Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia
Contractor Information
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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10.
Introduction to Saudi Arabia .....2
Places ........................................3
Climate ......................................3
Transport...................................4
Culture ......................................5
Practical information.................6
History.......................................7
Work..........................................8
Economy....................................9
Contacts ....................................9
1
Introduction to Saudi Arabia
Fast Facts
Saudi Arabia is a Kingdom that covers
approximately 2,240,000 square
kilometers of the Arabian Peninsula. The
coastline on the western side along the
Red Sea is 1700 km. The coastline on the
east side along the Arabian Gulf is
560km. There are over 2,700km of land
borders in the North and South.
Capital City: Riyadh
Area: 2.15 million square kilometres
Population: 25,700,000 (UN, 2010)
People: Arabs; 7 million of the total
population are foreign workers
Languages: The official language is
Arabic, although English is widely
spoken in business circles
Religion: Islam; about 90% of the
Muslim population is Sunni and 10%
is Shi’a. Publicly practising any other
religion is illegal
Currency: Saudi Riyal (SAR)
Major political parties: Political
parties are not permitted
Government: Monarchy
Head of State and Prime Minister:
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
First Deputy Prime Minister: His
Royal Highness Crown Prince Sultan
bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Second Deputy Prime Minister: His
Royal Highness Prince Naif bin Abdul
Aziz Al Saud
Foreign Minister: His Royal Highness
Prince Saud al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz
Membership of international
groups/organisations: World Trade
Organisation, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, Organisation of
the Islamic Conference and United
Nations and Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries, IMF
and World Bank
Saudi Arabia’s government is an
absolute monarchy. King Abdullah Bin
Abdul Aziz is the head of the monarchy,
custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and
Head of State. Assisting him in his duties
is the Crown Prince, Prince Sultan Bin
Abdul Aziz, who is Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Defence and
Aviation, and Inspector General and
other ministers who are appointed to
the Saudi Arabia Council of Members.
The country’s topography is varied,
ranging from wide plains, deserts,
valleys, mountains and plateaus.
Location of Saudi Arabia
Features include:
Saudi Arabia Law
• The Empty Quarter (Al-Rub Al Khali)
desert.
• The Eastern plateaus and plains.
• The Northern mountains
and plateaus.
• The “Najd” plateaus of the
Central Region.
• The Western highlands.
• The “Tihama” plains in the
southwest.
• Widespread mountain and desert
valleys.
Saudi “sharia” laws and moral standards
are considerably stricter than those of
the UK for example and that in certain
cases, notably involving dress, drink and
moral behaviour, what is not a crime in
Britain is treated as a crime in Saudi
Arabia. Alcohol, drugs, public practice of
non muslim religion, homosexuality,
playing music in public and indiscrete
behaviour etc. are illegal and carry
severe punishments.
2
Flag: The flag of Saudi Arabia bears
the Muslim creed: ‘There is no God
but God: Muhammad is the
Messenger of God.’ The official
emblem is a date palm, representing
vitality and growth, and two crossed
swords, symbolising justice and
strength rooted in faith
Electricity: 110V (Riyadh), 110/220V
(Jeddah), 220V elsewhere; plug types
A, C, D, G all used
Calling Code: 966
Internet: TLD .sa
Time Zone: GMT+3
Work week: Sat – Wed (weekends
are Thursday and Friday)
Places
The table below shows the cities in
Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, Jeddah and
Makkah are the three most populous
cities. The smallest city is Qurayyat with
100,000 people.
