The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 27.6 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square kilometres (830,000 sq mi).

The Kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Mecca and Medinah, the two holiest places in Islam. In English, it is most commonly referred to as Saudi Arabia.The current Kingdom was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud

Climate

Extreme heat and aridity are characteristic of most of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the few places in the world where summer temperatures above 50 °C (122 °F) have been recorded, with 51.1 °C (124 °F) being the highest temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia at Dhahran in 1956. In winter, frost or snow can occur in the interior and the higher mountains, although this only occurs once or twice in a decade. The lowest recorded temperature is −12.0 °C (10.4 °F), recorded at Turaif. The average winter temperature ranges from 8° to 20 °C (47° to 68 °F) in January in interior cities such as Riyadh and 19° to 29 °C (66° to 83 °F) in Jeddah, on the Red Sea coast. The average summer temperature range (in July) is 27° to 43 °C (81° to 109 °F) in Riyadh and 27° to 38 °C (80° to 100 °F) in Jeddah. Nighttime temperatures in the central deserts can be famously chilly even in summer, as the sand gives up daytime heat rapidly once the sun has set.

Geography

Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east. Neighboring countries are Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Yemen, and Bahrain, connected to the Saudi mainland by a causeway. Saudi Arabia contains the world's largest continuous sand desert, the Rub Al-Khali, or Empty Quarter. Its oil region lies primarily in the eastern province along the Persian Gulf.

Religion

Due to the legal framework of the country, which does not provide legal protection for freedom of religion, the public practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited. Indeed, the Government enforces a strict and conservative version of Sunni Islam. Muslims who do not follow the official interpretation, can face severe repercussions at the hands of Mutawwa'in

Jeddah, the second largest city of Saudi Arabia and the commercial hub of the country is located in the coastal region of the Red Sea. The history of the city dates back to 647 AD. But today the city exhibits fascinating blend of quintessential past with modernity. Besides preserving the heritage buildings, the city boasts of several international shopping malls and exquisite restaurants and activity centers. Today the city has gained popularity being the gateway to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. All these have served a lot of impetus to Jeddah Tourism .The tourism industry in Jeddah is a major contributor in the city's economy. Jeddah Medical Tourism is one curious component of the tourism industry that has recently evolved. Anyone planning a trip to Jeddah should gather primary information from Jeddah Travel Guide.

The city of Jeddah plays a host to all kind of travelers, from pilgrims to business tourists and to the leisure tourists. Many pilgrims flock to Jeddah at the time of the holy Hajj. Jeddah's summertime festivals also attract tourists from all parts of the globe. Jeddah Medical Tourism enjoys a peak time at that time. The medical and cosmetic surgery clinics of Jeddah then experience a huge rush of patients. Sometimes the patients seeking appointments increases as much as 90% and even wait-lists are prepared for better management.

Many tourists visiting Jeddah is combining the trip with treatment in the clinics of Jeddah. The dental clinics, eye clinics and the cosmetic surgery clinics are among the major attractions of Jeddah Medical Tourism. The city is a home to 40 large hospitals apart from the mushrooming private clinics. Many of the private clinics are boosting medical tourism in Jeddah by offering packages to the tourists. They are giving discounts on several treatments. Many people are swarming to the clinic of Jeddah because of here the treatments cost much lower than in the Western countries. The patients in the cosmetic surgery clinics and dental clinics are generally women and young men. While in the eye clinic it is the aged tourists who are seeking treatments.

History

Saudi Arabia is not only the homeland of the Arab peoples—it is thought that the first Arabs originated on the Arabian Peninsula—but also the homeland of Islam, the world's second-largest religion. Muhammad founded Islam there, and it is the location of the two holy pilgrimage cities of Mecca and Medina. The Islamic calendar begins in 622, the year of the hegira, or Muhammad's flight from Mecca. A succession of invaders attempted to control the peninsula, but by 1517 the Ottoman Empire dominated, and in the middle of the 18th century, it was divided into separate principalities. In 1745 Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab began calling for the purification and reform of Islam, and the Wahhabi movement swept across Arabia. By 1811, Wahhabi leaders had waged a jihad—a holy war—against other forms of Islam on the peninsula and succeeded in uniting much of it. By 1818, however, the Wahhabis had been driven out of power again by the Ottomans and their Egyptian allies.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is almost entirely the creation of King Ibn Saud (1882–1953). A descendant of Wahhabi leaders, he seized Riyadh in 1901 and set himself up as leader of the Arab nationalist movement. By 1906 he had established Wahhabi dominance in Nejd and conquered Hejaz in 1924–1925. The Hejaz and Nejd regions were merged to form the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, which was an absolute monarchy ruled by sharia. A year later the region of Asir was incorporated into the kingdom.

