Saudi Arabia Travel Guide
Saudi Arabia occupies four-fifths of the Arabian peninsula. Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the Gulf of Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen border it. Today’s Saudi Arabia is still a land of mystery largely due to its fundamentalist Islam state form and its rigid admission policy. Saudi Arabia is incredibly difficult to visit, there's no tourist visa in this country. Best way to get in is by invitation of a Saudi person or company, or, if you’re a Muslim, on a pilgrimage to one of the holy cities.
The region also includes the city of Jeddah, until recently Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic capital, which remains the most important commercial and cultural gateway to the country. Mecca is the spiritual centre of the Islamic world. Places of significance to Muslims include the Kaabah Enclosure and the House of Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib, where Muhammad was born. About half of Saudi Arabia consists of uninhabitable desert. Here there are no permanent rivers and lakes and the average temperature in July is about 40ºC. These unfriendly circumstances have deeply influenced the Arab way of life. Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabian state was first established in the central region of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 18th Century, but king Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud founded the present day state only in 1932.
Saudi Arabia is a fairly rich country, due to its vast oilfields, but this wealth is not evenly divided. The royal family effectively owns the country. There is minimal political freedom and little tolerance for opposition groups.
Both cities are strictly off limits to non-muslims. The non-muslim architect of a Mecca Hotel had to supervise construction through a telescope. Nearby Jeddah the major Red Sea port of the country can be visited and gives a unique insight in the culture and history of the West of Saudi Arabia.
The whole of the Middle East is tilted, so the southwest of Saudi Arabia has mountains as high as 3000 meters while the east has lowlands. The mountain area is the greenest and freshest climate especially compared to the deserts in the east. Extensive irrigation projects now gradualy transform these deserts into farmland, yielding dates and grains.
Top Destinations in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Khobar, Dammam, Medina, Dhahran, Jubail, Qatif, Jeddah, Mecca, Yanbu, Khamis, Ithra
Featured Destinations from Middle East
As Salif: Yemen
As Salif: Yemen
Al Hudaydah: Yemen
Al Hudaydah: Yemen Information will be available soon
Habarut: Yemen
Habarut: Yemen Information will be available soon
Middle East : Qatar
Qatar Qatar is a small peninsula in the Persian Gulf. It looks like a big thumb 'way up'. The country is small but offers quite a few interesting things to the visitors. Doha, the capital is a nice town with good beaches nearby and lively markets. Khor Al Udeid, or
Middle East : Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia occupies four-fifths of the Arabian peninsula. Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the Gulf of Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen border it. Today’s Saudi Arabia is still a land of mystery largely due to its fundamentalist Islam state form and its rigid admission policy. Saudi
Nishtun: Yemen
Nishtun: Yemen Information will be available soon
Ibb: Yemen
Ibb: Yemen Information will be available soon
Middle East : Oman
Oman Situated on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman is bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the West, and the Republic of Yemen to the South. The United Arab Emirates lies on the North West, and to the East lies the Arabian Sea
Middle East : Yemen
Yemen North Yemen is an almost perfect picture of medieval Arab life. It has a long history, buildings are ancient, unique and spectacular, the people are fierce but friendly, and social habits are curious. But until a few years ago tourists were not allowed to travel in this extraordinary country.
Middle East Asia : Bahrain
Bahrain Bahrain is a small island in the Persian Gulf (or the Arabic Gulf, as the Arabs call it). It is linked to its big neighbor Saudi Arabia by a bridge and separated by a small strait from Qatar. The population is, like in neighboring Iran in large majority Shia