Al Faisaliah tower in Riyadh
CITY
POPULATION
CITY
POPULATION
Riyadh
4.0 million
Al Jubayl
200,000
Jeddah
2.3 million
Khubar
200,000
Makkah
1.4 million
Hafar Al-Batin
190,000
Madinah
870,000
Thuqbah
180,000
Dammam
690,000
Yanbu
170,000
At Taif
590,000
Al Abha
160,000
Tabouk
350,000
Arar
150,000
Buraydah
350,000
Al Qatif
140,000
Hufuf
320,000
Najran
130,000
Mubarraz
310,000
Unayzah
130,000
Khamis Mushayt
300,000
Hawiyah
130,000
Hail
250,000
Dhahran
105,000
Al Kharj
220,000
Qurayyat
100,000
All figures are 2003 estimates
Climate
The climate in Saudi Arabia is dry all
year round. The summers are hot and
dry and the winters are mild on the
coast and fresher further inland. The
country is very hot from mid April to
October where average daily
temperatures top 40 Celsius coupled
with high humidity in coastal regions.
Between November and February the
temperature is pleasant.
Winter in Saudi Arabia falls between
December and January and during this
time temperatures in the main cities
except Jeddah will be in the teens during
the day but may hit zero degrees in
places overnight. Between October and
April the west of the country see’s a
moderate rain season in coastal regions.
The north and south climate is desert.
Clockwise from top left: Camel beside the Red Sea, View to the coastline of Red Sea
from coral reef, Palm garden in Riyadh city, Dhow at low tide in Arabian Gulf.
3
Transport
Airlines
There are many airlines that fly to Saudi
Arabia. Airlines flying direct from the UK
are:
• Saudi Arabian Airlines
• British Airways
• Bmi
Saudi 747 coming in to land
By Land: When crossing Saudi Arabia’s
land borders visas may be required for
the countries wishing to be entered.
There can be long queues some as long
as 12 hours at border crossings such as
Halat Ammar during haj and Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia’s bus company is called
Saudi Arabia Public Transport Company
(SAPTCO). The buses are comfortable,
clean, air conditioned and well
maintained. The company has a good
safety record. All of their busses have an
on board toilet and make stops every few
hours. SAPTCO offers an international bus
service servicing routes around the
region that are also serviced by
surrounding countries for similar prices.
SAPTCO bus services primarily depart
from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
Local Airport
Saudi Arabia is served by four
international airports:
• King Fahd International Airport in the
city of Dammam in the Eastern
province of the country
• King Abdulaziz International Airport
in the city of Jeddah serving Makkah
(Mecca) province
• King Khalid International Airport in
Jeddah
• Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz
International Airport in the city of
Medina (Madinah) serving Al
Madinah province
There are also 6 regional airports:
• Abha Regional Airport
• Qassim Regional Airport
• Jizan Regional Airport
• Ha’il Regional Airport
• Tabuk Regional Airport
• Ta’if Regional Airport
There are also domestic airports and
Aramco airports in the country.
Getting around
By Sea: The ferry services are modern,
well kept and professionally run. The
cabins have air conditioning. There are
ferries that operate between Saudi
Arabia and Egypt, Jeddah and Suez,
Duba and Port Safaga with first, second
and third class travel options. There are
boats that travel from Jeddah to
Suwaqih in Sudan.
By Train: Trains travel between Riyad
and Dammam via Al-Hofuf.
Travel Tips
In order to purchase tickets, visitors will
need to show their passports and expats
their iqama (residence permit).
Foreign women travelling alone must
take their iqama (residence permit) if an
expat, or passport and visa if a tourist.
You will need to show your passport
(visitors) or iqama (expats) when buying
travel tickets.
On buses, the front seats are usually
unofficially reserved for families and
women travelling unaccompanied, and
the back half for men.
It can be more reliable to buy tickets
from SAPTCO direct rather than from
their agents. Reservations must be
made in advance of departure,
anywhere between 24 hours and 90
days for domestic journeys.
Tickets can be bought six months in
advance for International travel.
Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
When travelling by car or motorcycle in
order to avoid queues at busy times it
may be better to travel early or late.
Borders are open 24 hours a day. If
driving someone else’s car, obtain
written permission from the owner to
do so.
Women are not permitted to drive by
law and so need a driver if hiring a car.
