing who told me he was on his way to Mecca. No matter if one was traditionally clothed or wearing Western style many of them were watching Avatar. The appeal of flashy Western culture seemed to be universal on the flight.
• Southeast Asians were the final group on the plane. My overview of the plane found no Southeast Asians as passengers but the plane's stewardess staff was comprised completely by them. I found out that most of them were from Singapore and Malaysia. The trend of using Southern and Southeast Asians for menial jobs like airline stewardship is a strong and growing one in Arabia. In fact, 60% of Qatar's population is not Arab. Most of the 60% is from Southern and Southeast Asia.

Qatar Airways is probably the most technological of the airlines out there. Every seat had a console where one could watch movies on demand, television channels both live and on demand, news, e-mail, music, phone other seats or even landlines, and even a map of one's progress (my map sadly did not work).

Other Arabia trends, both traditional and modern, were noticed on the flight. Religion was present with all the food being prepared in accordance to "Islamic Standards." Money, Qatar being an economically well off country, was demonstrated by prices. I asked how much an upgrade from economy to business class would be expecting it to be something like $150. An upgrade was $1,500. I turned it down but managed to get the sympathy backup choice of an exit row seat. That gave me six feet of leg room and very easy access to the bathroom. Comfort, like that of a person who lived in an oil rich state that bought off its citizenry with oil profits, was expierenced in style by me.

Catholicgauze Going to the Middle East

I will resume blogging in a few days. By the time I blog next I should be in the Middle East. I will be in the region for about two weeks. Stay tunned for my thoughts on the physical and cultural geography of Southwest Asia.

And no, I am not returning to Iraq.