Saudi Arabia Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Saudi Arabia is the second largest country in the Arab world, and is the heartland of Islamic faith, as it is here you’ll find Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of the religion. You will find millions of worshippers who come to the two holiest sites every year, though at different times, to be sure. However, you may not really know much about the economic powerhouse or military of the Middle East and Saudi Arabia specifically. Here are some facts you might not have known about the kingdom before that will shed light on the country that will help you understand it better.

Female Drivers

Saudi Arabia had a law that said women couldn’t drive. It was religious in nature, banning them from operating cars and getting driver’s licenses, making the country the only one in the world in 2018 to have such a law. However, the law got overturned in June 2018, which sparked hope for more women’s rights in the future.

There Is More

It’s shocking for many to learn that women couldn’t drive, but that was just one of many things they couldn’t do. For example, they must get permission from the male guardian before attending school or work and cannot travel or open a bank account by themselves.

Limiting the Love

Saudi Arabia goes by the Sharia law. It says that all homosexuals will be eligible for a severe punishment. That doesn’t mean simply get a slap on the wrist. In fact, the punishment could include the death penalty or lashings.

More Cases

Other cases where the death penalty can also be given include committing murder, adultery, witchcraft, and armed robbery. Reports indicate that the Saudi government killed 154 “criminals” in 2006 alone!

Holy Sites

many people have heard about Jerusalem as a holy site, but it’s not the most popular in Islam. In fact, Medina and Mecca are the top holy sites worldwide for Muslims. However, there is a strict law in place that states that non-Muslims cannot visit the holy cities.

Reckless Driving

If you tipped the car on two wheels in most countries, you’d be given a reckless driving charge. However, it’s common in Saudi Arabia. They call it sidewalk skiing, and it’s a favorite sport. Also, passengers might even climb to the top of the vehicle for an extra thrill!

Banned Photos

Everyone is accustomed to snapping photos of almost anything using a smartphone. However, Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow for that kind of culture. It’s illegal to photograph a woman, and you might get in serious trouble. Plus, you have to obtain permission to take pictures of men.

Tons of Cash

The Royal Family in Saudi Arabia is swimming in money. They have a net worth of about $14 trillion! It’s almost too much to think about, and most people will never even get close to that, and the Saudi Royal family’s wealth is actually 16 times that of the British Royal Family.

Building Borders

Countries everywhere are building walls to protect themselves for various reasons. Saudi Arabia did this on the Iraqi border to keep ISIS members away. Then, they did the same thing for Yemen because there was also a lot of unrest in that area.

Tower of Babel

Saudi Arabia is building Kingdom Tower, which is being renamed Jeddah Tower. It will be the tallest building ever, but it’s not done yet. Though it was supposed to finish in 2020, it’s remains unfinished as of now.

Banned Alcohol

Saudi Arabia has completely banned the sale or consumption of alcohol, which is pretty similar in all Islamic states. Therefore, if anyone is caught buying and selling it, they could be punished with a whipping.

Desert Meat

Meat staples often differ based on the country. For example, Americans enjoy beef, chicken, and pork products. However, a surprising popular meat that Saudis like to consume is camel meat. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Right Handed

When you meet someone new in Saudi Arabia, you should shake their right hand with yours. Likewise, it’s wise to use that hand when accepting anything from another. The Saudi culture believes that the right hand is clean, and the left hand is used for other unsavory uses.

Tons of Dunes

Saudi Arabia is a huge country, but it’s full of miles of desert. These lands are hard to work on, so they’re seen as unfarmable. In fact, Saudi Arabia only has about two percent of farmable land, even though it’s so large!

UNESCO Sites

UNESCO Heritage sites are often things of beauty, and Saudi Arabia is actually home to four of them. They include the At-Turaif District of Ad-Dir’iyah, the Al-Hijr Archaeological Site, the Rock Art of the Hail Region, and Historic Jeddah.

The King

Saudi Arabia is still ruled by a king, and his name is King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The man was born in 1935, and been king since 2015. He also was prime minister from 2015 until 2022. He is the 3rd oldest living head of state.

Many Ways to Die

Saudi Arabia uses the traditional execution – beheading. However, recently, the country considered ending this in favor of a shooting squad. The main reason is because there are fewer swordsmen who can handle the task of doing the actual task.

Huge Land Mass

Saudi Arabia is a huge country. In fact, it’s the biggest country in the Middle East, but it’s actually the 13th biggest on Earth. Its size is 2,149,690 square kilometers or 83,000 square miles. That is massive!

Two Weddings

Most people save for years to have the perfect wedding, but in Saudi Arabia, you require two. The men attend one ceremony while the women have their own. When the festivities end, the couple can meet and start their lives together.

