Visit Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia. The world’s last great forbidden kingdom, and an emblem of everything most inexplicable to the West: the Middle East, Islam, oil and terrorism. For centuries the country was considered closed to outsiders, penetrable only to the bravest and the boldest, such as Richard Burton, TE Lawrence and Wilfred Thesiger, who risked life and limb to get there. Today it continues to exist only in the realms of the imagination for most people, who still relish the sensational stories surrounding it.
And yet, ever so tentatively, the country is beginning to permit travellers past its portals. For those willing to ‘risk’ the realm, there may well be a surprise or two, like Madain Saleh & the North. Called Saudi Arabia’s Petra, Madain Saleh numbers among the most magical and monumental sites of the Middle East. Or it would if more people knew about it.
Mapa de Arabia Saudí
Most memorable for many, however, is the traditional Bedouin hospitality that, like the sand of the Empty Quarter, seems to go on and on forever.
Abha
Arriving in Abha, perched 2200m above sea level, is a shock to the senses. Not only is it palpably cooler – or colder (hail and ice are not unheard of in winter), but it’s the neat green lawns, marigolds, mountains and mist that make the greatest impression.
Attempting to explain the stark contrast to the torrid, torpid lowlands below, the locals talk rather unkindly of the giant, invisible air-conditioner that points to Abha, with its back to Jizan.
Some tourists (particularly the Japanese) are disappointed by Abha; for some it’s too much like their home country. For the Saudis, however, the cold, mist and rain is all a bit of a novelty and they flock here (along with other GCC citizens, particularly Kuwaitis) to escape the relentless heat and humidity of the lowlands during summer.
Unfortunately, this has seen the rise of unchecked and uncontrolled building, which has resulted in a rash of carbuncle-like concrete apartments on Abha’s gentle hills.
La Meca, Arabia Saudí
Al-Faw
Nestled under the limestone cliffs of the Jebel Tuwaiq Escarpment on the western fringe of the Empty Quarter, Al-Faw was once a great trading centre, as well as a staging post for camel caravans crossing the desert between Yemen and the Gulf.
Al-Faw was at the height of its prosperity from late in the 2nd century BC until early in the 1st century AD. It was evidently a large city (1.5km by 1.7km) surrounded by 20m-high walls, beyond which lay fields of irrigated wheat. The city appears to have had a fortified two-storey souq, a palace, temple, domestic houses and a number of tombs.
The outlines (in the form of beautifully hewn stones) of many of these buildings are still evident in the remarkably atmospheric and extensive ruins. Within some of the tombs are some startlingly beautiful and well-preserved inscriptions, though you’ll need a guide to find them.
A permit is required to visit the site. There are no official opening hours, but a guardian and his family live there. Photography is not allowed.
Though the site has been closed for the time being, Professor Ansary, the distinguished Saudi archaeologist who spent 25 seasons at the site, is currently finishing four volumes about it, which should be published in the near future.
Al-Hofuf
Al-Hofuf (also known as Al-Hasa and Al-Ahsa) is for most the highlight of any visit to the Eastern Province. The Al-Hasa Oasis, of which Al-Hofuf is a part, is believed to form the largest oasis in the world. The palm trees (over three million of them) seem to march in all directions and produce no less than half a million tons of dates a year. As an ancient caravan stop, it’s not hard to imagine the relief and joy felt by travellers upon arrival after days of desert travel.
The Al-Hofuf area has a rich historical and cultural tradition which warrants a deeper exploration, if you have the time. A couple of the hotels do excellent guided tours of the area’s surrounding attractions.
Al-Hofuf is also believed to hold the Kingdom’s largest reserves of undrilled oil.
Al-Khamasin
Lying at an important junction 475km from Najran, 445km from Abha and around 600km from Riyadh, Al-Khamasin (known locally also as Wadi al-Dawasir after the wadi it’s found in) lies on an ancient caravan route and today still makes a useful place to overnight on your way to or from the South, or from where to explore the Empty Quarter.
The town is particularly famous for its bachoor (incense) and for the quality of its camels. It’s also one of the most important areas for the rearing of camels, and in spring, with the rains, the whole place bursts into a verdant green, attracting caravans of camels from all around.
Asir
‘Asir’ means ‘difficult’ in Arabic, after the legendary difficulties involved in crossing the Asir Mountains by camel. It is perhaps this above all that has preserved the distinctive cultural heritage of the Asir region.