International and local car hire agencies
can be found in the larger towns. There
is an approximate discount of 30% for a
rental of a month or more. Car hire
prices stay the same throughout the
year, but the local companies tend to be
significantly cheaper. It is important to
check that full insurance is covered in
the rental costs.
4
Road trough the desert Riyadh-Mecca
highway in Saudi Arabia
Culture
Dress Code
There is no absolutely correct dress
code for Saudi Arabia: the best way for
both men and women to avoid getting
into difficulties is to dress conservatively
in public. Due to the conservative
culture modest professional dress
always makes the best impression. Non
Saudi women should wear an abaya and
some also decide to cover their hair in
order to avoid confrontation with the
Mutawwa (or religious police) who
patrol the suqs (markets) and shopping
centres and who often challenge women
on this point. For women, it is
recommended that when out and
about, they carry a scarf. It is not
suggested they must cover their head
but it is a wise idea to have one in the
event of an unexpected scenario such as
coming face-to-face with a mutawwa. A
non Saudi woman may wear a business
suit whether with slacks or long skirt (to
the ankles). Non Saudi men could wear
the traditional Saudi dress of thobe,
smaugh and ghutra or opt for the
traditional western suit with tie. Men
should not wear shorts in public. The
dresscode for different situations can
vary e.g. work, reception/function, in
the compound or shopping.
Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba from ground floor of Haram Mosque
Greetings
Between Muslims, the most common
greeting is a handshake and the phrase
As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum (Peace be upon
you). Frequently, males will follow up by
extending the left hand to each other’s
right shoulder and kissing the right and
left cheeks.
The greeting used depends on the
individuals’ relationship and status in
society. When accompanied by a woman
wearing a veil, a man normally will not
introduce her, and one does not expect
to shake hands with her. The term for
“Good morning” is Sabah al-Khair, and
for “Good evening” it is Mesah al-Khair.
Arabs selling fresh dates at dates bazaar in Medina
Customs and Etiquettes
Do expect:
• Arabs to sit, talk and stand closer than is usual in the West
• To be touched more frequently by members of the same sex, it is an
expression of friendship
• Accept as normal the occasional use of influential connections to accomplish
tasks more quickly
• To shake hand more frequently, it is expected that on entering a room, you
will shake hands with all males present except small children and on social
occasions to shake hands again when leaving
• To accept gifts. It is considered rude to refuse a gift, if pressed more than
twice, accept the gift or other offered item with the right hand as the left
hand is considered “unclean”
• Not all promises and decisions to be put in writing. In some situations an oral
promise will have to be accepted. The reason for this is that the written word
is considered to have a greater meaning than Westerner’s are accustomed to
• To sometimes be given an indirect answer of Insha’ Allah (God willing). Insha’
Allah usually indicates the good intentions of the speaker
• Some subject topics are considered inappropriate or unacceptable for
discussion in public such as political issues, religion, alcohol, total women’s
liberation, abortion and male-female relationships such as dating. Many
people are sensitive about these tops and discussing them could cause problems
• It is considered discourteous to show the soles of one’s feet to an Arab as
they are considered Dirty, care must be taken in how you sit.
5
Practical information
It is only over the last six years that the
Saudi authorities have issued tourist
visas for those travelling as a group of
four at a minimum by either an
approved international or local Saudi
tour company. These tourist visas take
14 days from request to issue.
To obtain a tourist visa passports must
be valid for a minimum of six months.
Women under 30 must travel with their
husband or brother and they must
arrive and leave the country at the
same time.
It is not permitted for an unmarried
couple to travel together
unaccompanied. People travelling this
way could be apprehended by the
authorities.
The Riyal is pegged to the US dollar, with
1 US dollar equal to 3.75 Riyals. The
Riyal (currency code SAR) is the currency
of Saudi Arabia. One Riyal is made up of
100 Halalas.
Money and Costs
The denominations of Halala coins are
1,5,10,25,50. Riyals come in
1,5,10,50,100 and 500 Riyal
denominations. The fifth series of the
Saudi Arabian Riyal are shown below:
Money can be withdrawn from banks
with ATMs using international cards.
