This video offers a glimpse of life for a married middle-class Saudi woman. She wears the Abayah - the traditional black dress with black head covering as this video is available to the general public.

                Women generally do not receive guests in the Saudi households, unless there is a male relative/husband present. Women also have their own separate living rooms where they can entertain friends or family.
At social gatherings, women and men are usually segregated as well.

               Another thing of importance that she mentions is that music of any kind is forbidden, although they can have singing at weddings.

Traditional roles in Saudi Arabia

       Traditions are found within every culture. Tradition can be defined as a ritual or belief that is passed within a specific religion, culture, or society. Rituals are actions that are preformed mainly for their symbolic value. Rituals can be preformed on certain occasions, or daily. Rituals can be preformed in a group setting or by a single individual. The reason for rituals and traditions differ and vary depending upon religious obligations or spiritual and emotional needs of the individual.

      The people in Saudi Arabia respect their culture and uphold their traditions.
Saudi Arabians follow and often dictates the Quran and consider it to be their book of guidelines for everyday life.

      According to the Quran consumption of alcohol is forbidden. Eating of pork too is prohibited. There traditions are very different from what we as americans are used to.

     The Saudi Arabian traditions state during formal meets guests should be offered black tea as a sign of cordiality. So when tourists visit local households they should drink a cup of tea to acknowledge the hospitality of the housemates.

     A very important guideline in regards to Saudi arabian tradition is their dress codes of both men and women. Each person will usually wear long flowing very loose garments. They are usually covered from head to toe. Shorts, Jeans, or tight clothing is a sign of disrespect. This is in accord of the hijab custom that believes in modesty.

      Men mainly wear an ankle length cotton shirt called thwab with a check-shirt which is known as the keffiyeh or a ghutra. For women it is compulsory to wear a niquab, which is a veil. It is very important to uphold to these traditions, even if you are a tourist. Saudi Arabians see it as a sign of disrespect if when visiting their country your actions both physically and mentally don't somewhat reflect their ways of life.

      Traditionally men and women in Saudi Arabia do not date. Marriage is something that is usually arranged by the couples parents. Wedding Parties are usually separate for the bride and groom, they often take place at different locations and usually on different nights.

      Funerals in Saudi Arabia as with most other religions traditionally have observances after death, however in Saudi Arabia are a person has passed their body is bathed three times and after the third bathing is scented with oil. While the bathing process is taking place prayers are said. After this process is completed the body is then wrapped in white shroud. No embalming materials are used, therefor burials usually occur the same day depending upon the time of death. The dead are buried five to six feet deep, with their head facing Mecca.

Tombs and headstones are prohibited. Through out the service very often god is praised and forgiveness is asked for the deceased’s sins. One very known and recited prayer is as follows:

"Allah, do forgive him and have mercy on him and make him secure and overlook his shortcomings, and bestow upon him an honored place in Paradise, and make his place of entry spacious, and wash him clean with water and snow and ice, and cleanse him of all wrong as Thou dost clean a piece of white cloth of dirt, and bestow upon him a home better than him home and family better than him family and a spouse better than his spouse, and admit him into Paradise, and shield him from the torment of the grave and the torment of the Fire"

      The traditional role of women is much different then the role of women in America. Women are allowed one husband, while men are allowed up to four.  By law women are not allowed to use any of form transportation (car, bicycle, or public transportation) if they are not accompanied by a male escort. Women are not allowed out of the country unless they are given verbal permission from their father or husband.

Religion in Saudi Arabia

The major religion in Saudi Arabia is Islam.

Upto 85% of the Muslim population are Sunni and only 10-15% are Shi'ite.

While there are up to 1.2 million believes of other faiths, they are not allowed to openly practice their faith. Coversion to another religion from Islam is punishable by death.

The Saudi Mutaween ( religious police) prohibits the any other religion other than Islam.

                Islam follows a lunar calender and therefore have religious holidays that do not have definite set dates on the regular Gregorian calendar. Their main religous feasts are Eid and Ramadan.

Ramadan is a month of fasting for Muslims where they do not eat or drink all day as long as the Sun is in the sky, once the Sun sets. they have small gatherings in their homes to eat.

The month of fasting ends with Eid, where they have huge celebrations and festitivies.

Excerpt from Interview...

Rabi Haddad

To provide a first hand account of life and traditions in Saudi Arabia we’ve interviewed Rabi Haddad, a 20 year old art student who was mostly raised there. We decided to meet at a Starbucks Cafe on a breezy Friday afternoon to talk for a while and catch up before we went about interviewing her.
After finding a table, we place our orders and wait.
For all her upbringing, Rabi doesn’t look Arab. She’s white with dark blonde hair and brown eyes, and could pass off as American, if her accent didn’t give her away. After discussing our cultural project with her, we settle in to talk. Here’s what we learnt:

How do you identify yourself? Who you are/Where you come from etc..
Rabi: My name is Rabi and I’m from Saudi Arabia.