With much closer historical ties in fact to Yemen than the rest of Arabia, the Asir is home to beautiful (albeit fast-disappearing) stone, slate and mud-brick architecture nestled among towering mountains of rare beauty, forests barely a hundred kilometres from the Empty Quarter and valleys that drop steeply down to the Red Sea coastal plain.
In the coastal region, look out for the traditional, conical huts showing the African influence from across the water, and around Abha, keep your eyes peeled for the famous ‘Flower Men’, locals who traditionally wear garlands of flowers on their head (apparently to attract women and detract the flies!).
In the mountains, and easier to spot, are the ubiquitous Arabian baboons now living the easy life from the picnic leftovers thrown to them by passing Saudi tourists. Don’t let children get too close; they’ve been attacked or bitten in the past.
Merhaban alf’ – ‘a thousand welcomes’ is the traditional greeting of the Asir people; it sums up their supreme hospitality and you’ll soon find yourself pressed to accept an invitation to eat or stay overnight everywhere. If you’re invited to a wedding, don’t be alarmed if the whole village starts shooting off guns – it’s a traditional form of celebration (as in Yemen) !
Fortaleza de Masmaj en la Ciudad Vieja de Riad
Damman
The run-down provincial capital, Dammam, is the longest settled and largest town of the Dhahran–Dammam–Khobar group, but it nonetheless has the feeling of a town whose time has passed. The town is home to enormous populations of immigrant Asians – in the centre it can be hard to imagine that you’re in Saudi Arabia at all.
Central Dammam spreads south of the intersection between King Abdul Aziz and 11th Sts.
There are plenty of banks and reasonably priced internet cafés. Sharkiya Internet Café(off King Saud St; per hr SR4; 6am-1am) is for men only; it’s behind Safari Al-Danah Hotel. The main post office is on 9th St
Dhahran
Dhahran is the home of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and the base of Aramco, the granddaddy of Saudi oil companies.
Much of Dhahran is like an exclusive club: a small and self-contained American city, which consists of the Aramco compound, shops, residential areas and the University of Petroleum & Minerals.
If you want a tour of the compound (and a peek at the famous No 7 pipeline), you should contact the Aramco PR department in advance.
Eastern province
The Eastern Province is the centre of Saudi Arabia’s colossal oil industry and, as such, you’re more likely to live and work here than to visit. The province boasts the longest history of Westerners living and working in Saudi Arabia, and the sprawling satellite towns of Dammam, Al-Khobar and Dhahran are prosperous and relatively liberal.
Despite the modernity, the desert is never far away and rarely more enchanting than the Bedouin market of Nairiyah and the oasis town of Al-Hofuf.
Hail
Hail, an ancient caravan crossroads, is the homeland of the Al-Rashid tribe, historical rivals to the Al-Sauds.
Though attractions aren’t epidemic, it’s a neat, pleasant and peaceful town which also makes a good base from which to visit the rock carvings at Jubba.
During the last two weeks of March and the first week of April, hundreds of demoiselle cranes land in Hail on their annual migration. If you’re in the area, don’t miss it.
Hail is also known for the quality of its dates.
Hejaz
Meaning ‘barrier’, the region derives its name from the great escarpment that runs along the Hejaz, separating it from the great plateaux of the interior. It also seems separate in its distinct character, culture and history. The Hejazi are fiercely proud of their heritage; a few even mutter about independence.
The Hejaz has seen a multitude of merchants and traders pass through its portals as well as pilgrims on their way to perform the haj. For this reason, it’s the most multicultural and mixed of all Saudi’s regions.
With its Red Sea coastline, its mountainous hinterland and the fascinating old town of Jeddah, it is a great place to pass some days.
Jeddah
A converging point for pilgrims and traders for centuries, Jeddah is probably the largest cultural melting pot in the world. The tremendous foreign influence is reflected not just in the faces of its multicultural inhabitants, or in its range of restaurants, souqs and shops, but even in the peculiar, hotpotch accent of the liberal, laidback Hejazis.
Considered the most cosmopolitan town in the Kingdom – and somewhat wild, degenerate and dangerous by some Saudis! – it has a palpably relaxed, seen-it-all feel. Don’t be surprised if you see bikini-clad girls on jet skis at the beaches here.
Jeddah is also the undisputed commercial capital of Saudi Arabia. If you fancy a spot of shopping, this is the town to trawl.
