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Capital | Riyadh |
Area | 2 218 000 km² |
Population | 21 137 000 people |
Official language | Arabic |
Currency | Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) |
Climate | summer +50°C in winter from +35°C to +35° |
Recommended type of holiday | sightseeing (Timna) beach vacation (Jeddah) |
Witness the astonishing landscape and wildlife of the Asir, a range of coastal mountains and the only part of the kingdom where there is significant wild vegetation. Baboon, gazelle and leopard inhabit remoter areas.
Go shopping in the traditional souks, large department stores and mall complexes. Shopping is a much-loved way to spend time in Saudi Arabia - possibly since there are no bars, casinos, nightclubs, theatres or cinemas.
Each year, Riyadh plays host to a race that takes place on different days each spring during the national Heritage and Cultural Festival at Janadriyah. The annual event is one of the world's most important camel races, with something between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators, 2,000 camels and riders and a winnings purse of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Muslim visitors can make a pilgrimage to Mecca, which during the annual holy month of Ramadan can find more than two million visitors traveling to Saudi Arabia for the holy rite. A full visit – which if completed at another time during the year is called Umrah - will include time at the Kaabah, the Mountain of Light, the Plain of Arafat and the House of Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib, where Muhammad was born. Non-Muslims are forbidden from entering these holy sites.
Food staples in Saudi Arabian cuisine include lamb, grilled chicken, falafel (deep-fried chickpea balls), shawarma (spit-cooked sliced lamb), mutabbaq and Ful medames. Arabic unleavened bread, or khobz, is eaten with almost all meals, and is often used as an edible utensil to scoop foods. Kabsa, rice with chicken and lamb, is very popular and is considered iconic. Traditional coffeehouses used to be ubiquitous, but are now being displaced by food-hall style cafes. Arabic tea is also a famous custom, which is used in both casual and formal meetings between friends, family and strangers. The tea is black (without milk) and has herbal flavoring that comes in many variations.
The same types of foods have been consumed by the Saudi Arabian people for thousands of years. Basic ingredients include wheat, rice, chicken, fava beans, yogurt and dates. Saudi Arabia produces approximately 600 million pounds of dates annually. Per capita, Saudis consume the largest number of chickens in the world, at an average of 88.2 pounds of chicken per person annually. Lamb is served traditionally to guests and during holidays.
Sheep, goat and camel milk are also staples of Bedouins. Yogurt is consumed whole, made into a kefir-type of drink called laban and used to prepare sauces.