Where do you live now?
Rabi: My family and I moved to America 4 years ago. We moved right after my 16^th birthday with my parents and siblings.

How do you like living here?
Rabi: I didn’t like it at first. Although I speak English, I didn’t understand what people were saying. Sometimes my classmates would laugh at me, but soon I learnt to laugh too. I have made friends since then so now I am happy.

Do you miss your friends in Saudi Arabia?
Rabi: Yes! All the time! When I first came here, I would send them e-mails every week! But then that soon turned into months and then now maybe a few times a year for the holidays. I still miss them though.

You mentioned holidays. Did you celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving?
Rabi: (laughs) People always find it surprising that I celebrate the holidays. Even after 4 years they ask me that. Yes I did celebrate Christmas, but not Thanksgiving – I think that is American. I am Christian, so Easter and Christmas were huge celebrations in my house. We also had Islamic holidays as well, since Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country.

You’re Christian? Aren’t all Saudis Muslim?
Rabi: No, that is a common mis-conception. A lot of Saudis are Muslims, yes but not all. I’m not Saudi, though. I am Jordanian. My parents moved to Saudi Arabia from Jordan when I was 2 for my father’s job. But I have friends who are Saudis, who are also christian.

How is Christianity accepted in Saudi Arabia?
Rabi: Umm, they do not prohibit you from practicing your faith, but you cannot hold services in the open. For example, there are no churches that I know of. Therefore if my family attended mass, it was usually in a large hall or auditorium. Also you are not allowed to distribute any media about different religons.

Do all the women there have to wear veils over their heads, and why is that?
Rabi: Yes all women do, irrespective of race or religion. Even girls as young as 10 must wear them. They say a woman’s hair is a reason for a man’s desire and therefore a woman must cover her hair to avoid this. Muslim women cover their faces as well. They wear a burka, that hides everything but their eyes. In the Muslim faith, a woman’s body is for her husband and he alone can witness her form.

Describe religion in Saudi Arabia
Rabi: That is a very broad topic! SA is very Islamic. The Sharia (the Islamic police) makes sure that everyone follows the rules in the Quran. Muslims pray five times a day. And therefore, no matter where you are in Sam you will always hear the preacher in a mosque calling out for people to being the prayers – in the morning, afternoon, evening. Religion is a very key aspect to how the country is run. The Royal family usually participates in Islamic celebrations to show that they are still connected to the people. This is how, I think they still manage to have one of the few dominant monarchies in the world.

How is the family life in Saudi Arabia?
Rabi: Since my family was Jordanian, we did not observe strict family codes, but I have seen differences in the homes of my Saudi friends. For example, my friend Safina is an Muslim Saudi. As children when I went over to play at her house, I would see how life was different for her. The women in her family never receive visitors, unless they are first seen my the oldest male in the house. The women always need a male guardian with them at all times, a father, brother or husband. It has to be a blood relation or a marriage related. Although people here in America may see that as oppressive, many Saudi women prefer this relationship.
When I lived there, women were not allowed to drive on their own and therefore always needed a male relative with them to take them anywhere. This has changed recently with a new rule, allowing women to drive. This changed in the June of this year, I think.
Women are also not allowed to get married or divorced, or apply for jobs without their male relative/husband’s consent.

Are men allowed to have more than one wife?
Rabi: Yes, according to the Quran a man may have upto four wives at any one time.

Does that become a problem in the family? Having several wives and children for one man?
Rabi: Not all Saudis follow this. While the thought of having many wives may be appealing to some, it also comes with the responsibilities of talking care of the welfare for all these people. I have only seen a few polygamous families. It is a luxury for the rich.

Can you elaborate on some spiritual customs from SA?
Rabi: Ok, as I mentioned before Muslims pray five times day. The prayer lasts only 10-15 minutes, but it is observed by all businesses, TV channels, radio broadcasts etc. For those 10-15 minutes, five times a day all the shops are briefly closed and the television and radio stations do not transmit anything.
I have actually heard it enough times to repeat it now.
All those who pray must face toward Mecca, the holy Muslim city. There are signs pointing to the direction of Mecca almost everywhere, in hospitals, government offices, schools etc so that no matter where you are, you can always follow the law.
A person who has passed away if turned to face Mecca as well, in order to show reverence for Allah

Daily Prayer - "Azan"

This is an example of an "Azan" a call to prayer for all Muslims. It is sung five times day and can be heard anywhere within a Muslim city.

Geography of Saudi Arabia

Although it is the largest country in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia does not have any major bodies of water in it. This lack of a steady water supply required the country to use alternative sources such as  rainfall, groundwater, desalinated seawater, and very scarce surface water to fulfil the country's needs for water. Modern technology has located and increased the availability of much of the underground water.