The Al-Balad district, the heart of Old Jeddah, is a nostalgic testament to the bygone days of old Jeddah, with beautiful coral architecture casting some welcome shade over the bustling souqs beneath. Occupied largely by the poorest of the poor – mainly over-staying Haj pilgrims – they crumble visibly before your eyes. There’s now a local race to save the old town before it too disappears under the concrete.
Ruinas de Madain Saleh, Arabia Saudi
Jizan
Jizan is known as the ‘fruit basket’ of Saudi Arabia for the variety and abundance of its agricultural produce.
The fair ladies of Jizan are considered to be great cooks, tidy housekeepers and skilful in the use of perfumes and fragrances – so are much admired by Saudi men! If you’re invited to an inhabitant’s house, expect a fabulous feast. The whole region of Jazan is known for its famous hospitality, in which guests are fed to the gunnels.
For the traveller, Jizan can seem muddy, grubby and drab – and in summer unbearably humid. Fruity fish market smells don’t help either. Most use it merely as a jumping-off point for Farasan Island. But if you’re here in the autumn (usually around September), be sure to enquire about the famous Parrot Fish Festival, which is a riotous and very colourful event.
Madain Saleh
If you can only visit one place in Saudi Arabia, make it Madain Saleh. This crossroads of ancient civilisations, pilgrims, explorers, trade caravans and armies finds its most remarkable expression in the elaborate stone-carved temples of the Nabataeans.
The Nabataeans, who carved the astonishing city of Petra (Jordan), chose Madain Saleh as their second city. Although the tombs are less spectacular here than those in Petra, their setting in large landscapes of sweeping sand and remarkable rock formations, is unique and unsurpassed.
Najran
The oasis at Najran, surrounded by mountains and close to the Yemeni border, is one of Saudi Arabia’s hidden gems. With towering mud-brick, fortress-like homes known as qasr strung out along the wadi and an exceptional mud-brick fort, Najran is like nowhere else in the Kingdom.
Throughout its long and sometimes turbulent history, Najran has been a key link between the north and west of Arabia and Yemen. Today, these connections can still be seen and felt in Najran’s people and its culture.
Riyadh
Once little more than a dusty, desert outpost, Riyadh today is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Since the 1970s (and the influx of ample oil revenue), the population has tripled. Today, Riyadh is the country’s capital as well as its financial and administrative centre, eclipsing at last Jeddah’s power and influence on the coast.
Nowhere are the contradictions of modern Saudi Arabia more evident than in Riyadh. Seen from afar, soaring, sparkling, stunning modern towers rise above the desert and camels. Amid the split-new Chevrolets and luxury Lotuses, slip the mutawwa (religious police) hurrying and harrying the citizens to prayer.
Its considered conservative, cautious and sober, yet the Kingdom’s capital boasts handsome hotels, fabulous fine-dining and cosy cafés. It’s also got considerable culture, including a National Museum that numbers among the best in the region.
Taif
After the cauldron-like coastal plain, Taif in summer can seem like a breath of fresh air. It is. Located 1700m above sea level, its gentle, temperate climate is its biggest attraction, and in summer, Taif becomes the Kingdom’s capital. With its wide, tree-lined streets, remnants of old Taif, a large and lively souq and beautiful surrounding scenery, it’s not hard to see why the King and his cronies relocate here.
Taif is also known for the cultivation of roses and fruit (particularly honey-sweet figs, grapes, prickly pear and pomegranates). Over 3000 gardens are said to grace Taif and its surrounds.
The Taif to Mecca road was one of many roads built by the Bin Laden construction company (the largest construction company of its kind in Saudi, and specialising in mountain road construction).
Taima
Taima is famous above all for its extraordinary well (Bi’r Al-Haddaj; 9am-5pm Sat-Wed). Not merely the oldest well in the Kingdom, it’s also the largest, measuring over 18m across and 12m in depth. It is believed to date back to Babylonians time (the early 1st millennium BC), though it may even be older.
Originally, 60 draw-wheels positioned around the rim of the well brought water up from the well bottom to the surface with the aid of camels and ropes. Stone-hewn channels then conducted the water to the labyrinth of gardens that made up the verdant oases, for which Taima was famous. The well is still in use today (except that diesel pumps have replaced the camels!).
The nearby Taima Museum (622 1398; admission free; 9am-5.30pm Sat-Wed) has excellent and informative displays (including photographs, maps and diagrams) on the well and the history and culture of the area, as well as archaeological finds from the region. Look out in particular for the ‘silent visages’ – the mysterious faces carved on Taima’s unique tombstones thought to date to the 5th or 4th century BC.
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