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Late 20/21C – Jeddah is known as the city of Veils – where everything is shrouded or tucked away out of sight. When a woman is found murdered, the veil falls and the fallout could be deadly..
City of Veils
What you need to know before your trail
Jeddah , a city of narrow, winding alley ways, dark corners and tightly closed shutters. Everything is hidden, tucked away, not wanting to reveal itself in this most secretive of places. The nearby desert is known as the Empty Quarter for its isolating and unforgiving environments knows to man.
One afternoon, in the middle of a Saudi heatwave, the body of a woman, half naked beneath her burqa, is discovered on a beach. Then the husband of a Western woman goes missing.
Revealing the truth in this secretive society is not going to be easy.
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From the very moment the body of a woman clad in a burqa is found on a beach in jeddah, the scene is set for a murder mystery of a different kind. This murder, in this town, takes you on a journey into the deepest and darkest corners of Jeddah society
Desert guide Nayir works as an amateur sleuth and alongside forensic scientist Katya – a unique duo in a country where women are only allowed to work in certain professions and even then when they don’t mix with men or try to better them. Through their eyes, the conflicts and struggles of man but especially women in a day to day society are clear. When Miriam the american woman is questioned as to why she is there –
“Tell me he soldiered on , oblivious to her discomfort, ‘what do you do with yourself l day when you’re not allowed to leave the house, divorce a car, or even ride a fucking bicycle?”
The fact that this man and woman can even work together appears to be shocking to some. Never mind some poor woman has been found murdered!
The city of veils reveals its appearance slowly but surely although the views from behind any kind of veil is shrouded in mystery. Jeddah is a closed society and its streets and alleyways unforgiving. Even its taxis are hidden places –
“The taxi company sold itself as a company for ‘decent’ women. Its motto – Our windows are darker”
Meanwhile, the investigation reveals a new layer of Jeddah and Saudi society – the veil of issues in the Quran and their impact of day to day life are explored, the women’s role and outlook on life and her duty within this male dominated world.
When the husband of a Western Woman disappears, the angle tilts towards another woman’s experience of this society and so the picture of Jeddah grows. And if you think Jeddah is inhospitable then wait till you venture out into the Saudi Empty Quarter – the most desolate place on earth…
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