Saudi Arabia

Discover Saudi Arabia

Fun Foods

Kabsa, Mandi, Harees, Dates, Qahwa

Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest countries in the world, but not one permanent river flows through it. Rivers can appear after heavy rain, then dry up again.

Instead, about 95% of the country is desert. In the south lies the Rub’ al Khali, or Empty Quarter, the largest continuous sand desert on Earth, about 650,000 square kilometers (250,000 square miles) of rolling dunes.

This desert land is also where Islam began. The Prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca around the year 570, and today Mecca is Islam’s holiest city.

Every year, more than 2 million Muslims travel there for the Hajj, a pilgrimage to walk around the Kaaba, a cube-shaped building at the center of the world’s largest mosque.

Only Muslims may enter Mecca. But visitors of all faiths can see the city of Medina, where Muhammad built his first mosque and where he is buried.

The Saudi royal family traces its first state back to 1727, in a mud-brick town called Diriyah. In 1902, a young leader named Abdulaziz, known as Ibn Saud, captured the city of Riyadh and began uniting the regions around it.

On September 23, 1932, he declared the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and his sons have ruled ever since.

Then, in March 1938, oil burst from a well called Dammam No. 7, nicknamed the “Prosperity Well.” Oil made Saudi Arabia one of the richest countries on Earth, and it still has some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

The king holds nearly all the power, and people can’t vote for their national leaders. Until June 2018, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women weren’t allowed to drive.

Even as the ban ended, several women who had campaigned for the right to drive were arrested. The government has also faced criticism for its use of executions and its role in the war in neighboring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia only began welcoming tourists in 2019. For adventures, visit Hegra, the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, where more than 100 tombs were carved into giant sandstone rocks over 2,000 years ago.

Wander the mud-brick palaces of Diriyah, near Riyadh. Stand at the Edge of the World, a cliff where the desert drops away to a flat plain that seems to go on forever.

In old Jeddah, called Al-Balad, explore houses built from blocks of coral, then snorkel the reefs of the Red Sea.

For food, try kabsa, the national dish: spiced rice piled high with chicken or lamb.

When you visit someone’s home, you’ll likely be offered sweet dates with tiny cups of qahwa, coffee flavored with cardamom, a symbol of welcome.

Sources: Wikipedia: Saudi Arabia, Arab News: A Legacy of Greatness (Founding Day), and Wikipedia: Feminism in Saudi Arabia.