There is really nothing in America that I can compare istraha to, and there is no word in the English language that would fully define it. So you are gonna get the "Kylie tries to describe it" version.
An istraha is basically an outdoor place for families and friends to gather, hang out, eat, and enjoy their time together. Istrahas used to be located outside the city for that "away from it all", relaxing feeling. But as the city of Riyadh continues to grow outwards, you can find many istrahas in neighborhood areas. We have many of them in our area, which just a few years ago was open space. (This city is growing and developing at an extremely fast rate.)
Like most families in Saudi, my in-laws gather on a regular basis. Two days a month we have lunch with my hubby's parents, siblings, siblings' spouses, and their children. And two days a month we gather with FIL's side of the family. My FIL has seven siblings. And these siblings have children and those children have begun having children. So as the family grew, the grandmother's house became too small (and she had a pretty big house). So the solution was simply to rent an istraha every other week.
When renting an istraha on a regular basis it is best to make a contract. That way your days are reserved and it's at a discounted rate. The in-laws are currently renting in a small town outside Riyadh. This is a picture I took on the way to the istraha last weekend:
And although the current istraha is really big, I prefer the days when they rented one in our neighborhood. It was an easy 2 mins away. :)
The family shares in the rental fees, and food is brought by all (like a pot luck). Lots of tea, arabic coffee, and desserts are brought as well.
Last weekend we drove to the istraha only to find out it was double booked. :( But luckily a relative's family owns an istraha and it happened to be available so we went to that one instead (after driving all the way to #1...oh well).
My pictures are from istraha #2 which was a bit different than I'm used to. It's an istraha that is used more for camping and staying-over-night . But it still gives a general idea.
The above picture shows "tents" which have rooms inside. The rooms are where the people hang out and eat. Behind this tent were a couple of buildings with a kitchen, some bathrooms, and storage. Most of the istrahas I've been to have rooms in small buildings, but some still do this tent idea. And when I say tent, I mean the kind you see above, not the kind we use in the U.S. when camping in the woods. Lol.
Inside the tents you'll find rooms like this:
This was the room we ate our lunch in. The other room is lined all along the walls with couches for sitting and small tables to rest your tea cups and snacks. I think it's interesting that in this relaxed atmosphere you find chandeliers hanging from the ceiling...lol...only in Saudi.
Here's another picture:
I took this picture to show the outside. There are grassy areas, trees, and sidewalks. And this by the way is the women's side, the men have their own side. There is a wall that goes around the entire perimeter of the property and a division in between the two sides (guy's side and girl's). This allows lots of privacy, which means women do not need to cover, at all. No abaya, no head scarf, and certainly no face covers. You are outside, but in a private setting.
Children enjoy istraha just as much if not more than the adults. There is lots of room to run around outside and play. Some istrahas have in-ground swimming pools (our family doesn't like to use them though; cleaniness of the pool and safety issues are ranked as the top reasons...I share their concerns). And most istrahas have playgrounds for the little ones:
My plan is to take pictures of another istraha (next time I go to one) so that I can share another version. My friends and I just rented one recently and I loved it. It was beautiful and very clean (most of them have a guard who is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the property). But I didn't remember to take pictures until the evening. So I promise to try to remember next time. :)
I hope you enjoy learning all the interesting things that Saudi life has to offer.
Here is a closing pic that I took as I was pushing little guy on the swing. We were very close to the airport so we saw many planes flying overhead. I like the look of the date trees.
HAPPY SUNDAY! :)
P.S. Today is Superbowl Sunday. Go Steelers!
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