Short Guide to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is not known as a particularly popular holiday destination for the world's population. It receives thousands of visitors annually, but very few of that number are actually made up of tourists. Saudi Arabia is home to the ancient and holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
These two destinations alone pull in millions of people every year due to the injunction of Islam that every Muslim must make the pilgrimage there at least once in their lifetime if able.
Saudi Arabia is quite a traditional country with a kingship that has been in place for decades. The infrastructure of the country is generally well developed and contains numerous highrise buildings, gigantic shopping malls and some ancient sights.
Foreign visitors usually come for purposes of a business, and there are very few leisure facilities geared towards the usual hedonistic pleasures found in the Western world. Riyadh is the modern capital of Saudi Arabia and is also an economic centre. One of the major sights to see in the capital is the Geodesic Dome, holding the title of one of the tallest buildings in the region.
There are a number of things to do if wanting to pay a trip to this intriguing and conservative country. For starters, the marketplace is a bustling environment with everything on sale from intricate rugs to exotic spices. Sights include the biggest camel market and ancient ruins in al Diraiyah.
Jeddah is another famous city within Saudi Arabia and is quite a popular retreat for visitors coming to the holy cities. Again, this is a modern metropolis with numerous restaurants, hotels and shopping venues available for visitors to peruse.
Saudi Arabia is extremely wealthy and contains some of the richest individuals in the world, usually found amongst the ranks of the Royal family. This wealth comes on the back of the discovery of oil in the region, making it an important strategic partner of nations in the west.
The presence of unscrupulous oil companies, corruption within the ruling classes and mass unemployment has caused significant resentment amongst the nation's masses. This situation has led to armed groups rising in certain regions of the country and can be fairly unsafe for Westerners in certain areas.
Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia, however, English is widely spoken in the country as well. It is generally safe health-wise, however, it is a good idea to drink from bottled water and only consume food from established and good hotels.
Medical standards and facilities are good but can be quite expensive. Like everywhere else in the world, it is advised to check travel conditions upon your decision to depart to this region.
So what are you waiting for? find your cheap flights to Saudi Arabia now!
Happy Searching!