Money changing facilities offered by bureaus may give a better rate than a
bank. Exchange desks in high end hotels
tend to offer poor exchange rates.
Schools
The details of a selection of seven International Schools in Saudi Arabia are show below:
Asir Academy
SAIS-Dhahran District American
Consulate General Box R Unit 61901
APO, AE 09809-1901
Phone: (07)2233961X4086
Fax: (07)2233961X4083
Dhahran Academy Elementary School
Unit 66804
APO, NY 09858-6804
Phone: 03-891-9555X3353
Fax: 03-891-2450
Dhahran Academy Junior High School
Sau. Arab. Intl. School- Dhahran Dist.
P.O. Box 677
Dhahran 31932,
Phone: 96638919555
Fax: 966-3-8911635
Dhahran British Grammar School
Dhahran British Grammar School,
PO Box 31677, Al-Khobar 31952,
Saudi Arabia
Tel +966 3 330 0555 Ext 2003
Fax +966 3 330 0555 Ext 2037
www.dhahranbritish.com
Email brparents@isgdh.org
Jubail Academy International School
P.O. Box 10059 Madinat Al Jubail Al
Sinaiyah
Jubail 31961,
Phone: 0119663-341-7550
Fax: 0119663-341-6990
6
Taif Academy
Unit 61206
APO, AE 09802-1206
Phone: 966-02-725-4666, EXT. 2286/5
Fax: 966-02-725-4666X2285
Yanbu International School
P.O. Box 30039
Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah,
Phone: 04-392-1088
Fax: 04-392-1075
http://www.thesaudi.net/directory/schools-internationa
l.htm
Real Estate and Housing in Saudi Arabia
Homes in Saudi Arabia – What you
should expect
The local Saudi Arabia and expatriate
populations tend not to live together.
The Arab culture of extended families
calls for large houses, and affluent
families usually own detached villas.
As such, villas are common with up to
three generations living together
amongst locals. In addition, the less
well-off prefer houses to apartments.
Saudi Arabia are well provided for in
relation to housing. For example, young
newly-married couples are given lowcost loans and in some states these turn
out to be gifts if the loans are not repaid
within a particular time limit.
Foreign workers tend to live in what are
known as ‘compounds’. Compounds
refer to a group of houses or small,
usually low-level, apartment blocks
within a walled enclosure, similar to a
private estate. Some compounds are
relatively large, and accommodation is
usually available due to the continual
movement of expatriates. D Compounds
will have varying combinations of
nationalities. Some have a cosmopolitan
mix, whilst others contain people from
one nation only or perhaps from one
social group or caste. Therefore, it is
advisable to ask about the community
living within the compound before
securing a place to live.
Depending on the size of the compound,
the facilities may include a communal
swimming pool, a restaurant and shop,
tennis and squash courts and a
gymnasium. Children might be catered
for with a play area and there might be a
form of community hall known as a
majlis – the traditional Arab meeting
area for visitors. Many compound
houses are built in majlis style, with an
area opening immediately from the
front door where the men meet visitors
and sit with them. The rest of the
accommodation is to the side or rear. (In
Arab houses, women aren’t seen unless
the visitors are close relatives.) Saudi
Arabian expatriate life is invariably in
compounds, and the choice of
compound is very important, as you will
spend most of your leisure time within
its confines.
and improving as prospective landlords
vie with each other to have the most
attractive buildings. The average
property is also more spacious than its
equivalent in Europe or the USA. Rooms
are generally large in all types of
accommodation. Villas normally have
generous patios and/or gardens, while
apartment blocks have a swimming pool
and gymnasium. Homes normally also
have a better level and quality of
maintenance than in western countries,
due to the wide availability of low-paid
labour.
