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Trying to uncover a bit of Riyadh

June 13th, 2009
posted by Ryan Rowe

Today I am traveling to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, for a short 36-hour trip related to work but with a bit of tourism thrown in of course.

Most of Saudi Arabia is only an hour’s flight from where I live in Abu Dhabi yet this is my first visit to the country.  Since moving to the region a few years ago, my ‘Middle Eastern’ experiences have so far consisted mostly of day travel to a few of the Gulf nations (Kuwait, Oman and Qatar) and relatively little of the UAE itself, sad to say. A weekend trip to Istanbul and a week in Isra*l, Jordan and Palestine round out my regional travels.  Frankly, I have tended to favour more far-flung or ‘exotic’ destinations in Asia, Africa or Europe.

But I can say this - few destinations in the Middle East hold as much allure or mystery for me as Saudi Arabia, which, being the birthplace of Islam, is a must-see for anyone wanting to learn more about the religion and the ‘Arab’ culture. There are also the stories in the international media of human rights issues and restrictions on freedoms that I am lucky enough to enjoy. Hopefully this will help provide me with a different perspective on life in the Middle East.

Riyadh, with its religious police (Mutawa) patrolling the streets, ensuring that the local population follows strict Islamic law, is considered to be much more conservative than Jeddah. Alcohol of course is totally prohibited here. So is interaction between single men and women who are not of the same family. Appropriate dress and prayer at prescribed times (five times daily) are other things that seem to be within the mandate of the Mutawwa’in. From what I have heard photography can also be sensitive, and I have been told to avoid meeting the eyes of local women.  I find myself wondering if the t-shirt I am currently wearing is a bit too risque (on it are written the words ‘Concordia University’)!

From what I understand, single women may not travel here (even for business) and any visit visa (business or tourism) is only provided through a locally-based sponsoring organisation. So this place is not really a destination for wandering travelers or a last-minute weekend destination, and in my opinion, is way off the beaten path. :)

As I will only be here 36 hours, I have set myself a brief itinerary to try and give myself a taste of Riyadh. I have the late afternoon and evening to explore so I will begin with a trip to the Batha area of town, which is the downtown / city centre and site of the National Museum, a public library and the King Abdul Aziz Memorial Hall.  I would also like to see Hara, which apparently is the epicentre of the local expatriate Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi community, which is the largest segment of the country’s foreign population.

Poverty in Saudi Arabia is a real problem and consequently, slums do exist here. Some examples are poorer communities in the southern and eastern part of the city, such as Al Aoud, Sebala, Shamissi, and Al Suwaidi.  The last one is most well-known for the attack on a BBC correspondent several years ago.  Al Suwaidi is apparently a breeding ground for Al Qaida activity in Saudi Arabia. So I’ll try to avoid that one! Apparently these poor communities are mainly populated by expatriate workers but there are many Saudi nationals who live in relative poverty, considering the huge oil wealth of the country. Iit may be a bit naive and unrealistic to attempt to visit these places during a 36-hour trip (and my first visit) and I think I’ll have to satisfy myself with learning the lay of the land before I venture into unknown and possibly unsafe locales.

However, this article sheds some light on the problem of poverty in Saudi Arabia:

Saudis’ Quicksand of Poverty

At the end of the day, what I am looking for from my Saudi Arabian experience is a brief glimpse beneath the layer of extreme wealth in this part of the world… Appreciate that this is ambitious but if I can began to chip away at the mystery in my short 36 hours I will be pleased.

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