Hala, Kaif-Al-Haal?  Impressed already? I hope not. Saudi Arabia is too mainstream in India and many Asian countries and also not ignoring European Countries. I’m not paid or sponsored for writing the content on Saudi Arabia but in the past months I’ve been receiving a dozen of questions on Quora related to Saudi Arabia and it’s culture, lifestyle and whatnot. 

I’m giving you a virtual tour of Saudi Arabia and its culture in this article. I hope I will be able to clear every single thing you have about Saudi Arabia. Let’s not waste further time and let’s begin.  

What is it like to live in Saudi Arabia?

This is the most asked question and everyone out there who didn’t visit Saudi Arabia in their life asked this. It’s not really a big deal living there. All you need is a little time to settle down there and some need a much longer time.  

In real life, it is really hot & humid most of the time while in some cities away from Water bodies remains hot & dry. Here hot means a really hot. The temperature reaches around 40-45 Degree Celcius. The climate there is like Half Summer + Half Winter. The winters are again the same as summer. The temperature in Winters goes to -5 to 10 in cities around Saudi Arabia.  

Is it all Desert looking type? What is their Cultural Dress?

Obviously, desert but you can’t see it anywhere now. The country is developed now but you can expect Sand Storms anytime in any climate condition. It’s normal as the sky goes all yellow and the heavy wind blows with sand from nowhere. Here’s how Sand Storm in Saudi Arabia will look like.

That’s just normal you know. You can see the sand blowing and making it look more like fog. When the whole sand blows in the air the day becomes night. The whole sky turns to yellow or in some cases red. 

In olden days, this sandstorm was happening more often than they do now. Therefore, their cultural dress is made like that. Let me show you an example.

Do you see that? The red one is called “Shemaagh”  and the black one is called “Iqal”. The Shemaagh goes around the head and Iqal keeps it intact on the head. This is not exactly the attire was in olden days. The so-called “Shemaagh” was just a piece of cloth around the head and it was tied with a rope so-called Iqal now. 

How Saudi Arabia looks exactly? The Poor Places vs The Rich Places.

Every single country has two faces. One is Poor while other is Rich. Some people might have only seen either side and start judging the whole country on that basis. Here have a look at both sides of the country.

The Poor Places: Which can be almost in every city and may look like this.

The Rich Places: Again the rich places are in every city in the country and may look similar to the picture below.

Their Culture & Tradition:

All Saudi nationals live their lives as we do normally. However, there are certain things they love which might amaze you.  

Smoking: Yes, many of them love smoking. You can find them smoking often. Their most favourite brand is Marlboro Red.  

Drifting: Car drifting. Yes, they drive much better than us but loves drifting. Sometimes they drift recklessly and even causes many accidents on the street. Police in Saudi Arabia has always been looking forward to ending this game inside Saudi Arabia. Hefty fines were introduced.  

Shopping: All loves shopping. Women’s & Girls in Saudi Arabia are way more fond of shopping. They just love being out in malls anytime to shop and roam. It’s also a part of their entertainment. Saudi Arabia has those best malls. Some of them I would like to show you.

Law: Strict Shariah Law (Islamic Law) is the present law in the country. It forbids everything that Islam forbids. No Pork & Alcohol in the country. Many more things which are forbidden in Islam is strictly restricted inside the country. If you’re a foreigner, you should know the laws before residing here. Breaking any laws can give you anything from Lashes, Jail or even Deportation.  

Food: Who forgets this? Every human on earth loves food and they do it too. Saudi Arabia is a country where half of its population is foreigners. All foreigners tend to give the taste of their food in this country. You can find Restaurants offering Yemeni, Afghani, Indian, Pakistani, Sudani, and Saudi Food. The most tried food is Kabsa & Mandi. The own Saudi fried chicken chain called “Al-Baik” is always worth the try. Let’s make your mouth watery.  

Tradition & LifeStyle in Saudi Arabia

Men:

Lifestyle in Saudi Arabia is pretty much simple. Although you may be amazed to see the foreigners everywhere rather than Saudis. We will, of course, talk about Saudi citizens. Saudis are rich and it is the popular saying around the world. But not all of them are rich similarly there are rich, poor & middle-class families across Saudi Arabia.   There are two types of Saudis, one of them are educated & well behaved one living in cities while another one of them is often called “Bedouins” living in small towns or villages. There is a huge difference between both of them. There accents, behaviour, thinking and all. I will show you both of them.  

Disclaimer: Not all bedouins maybe like that. Some of them came to cities and got educated. Bedouins are the group of nomadic people which inhabited in Saudi Arabia many years ago. They are called “Arabic Badawi”  

Saudi Men are often kind and don’t put up their noses in others business. They are mostly tall and muscular. They keep those Royal Beards most of the time. However, most of the Saudis and not all, are short-tempered. They get furious easily. 

Women:

Most of Saudi Women are short. They love shopping at the malls or spending time with their families at Parks or resorts. They are now allowed to drive in the kingdom and are able to work too. You can find them everywhere in the malls at the cashier counters now. Women in Saudi Arabia wear Abaya, which covers them as prescribed in Shariah Law and Islam.   

Note: Image is only for illustration purposes.

**Cars: ** Yes, it’s no doubt that there are cars everywhere in Saudi Arabia. Bikes are rare there. However, there are some and most probably imported. When we talk about cars, almost all Saudis show interest in you. Cars are their part of life. Here’s how most of the Saudi People decorate their car for their National Day on September 23. It is totally amazing and fun to be a part of them on their National Day. Also, some peek views on cars found in Saudi Arabia.

Do you know about the two Holiest places in Saudi Arabia?

All of the Muslim will say “Yes”. However, not all people of other religion knows about it. Saudi Arabia has those two holiest places for Muslim. Both of them are Mosques. One of them is in Medina, Saudi Arabia and the other one is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is how they look.  

In both of the Mosques, people from around the world visits for the pilgrimage which is called Umrah & Hajj. In Saudi Arabia, there are many other amazing and beautiful mosques.    It feels amazingly peaceful in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Do tell me in the comment below if you have ever visited Medina.   

I hope you enjoyed this short virtual tour. If you liked it then do share with your friends and family. Let me know if you’re going to visit Saudi Arabia soon!    

For those who are willing to know, How I know about Saudi Arabia? Here’s how.  

I was born and raised in Medina, Saudi Arabia. I spent almost a quarter of my life in Saudi Arabia. It’s been 16 years in Saudi Arabia to be exact. I didn’t explore all the cities of Saudi Arabia but most of them. I have been to Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina, Makkah, and Taif. I have also been to Yanbu. Until I was 12, I never came to know that this wasn’t my land. I was a foreigner. I was living there like it’s my own land. Unfortunately, due to higher education issues, I’m now back to my hometown and motherland which is India. I miss it now. :) <3  

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