The climate in Saudi Arabia is mostly arid and dry. As it is a desert the, althought the temperatures are high during the day, it falls drastically at night. The heat usually becomes very intense during the afternoon, especially in the summer. Rainfall is very rare, and even if it does rain, it s a few centemeters at most. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest expoerter of oil.

The primary resource of Saudi Arabia is petroleum. But they also have reserves of petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Population:

Nationality: Noun--Saudi(s). Adjective--Saudi Arabian or Saudi.

Population (July 2010 est.): 28.7 million (23.1 million Saudis, 5.6 million foreign nationals).

Annual population growth rate: (2010 est.): 1.8%.

Ethnic groups: Arab (90% of native pop.), Afro-Asian (10% of native pop.).

Religion: Islam.

Language: Arabic (official).

Education: Literacy--total 78.8% (male 84.7%, female 70.8%).

Health: Infant mortality rate (2010 est.)--11.57 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--male 74 years, female 78 years.

Work force: 6.49 million, about 35% foreign workers (2005 est.); industry--25%; services (including government)--63%; agriculture--12%.

Tribes in Saudi Arabia

                            Some of the Tameem tribesmen performing Al-Arda Dance. This is a dance portraying their victory of war and is performed with a dummer, flag bearer and chanters.

                     Some other tribes namely Otaibah, Qahtan, Mutair, Subai, Harb, Anaza, Ad-dawaser, Shammar, Ya-am, Bani Shihr, Bani Amr, Balhmar and Balsmar, Ghamed and Zahran, Shamran and Balgarn inhabit different parts of Saudi Arabia. They are divided into bedouins or nomads and those who live in traditional homes either in the rural and urban areas.

Saudi Royal Family

King Abdul-Aziz. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud

(1932-1953)

Other members of the Saudi Royal Family

*they are addressed His/Her Highness or Prince/Princess

Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel: born to make a difference!

Saudi Prince Al-Walid bin Talal and his wife Princess Amira al-Taweel

A Brief history of Saudi Arabia

                 History of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has come a long way before becoming what is now known as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her story is full of stories of spirituality, religion, family feuds, unity, as well as victories over other countries.

              Saudi Arabia really emerged after Islamism was founded by the pioneers of Muhammad, a native Arabian from Makkah. He received a vision from God, who is Allah in Arabic, through the angel Gabriel. The angel’s message was to proclaim the oneness of God universally.





Around 15000 BC, the inhabitants of Arabian Peninsula were experiencing a drought due to climate change. Quickly, they adapted agriculture and pottery in order to survive in the extreme climate and futile soil. Ironic as it may sound; they produced world’s finest almonds, dates, aromatics, myrrh, and spices despite the fact that they have limited farming space. Animal products were also produced in quantities.
Muhammad converted many followers known as Muslim Scholars. They moved to the City of Prophets now known as Madinah after learning about the plot against Muhammad. That move was known as the Hijrah which marks as the beginning of Islamic Calendar. These prophets spread their teachings to Spain, parts of India, and China.

This is Makkah, the Holiest City of Islam. It is located in Hijahz region where annually, pilgrims gather to observe the Hajj

             In the 18^th century, a Muslim scholar Shaikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab encouraged his co-believers to revive a true Islam after seeing his religion broken up into smaller groups all over the globe. He and Muhammad bin Saud dedicated themselves to teaching their communities about pure Islamic teaching.
           Eventually, Muhammad bin Saud founded the First Saudi State. It was named after him, Saudi Arabia. It was through the strong support of his partner Shaikh that he achieved success.

          News about the flourishing Saudi State reached the Ottoman Empire, a powerful Middle Eastern and African empire during that time. A couple years after the establishment of Saudi State, the Ottoman took over the cities in the peninsula, getting rid of everything that was built and planted on there. Later, the Al-Saud family rebuilt a kingdom in central Arabia making Riyadh its capital. For 11 years, there was peace and prosperity under the rule of Turki bin Abdulah.

National symbols of Saudi Arabia

              Officially, on September 23, 1932, the country was proclaimed as Saudi Arabia with Arabic as its official language and Qur’an its constitution. From then on, there were no more attempts of invasion and several kings and princes followed as leaders of the continually growing, thriving, and popular Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This is an example of a typical tent used by the nomadic tribes of Bedouins in Saudi Arabia. They are found across the Arabian desert where the Bedouins set up camp for a few weeks at a time to replenish resources and rest.

My female friends,
dolls swathed in gauze in a museum they lock;
coins in History's mint, never given, never spent;
fish swarming and choking in every basin and tank,
while in crystal vessels,dying butterflies flock.
Without fear
I shall write of my friends,
of the chains twisted bloody around the ankles of beauties,
of delirium and nausea, and the nighttime that entreaty rends,
and desires buried in pillows, in silence.                                         

  - Nizar Qabbani