Saudi Arabia
...to be in the heart of the Islamic world. There major industries include oil, steel, cement, and wheat. With major trading partners to include Japan, U.S., E.U., and India. King Saud is the head of state and run the show as a monarchy. Now that we know a little about the country itself, lets start off by talking about the best times to go, special events that take place (i.e. U.S.- Mardi Gras or like Fourth of July). The best times to travel to this distant land is between November and February. The climate at this time is mild and the Asir mountains are at their best. During the winter they are covered in fog. As for special events or holidays. Nothing to exciting because they are all Islamic. The big one as we know is Ramadan. And just to let you know don’t go during this month of fasting because one it’s mandatory even for tourists. Another thing is if you get caught you can be sent to jail. But all good comes at the end of the tunnel if you make you’ll enjoy Eid al-Fitr. This is a huge feast where you pray, visit friends, and get presents. Another huge feast is held in March, Eid Al-Adah. This feast is to remind Muslims to take there pilgrimage to Mecca. There is only one non-religious holiday in Saudi Arabia, it’s the Jindriyah National Festival. It’s a festival of folklore and culture held every February. How about money in Saudi? Well Saudi Arabia is not a cheap place but its is possible to travel on a limited budget. One good thing is the Saudi Cairo bank atms are linked to the cirrus and plus networks. So you can use your bank card or visa. So now that we understand a little about the country we are ready to start are trip to this exciting place and visit some of the first places settled in history. First we will start in the capital city of Riyadh. Riyadh is a high-tech oasis of glass, steel and concrete. It’s home to huge hotels, larger hospitals, and one of the worlds largest airports. So, first we’ll stop at the Riyadh museum. Here you’ll find usual stuff covering the history of the kingdom from the Stone age to the early start of Islam. They have a unique display of Islamic architecture and Ethnographic hall. Next, we’ll ride to the Masmak fortress. This was built in 1865 and is now a museum devoted to Abul Aziz and the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. If time permits you can go to a couple of other museums King Saud University museum and the Murabba Palace. But later in the evening you can travel through the Al-Thumairi gate and about 20 miles outside of town is one of the largest camel market in the Middle East. Next, we’ll travel to Jeddah. This is better known as the Paris of Arabia. It’s a modern day metropolis built around its history. One of the most interesting places to visit is the Municipality Museum. It is located in a 200 year old traditional house made of Red sea coral. Another museum the Museum of Abdel Raouf Hasan Khalil as about 10,000 items crammed into 4 Disney style buildings. Also, Jeddah has one of the best souks markets or Souk Al-Alawi in Arabia. It winds through the old part of the city. So if you are bored it a good way to kill time. After a few fun filled days in the cities smelling camel poo, we’ll travel to Saudi’s most visited and holiest of places Mecca and Taif. I’m sorry, but Mecca and the holy sites in the area are off limits to non-Muslims. But here is the scoop about the holiest of the holiest. At the center of Mecaa is the Grand Mosque and the sacred Zamzam inside it. The Kaaba in the central courtyard which all Muslims f...