

Known as the Arabian Wandress, travel blogger and artist Esra Alhamal is this week’s guest talking about what it’s really like to grow up as a female in Saudi Arabia, the beauty of Islamic architecture and her travels as what she calls a Muslim Millennial travelling mindfully around the globe.
On this episode we cover:
How she became The Arabian Wanderess
Growing up in Saudi Arabia
Getting a scholarship to study in the US
Finding Manchester ‘had no technology’ compared to the US
Loving the UK once she adapted
The US being so vast and diverse
Being blessed in Europe with cheap flights and great places to visit
Ryanair flights for a fiver
Kids restricting cheap holidays
Are Saudi women repressed?
Sewing, knitting, reading books (pre internet…)
Visiting Bahrain for the cinema
Restrictions being on both men and women
Women permission to leave the country
Media focusing on Muslim women supposedly being repressed
Being many grey areas
Women wearing lots of coloured ‘abayas in Saudi
Fewer black abayas being worn
In western Saudi women not covering their hair
Saudi having a lot of nature rather than just the buildings and the desert
Blue Abaya Saudi blogger
Being ‘a Muslim millennial travelling the world mindfully’
Trying to be conscious of her environmental impact
How it’s easy to find somewhere to stay that’s owned by locals
And buy from the locals
Travelling as a guest in other people’s countries
The particular issues with travelling as a Muslim woman
Yet being a hot headed Arab
People out there who will judge Muslims on sight
Feeling the added pressure to be an ambassador
Lisa talking to random people on the tube
Esra being much less smiley in London
The beauty of travelling in Iran
How the architecture in Iran is beautiful enough to bring you to tears
The fascinating history of Persia
The surprisingly good skiing in Iran
Being surprised by the beauty of Bosnia
The dark side of recent history in Sarajevo
Croatians blaming the Ottomans for things!
Learning life lessons in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe being surprisingly nice
Meeting two girls on Instagram in Morocco
Overbearing salesmen in Marrakesh
Seeing a different side of Morocco with the locals in Fez
Studying for a PhD in Iranian architecture
Her dedication to Islamic art Islamic Illumination
Travelling with Art of Islamic Pattern to Spain
The breath-taking tile work in Alhambra in Granada
The artwork in Barcelona and Madrid
Using pure gold to paint her patterns (!)
How the Koran would be illuminated with gold
Using teaching her art to fund her travels
Portugal being more than Lisbon, Sintra or Porto
Islamic heritage in the Algarve
Avoiding meat when travelling with Halal being hard to find
Wanting to have the full experience by eating local as much as possible
The impressive vegan scene in Prague
John Simpson telling Lisa about eating roasted monkey in the Amazon
Is eating a monkey the same as eating a sheep?
Whether she feels vulnerable as solo female traveller and also Muslim traveller
Find Esra on www.arabianwanderess.com and www.islamicillumination.com