Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Al-Bahah, Saudi Arabia

Hafar Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia

The mountains, valleys and Red Sea beaches with turquoise water are known for some of the world's finest diving and attract some, but comparatively few, tourists. Some other spots are hard to reach, such as the Nabatean ruins, a four-hour drive from Medina, the nearest city with an airport for visitors to fly into. The Kingdom is almost totally dependent on oil, a habit Prince Sultan Bin Salman wants to change by forming the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities in 2000. There is also the famous bridge to Bahrain.

Museums

• The National Heritage and History Museum in Riyadh
• Museum of Buraidah
• Dammam Historical Museum[1] (Arabic: متحف الدمام الإقليمي )
• Dammam Public Library
• Dhahran Exhibition Centre (Arabic: مركز معارض الظهران)
• Folk Village
• National MuseumDammam National Museum is located on the 4th floor of the Dammam Public Library, opposite the Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium on the cross lane from the Dammam-Khobar Highway in Al Toubaishi district. A must for visitors to the region, the museum focuses on the country's history, culture, and inhabitants through displays of relics and remnants of handicrafts.

World Heritage Sites

• Diriyah

Al-Diriyah (Arabic: الدرعية‎; also spelled Ad-Dir'iyah, Ad-Dar'iyah or Dir'aiyah) is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, and served as the capital of the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818. Today, the town is the seat of the Diriyah Governorate, which also includes the villages of Uyayna, Jubayla, and Al-Ammariyyah, among others, and is part of Ar Riyad Province.

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  Saad ibn Saud Palace

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• Mada'in Saleh

Mada'in Saleh (Arabic: مدائن صالح, madāʼin Ṣāliḥ), also called Al-Hijr or Hegra (so in Greek and Latin, e.g. by Pliny ), is a pre-Islamic archaeological site located in the Al-Ula sector, within the Al Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. A majority of the vestiges date from the Nabatean kingdom (1st century AD). The site constitutes the kingdom's southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found in situ, while accounts from the Qur’an tell of an earlier settlement of the area by the tribe of Thamud in the 3rd millennium BC.

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  A row of tombs from the al-Khuraymat group, Mada'in Saleh

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  Al-Hijr had been abandoned by the time Islamic faith became established in the area

Religious Tourism

Muslim pilgrims in Mecca

Tourism in Saudi Arabia is largely based around religious pilgrimage. Mecca receives over three million pilgrims a year during the month of Hajj, and around two million during the month of Ramadan in Umrah. During the rest of the year, Mecca receives around four million for Umrah. The Hajj, or pilgrimage to the city, is one of the five pillars of Islam. However, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter.

External links

• Official tourism website
• Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities
• Traveler's Information (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia). Retrieved on 2009-07-30
• Official restaurant directory & dining guide of Saudi Arabia