A garage or covered carport for your
vehicle is vital. With temperatures rising
to 50 C (122F) in the summer, a car left
outside quickly becomes unbearably hot
and the bodywork deteriorates if
exposed to the sun for too long. Most
new apartment blocks have
underground car parking facilities and
allocated spaces. Villas tend to have an
attached or separate garage, or at least
a carport.
The exterior and interior quality of
buildings is high throughout the region,
History
Overview
Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 with
the union of the kingdoms of the Hejaz
and Nejd. Although the territory within
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s
boundaries is largely arid desert or rocky
infertile terrain - home for much of its
history to tribal nomadic societies with
only rudimentary state structures - it has
twice in world history had a global
impact. The first was in the 7th century
when it became the cradle of Islam. The
second was from the mid-20th century
when the discovery of vast oil deposits
propelled it into a key economic and
geo-political role. At other times, the
region existed in relative obscurity and
isolation, although from the 7th century
the cities of Mecca and Medina had the
highest spiritual significance for the
Islamic world, Mecca being the
destination for the Hajj annual
pilgrimage.
Nabawi Mosque in Medina
is the second holiest
mosque in Islam
Mecca at night
7
Early Saudi Arabia
Except for a few major cities and oases,
the harsh climate historically prevented
much settlement of the Arabian
Peninsula. People of various cultures
have lived in the peninsula over a span
of more than 5,000 years. The Dilmun
culture, along the Gulf coast, was
contemporaneous with the Sumerians
and ancient Egyptians, and most of the
empires of the ancient world traded
with the states that existed on the
peninsula, which lay along important
trade routes.
The Saudi state began in central Arabia
in about 1750. A local ruler, Muhammad
bin Saud, joined forces with an Islamic
reformer, Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab,
to create a new political entity. Over the
next 150 years, the fortunes of the Saud
family rose and fell several times as
Saudi rulers contended with Egypt, the
Ottoman Empire, and other Arabian
families for control on the peninsula.
The modern Saudi kingdom was
founded by the late King Abdul Aziz Al
Saud (known internationally as Ibn Saud,
or “Son of Saud”). In 1902, Abdul Aziz
recaptured Riyadh, the Al Saud dynasty’s
ancestral capital, from the rival AlRashid family. Continuing his conquests,
Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Hasa in the east,
the rest of the central Nejd region, and
the Hijaz along the Red Sea coast
between 1913 and 1926.
Modern Saudi Arabia
Modern Saudi Arabia was formed in
1932 when King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul
Rahman Al Saud, commonly referred to
as Ibn Saud, united different regions of
the Arabian Peninsula into one nation.
On 23 September 1932, Abdul Aziz was
proclaimed King, and since then all
Saudi Arabia’s rulers have been his
descendants. During his rule, King Abdul
Aziz laid the foundations for the
modernisation of his country. He began
to build its infrastructure: first
establishing roads, and basic
communications systems, and later
introducing modern technology and
improvements to education, health care,
and agriculture.
King Abdul Aziz died in November 1953,
and his eldest surviving son, Crown
Prince Saud bin Abdul Aziz, succeeded
him. The new King’s brother, Faisal bin
Abdul Aziz, became Crown Prince. King
Saud established the Council of
Ministers and the Ministries of Health,
Education and Commerce. In 1964, the
Crown Prince succeeded to the throne
as King Faisal and, to deepen links
between Islamic nations, he travelled
throughout the Arab and Islamic world.
King Faisal’s half-brother’s son, Faisal bin
Musai’d, assassinated him in 1975. King
Faisal’s brother, Khalid bin Abdul Aziz,
succeeded him and reigned until his
own death, from a heart attack, in 1982.
King Khalid’s brother, Fahd, who had
become Crown Prince on King Faisal’s
death, succeeded him. In 1986, King
Fahd took the title ‘Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques’. Crown Prince Abdullah
became King on 1 August 2005 after
King Fahd’s death. The current Crown
Prince, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, is
King Abdullah’s half-brother.