Culture

Saudi Arabian culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam. Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are located in the country. Five times every day, Muslims are called to prayer from the minarets of mosques which are scattered around the country. The weekend begins on Thursday due to Friday being the holiest day for Muslims. Most Muslim countries have a Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday weekend.The public practice of any religion other than Islam, including Christianity and Judaism, the presence of churches, and possession of non-Islamic religious materials is not allowed except in Aramco compounds in which many expatriates attend church services.[citation needed] Saudi Arabia's cultural heritage is celebrated at the annual Jenadriyah cultural festival.

Music and dance

One of Saudi Arabia's most compelling folk rituals is the Al Ardha, the country's national dance. This sword dance is based on ancient Bedouin traditions: drummers beat out a rhythm and a poet chants verses while sword-carrying men dance shoulder to shoulder. Al-sihba folk music, from the Hejaz, has its origins in al-Andalus. In Mecca, Medina and Jeddah, dance and song incorporate the sound of the mizmar, an oboe-like woodwind instrument in the performance of the mizmar dance.

Places To Visit

Mecca
The spiritual center of the Islamic world, forbidden to non-Muslims. Places of significance to Muslims include the Kaabah Enclosure, the Mountain of Light, the Plain of Arafat and the House of Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib, where Muhammad was born.

Hasa (Eastern Region)
Fertile lowland coastal plains inhabited by the kingdom’s Shia minority, who have traditionally lived by fishing, diving for pearls, raising date palms and trading abroad and with the interior. All of Saudi Arabia’s vast stocks of oil lie under Hasa or beneath the Gulf, and the locals are now outnumbered by foreign oil workers from all over the world.

The Hejaz (Western Region)
The west coast is a center for trade, but of equal importance is the concentration of Islamic holy cities, including Mecca and Medina, which attract pilgrims from all over the world. The region also includes the city of Jeddah, which was until recently Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic capital and remains the most important commercial and cultural gateway to the country.

Medina
The second-holiest city in Islam and also forbidden to non-Muslims.

Jeddah
Although the city has grown phenomenally, priority is being given to the preservation of the ancient city. The ragged, coral-colored Ottoman buildings are being renovated. Leisure facilities have increased and the corniche has a ‘Brighton’ feel about it. There is an amusement park and a wonderful creek allowing both sailing and snorkeling. Its hotels and restaurants are cosmopolitan and there are good fish and meat markets.

The Asir (Southern Region)
A range of coastal mountains and the only part of the kingdom where there is significant wild vegetation, mostly palms and evergreen bushes. Millet, wheat and dates are grown using largely traditional methods. The inhabitants are darker than other Saudis, being in part descended from African slaves. Baboon, gazelle, leopard, honey badger, mongoose and other ‘African’ species inhabit remoter areas. Unique to Asir are the ancient gasaba towers, phallus-shaped and of unknown purpose.

Taif
Perched on top of a 900m (3000ft) cliff at the edge of the plateau above Mecca, this resort town enjoys a milder climate than much of the country and was for a long time the official summer capital. It is noted for its pink palaces and for the astounding modern corniche road that winds down the sheer cliffs of the Taif escarpment to the hot coastal plain.
Other important towns in the Hejaz include Khaybar, Hanakiyah, Usta, Wadi Fatima and Yanbu.

Shopping

Few local products are of interest to tourists. Locally grown dates are of high quality, and religious paraphernalia is widely available, but almost exclusively imported. Copies of the Koran are produced in a wide range of editions and sold at very low prices. Zam zam water is available throughout the Western Region and at all airports.

Carpets are a favorite purchase, most of these coming from nearby Iran. Jeddah in particular has lots of carpets, many brought by pilgrims who sell them there to help finance their trip to Mecca.

Large gold and jewelry markets are prominent in all major cities. Bargaining is a norm in most small to medium sized stores. Mecca and Medina offer a lot of variety in terms of luggage, clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, souvenirs, toys, food, perfume, incense, and religious literature, audio, and paraphernalia.

Transportation

By plane
Saudi Arabia has 3 international airports at Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The airport at Dhahran is now closed to civil traffic, so passengers to the Eastern Region now fly into Dammam, or into nearby Bahrain (which is much better connected) and then cross into Saudi Arabia by car.Saudi Arabia is served by the national airline Saudi Arabian Airlines, often referred to by its Arabic name Saudia.

By bus
SAPTCOoperates cross-border bus services to most of Saudi Arabia's neighbors and even beyond to eg. Cairo.Probably the most popular service is between Dammam/Khobar and Bahrain, operated by the separate Saudi-Bahraini Transport Company (SABTCO).

By car
Automobile crossings exist on all the borders, although those into Iraq are currently closed. The eastern crossings to Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are heavily used, all others rather less so.

By train
There are no railroads connecting Saudi Arabia with other countries, although in the North, you can still find bits and pieces of the Hejaz Railway that once led to Damascus.