Traffic Incidents

Saudi Arabia isn’t the best place to drive. In fact, World Bank created a report in 2020 that showed Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia were the worst countries to drive in. However, over the past few years, the country has been able to reduce road crash deaths by 35%, so they are trying to improve this.

Absolute Monarchy

Saudi Arabians are proud of many things. In fact, they have one of the last absolute monarchies. The other countries in line with that include Swaziland, Oman, Vatican City, and Brunei. The Al Saud family has been ruling the country since 1932 at its inception.

Not Just Smoking Camels

If you wish to purchase a camel for any reason while in Saudi Arabia, you’ll have to visit the Riyadh camel market. In fact, it’s one of the largest camel markets in the world. It sells roughly 100 camels each day.

No Precautions

Saudi Arabia has many laws, and one of them is that it’s illegal to use birth control in any form. It’s also surprising to learn that Iran, its arch-enemy, has a condom factory, and it’s one of the only options available in the Middle East.

All About Coffee

Though Americans call it coffee, Arabs use the term “gahwa.” In Arabic, it means “that to prevent sleep.” Technically, it’s illegal to drink coffee because it’s stimulating. However, it’s not strictly enforced, and there are various coffee shops in the country.

Powerful People

King Abdullah passed away in January 2015 at 90 years old. Before that, he was considered to be the eighth most powerful person worldwide. In fact, Forbes magazine called him the most powerful Muslim man in the world.

What She Wears

Women in Saudi Arabia have a specific dress code that dates back to the biblical times. A Niqab is a veil that covers the face except for the eyes, and it is often worn with a headscarf as well as a modest, loose-fitting long dress. These are more often than not all black.

What He Wears

Traditionally, Saudi men wear thobes, which are lightweight and often white cotton garments. However, they can wear bischts, which are similar to the American graduation gown. On their heads, they don gutras, which are traditional head scarves.

She Wears and He Sells

Until 2012, men sold lingerie because women couldn’t work outside the homes. However, King Abdullah overturned that law, making it to where men could not sell it anymore, and only women could sell lingerie.

Slaves

Slavery was commonplace in the Arab Peninsula for many centuries. Though it was abolished, that didn’t happen for a long time. In fact, the monarchy abolished it in 1962, which was much later than most of the world.

Voting Rights

King Abdullah finally reviewed a woman’s right to vote in 2011. He announced that women could cast votes after 2015. That meant that Saudi Arabia was one of the very last countries worldwide that allowed women to vote.

Police

Most people know that police are required to help catch criminals and keep the peace. However, Saudi Arabia goes a step further with its religious police force. It has the task of ensuring that tourists and residents dress and behave appropriately.

Founding Father

In 1932, King Abdul Aziz bin Rahman Al Saud crowned himself king and proclaimed independence for the country. The man was busy with 17 wives and had an unknown number of daughters and 44 known sons, 35 of whom still lived after he passed away in 1953.

Arab Astronaut

In 1985, Saudi Arabia sent a man into space on the US space shuttle called Discovery. Prince Sultan bin Salman was the first Arab, first Muslim, and first Saudi to go to space.

Winston’s Hiccup

There’s a joke about Saudi Arabia’s size attributed to Winston Churchill, the English Prime Minister. It said that he drew up the boundaries for Jordan and Saudi Arabia and hiccuped because of the brandy he drank. Therefore, his hand slipped and gave more miles to Saudi Arabia. While this is unlikely to be true, it’s still a funny anecdote!

No Harry Potter

You now know that witchcraft is banned in the country. However, anything written about witchcraft is also illegal. Therefore, you could get in severe trouble if you bring Harry Potter books with you on the plane.

Non-Muslims

If you aren’t a Muslim person, you can’t get Saudi citizenship. Plus, there is a strict rule that you are not allowed to create a place of worship for a religion other than Islam. This seems pretty harsh, but it’s the law.

The Assassinated King

King Faisal’s nephew went to America and returned in 1975, killing his uncle. Time magazine had just named the king “Man of the Year” because he had rescued the economy and was pushing for religious reform.

9/11

Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia is connected to the September 11 tragedy, where the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were targeted. Fifteen of the hijackers came from the country, and victims’ families are still suing Saudi Arabia for financing the terrorists.

The Yom Kippur War

The October War of 1973, also called the Yom Kippur War, was between Israel and its enemies: Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. America backed Israel, so Saudi Arabia paired with the Arab nations, starting an oil embargo against the United States.

Free Care

Saudi Arabia wants to help its citizens. Therefore, it offers free public schooling, but it has a literacy rate of just under 70 percent. Likewise, healthcare is free if you live in the country full-time.