Famous landmarks in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It has coasts on both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and borders seven countries, including Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and Oman. The capital is Riyadh, in the middle of the country. Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam, are in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is known for vast deserts, oil and the yearly Hajj pilgrimage. On the globe you can find the Masjid al-Haram and the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, the ancient tombs of Hegra, the mirrored Maraya Concert Hall, the Edge of the World cliffs, Riyadh's Kingdom Centre and Masmak Fortress, and Jeddah's old Al-Balad and giant fountain.

Geography and nature

Most of Saudi Arabia is desert, and it has no permanent rivers. In the south lies the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, the largest continuous sand desert in the world, with dunes taller than tall buildings. Rocky plateaus fill the centre, where the long Tuwaiq escarpment forms dramatic cliffs. In the south-west, the Asir mountains catch more rain and are cooler and greener. Coral reefs line the Red Sea coast. Desert animals include the Arabian oryx, the caracal, camels and the venomous deathstalker scorpion.

People, languages and culture

Arabic is the official language, and Islam shapes daily life, with prayer five times a day. Every year, millions of Muslims from around the world travel to Mecca for the Hajj. Many Saudi men wear a white thobe and a red-checked or white headscarf, and many women wear a long black abaya. Guests are welcomed with Arabic coffee flavoured with cardamom and with dates. Kabsa, spiced rice with meat, is a favourite meal. Camel racing, falconry and poetry are old traditions.

History in a nutshell

Long ago, caravans carried incense and spices across Arabia, and the Nabataeans carved tombs at Hegra about 2,000 years ago. In the 600s, Islam began in Mecca and Medina with the Prophet Muhammad and spread across the world. In 1902, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud captured Riyadh's Masmak Fortress, and he went on to unite most of the peninsula, founding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil was discovered in 1938, and it changed the country, paying for new cities, roads and schools.