Work
Business hours
Opening hours vary according to the season and province. In general:
Banks: 8.30am to noon and 4.30pm to 8pm Saturday to Wednesday. At airports,
banks are open 24 hours
Offices: 7.30am to 2.30pm or 3.30pm Saturday to Wednesday
Post offices: 7.30am to 10pm Saturday to Wednesday, 4.30pm to 10pm Friday
Restaurants: 7am to 10.30am, noon to 3pm and 6pm or 7pm to midnight (to 1am or
2am at weekends)
Shopping centres: 9am or 10am to midnight Saturday to Thursday
Shops & souqs: 8am or 9am to 1pm or 2pm and 4.30pm or 5pm to 9pm to midnight,
Saturday to Wednesday
Note that during prayer times (five times a day), everything shuts.
8
Economy
Saudi Arabia’s economy is petroleumbased with 89% of budget revenues and
85% of export earnings come from the
oil industry. Saudi Arabia officially has
about 260 billion barrels of oil reserves,
comprising about one-fifth of the
world’s proven total petroleum reserves.
Saudi Arabia is by far the largest world
exporter of oil. Oil was discovered in
1938, and the then US-controlled
Aramco (Arabian American Oil
Company) began production. Saudi
Aramco, nationalised since the 1980s,
controls all onshore oil and has the
largest reserve base of any company in
the Exporting Countries (OPEC); it has
always been the dominant player within
OPEC in adjusting production in line with
market stability.
Large oil earnings, particularly since the
oil price rises of the early 1970s, have
allowed the Government to spend
heavily on its fast growing population
and on building the infrastructure of a
modern economy. The Saudi economy is
thus heavily dependent on oil earnings
for the Government spending they make
possible. It remains vulnerable to
fluctuations in the oil price.
The Government recognises that Saudi
Arabia needs to do more to diversify its
economy away from oil. Saudi Arabia’s 5
Year Plan outlines its efforts to expand
the private sector particularly in
manufacturing, financial services,
mining and tourism. Several other
economic plans exist such as the
National Industrial Strategy and National
Industrial Clusters Programme, all aimed
at expanding Saudi Arabia’s
manufacturing base.
Foreign workers make up 90% of private
sector workforce. But with a rapid
increase in the Saudi population,
government policy is now focussing on
the need to create more jobs for young
Saudis. The Saudi Ministry of Labour has
focussed on a Saudisation policy aimed
at incentivising private sector companies
to hire more Saudis.
Economic reform continues: moves in
recent years include opening some
previously closed sectors of the
economy, such as the gas and mining
industry, to investment by foreign
companies. Upstream oil remains closed
to foreign investment. In 2005 Saudi
Arabia joined the World Trade
Organisation.
Basic Economic Facts
Proven oil reserves (January 2011): ......................264.1bn barrels
Proven oil reserves as share of world total:..........20%
Oil production (2011):............................................8.8mbd
Oil production as share of world total (2011):......12%
GDP (2009 est.): .....................................................US$578.6bn
Population including expatriates (2010): ..............25.7 million
GDP per head (2009 est.):......................................US$21,690
Annual growth rate in real GDP (2010): ................0.6%
Major sectors: ........................................................Oil, petrochemicals, financial services, construction
Major destinations for Saudi exports (2009): .......Japan, South Korea, the US, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore
Major exporters to Saudi Arabia (2009):...............the US, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, India, the UK and France
Exchange Rate (average 2011):..............................£1=6 Saudi Riyals (US$1=3.75 Saudi Riyals)
Contacts
Emergencies
Talascend
Police: 999
Fire: 998
Ambulance: 997
Traffic Accident: 993
Rescue Emergency: 911
Saudi Arabia Country Contact:
matt.wolstenholme@talascend.com
Information/ Maintenance
International Information: 900
Telephone Maintenance: 904
Telephone Directory Information: 905
Speaking Clock: 961 or 963
9