Experience Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

There are a lot of interesting places to see in the Eastern Province, from the vibrant Al-Khobar to the exotic Qatif. The Dammam corniche is such a refreshing view especially if you are coming from a busy Riyadh area.

A final exit for Illegal Hajj

If you are going for a Hajj this year without the legal permit, think again. You might end up on a deportation bus instead heading for the road to Mecca.

The governor of Makkah has made a stern warning for those going Hajj illegally this year.

Expatriate workers heading for annual pilgrimage without Hajj permits will be deported, Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal declared yesterday.

He said teams of security officers would be deployed in Makkah and other holy sites to look for pilgrims who do not possess Hajj permits, adding that such illegal pilgrims would be slapped with deterrent fines.

They may also be subjected to other punishments, deemed essential by higher authorities, including deportation," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the governor as saying. Prince Khaled called on Saudi sponsors and employers to instruct their workers intending to perform Hajj to follow regulations and get Hajj permits.

Read more on this!

A Security Consulting Company Website

Much of daily discussion in Saudi Arabia is about the status of the security in the Kingdom. So much that the security business is now amounting to billion of riyals.

You really cant buy security in the sense, but with that heft cash you can definitely buy all the security devices that you may think will protect you from any security threats.

A new company with a new website called Tumas Security Consulting at www.tsconsulting.com.sa is emerging as new security provider for the KSA region.

Just check out what www.tsconsulting.com.sa can do and you will learn more from them.

Tumas Security Consulting Company Website

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It's a cloudy day in desert land of Saudi Arabia. While the expats are reminiscing of the rainy days in the homeland, the Saudis are anticipating a large downpour... Read More..

How To Get Married in Saudi Arabia?

If you are a Saudi getting married in Saudi Arabia, technically it would be just like picking up some Laban in a Baqala. The high cost of marriage is usually a disappointment - that is another issue- but what makes it easy is that the procedure is so simple and - best 0f all- free.

But if you are an expatriate, getting married in the Shariah Court, it will take some processes that I will explain in my next blog. I have been a facilitator, coordinator, proxy and several times a witness to many marital union in Saudi Arabia. Just this month, I was chosen to be a witness to two Shariah compliant (;) marriage.

So what I am gonna be enumerating here are first-hand experience who can spell "mahkama" backwards. Stay tuned.

The 26th of Ramadan

Photo taken on Ramadan 26, 1429 from the rooftop of Masjid Al-Haraam

The Famous Water Tower - Riyadh

Flickr Photo Download: WaterTowerTVChannel

MDArabia.com: Misconceptions about EBM

MDArabia.com: Misconceptions about EBM

An open discussion for Saudi Doctors at DoctorKSA.com

Fake Diplomas in Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: A long list of people who had purchased or attempted to purchase fake university diplomas in the United States has spurred the Saudi education authorities to launch an investigation into the issue of Saudis and expatriates who may be working in the Kingdom on counterfeit certificates.

The list contains at least 70 Saudis, or persons who listed their country of residence as Saudi Arabia. For example, one of the names on the list is a Saudi woman who bought degrees in obstetrics and gynecology. The newspaper reported that US federal investigators do not know if the woman is currently working as a medical doctor in the Kingdom.

List of people in Fake Diploma Scam

Arabnews.com

Soap Opera in KSA from Turkey

In Saudi Arabia, between three million to four million viewers watch the soap every evening, according to figures issued by Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).

And for that the Ministry of Islamic Affair is alarmed over its popularity that the Mufti of Saudi Arabia called it "evil".

In a recent Saudigazette newspaper article, a saudi woman sold all her livestocks, so that she can have all the time to watch "Noor".

Read about the lady who sold all her livestocks so she can watch a soap opera..

21,900 Death in 5 Years

21 billion Saudi Riyals worth of material loses

He said the new traffic law, which was passed by the Council of Ministers last year, would help reduce road accidents in the country. During the last five years, traffic departments have registered more than 1.36 million accidents causing the deaths of 21,900 people and injuries to 122,600 others. Every minute at least 11 traffic violations take place in the Kingdom. Annual material losses from road accidents are estimated at SR21 billion.

A thought provoking issue - Saudi Women

In an article to day in ArabNews - Marrying a non-Saudi man - the lady author narrated the difficulties facing Saudi woman in trying to get married to a non-saudi man. And the difficulties that the husband would face in face of existing Saudi law;

The discrimination against these “lower lineage” nationals continues, as inheritance laws do not apply to Saudi women married to non-Saudi men and their non-Saudi children. Her husband and children do not inherit her, even though that is against Islamic laws. One of the government offices my friend had to visit in the process of obtaining the permit is the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution where she had to sign an affidavit to the effect that she is not forced into this marriage and that she is marrying this man on her own volition.

Marrying a non-Saudi man Maha Akeel | Arab News - for the full article, please click here.

Move to place Madain Saleh on world tourist map

Read more on Madain Saleh, Click Here!

Another step to put KSA in the map of most visited place in the world.

The Al Ula oasis is a tourist attraction that matches the beauty and history of Madain Saleh, 22 kilometers to its north. Many different people had lived there, from the Neolithic man to the Nabataeans.

The area south of Jordan was a part of biblical geography. It was inhabited by the 'Ad tribe whose prophet was Hud, and later by the Thamud tribe whose prophet was Saleh (ninth generation from Noah).

• Move to place Madain Saleh on world tourist mapRIYADH – Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Secretary General of the Commission for Tourism and Antiquities has announced a move for UNESCO registration of Madain Saleh, the world famous Nabataean archeological site, as a historic architectural heritage site.

He said that the registration of Madain Saleh, a treasure trove of monumental rock carvings located in the northwestern part of the Kingdom, was an important step in the development of the nation’s tourism sector and that other archeological and heritage sites would be registered without delay.According to Prince Sultan, the Kingdom, which has already submitted requests to UNESCO to register three sites, will not restrict itself to archeological and heritage sites, but will also include important natural formations found in several regions of the Kingdom.

Saudi Gazette - Move to place Madain Saleh on world tourist map

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Riyadh on a Wide Screen

( Click here to get a full view of the photo )

If you you have googled Riyadh lately, you would definitely find the meaning as flowers, gardens or such. But then in this panoramic shot of the capital, you would see a sprawling landscape of man-made architecture instead of flowers and shrubs that a garden would have.

Today Riyadh has changed tremendously and the booming oil prices would definitely change the landscape all the more

Riyadh (Arabic: الرياض‎ Ar-Riyāḍ) is the capital of Saudi Arabia and its largest city. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Nejd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to over 4,260,000^[1] people.

Something About Jeddah

Jeddah (also spelled Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda; Arabic: جدّة Ǧiddah) is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The population of the city currently stands at over 3.4 million. It is considered the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and the wealthiest city in the Middle East and western Asia. Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca, Islam's holiest city, which able-bodied Muslims are required to visit at least once in a lifetime.

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Floating Mosque in Jeddah is one of the most loved and visited sightseeing spots in the city of Jeddah. Jeddah is a classic mix of ancient with modern which is finely evident in its majestic architectures and buildings. The location of Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea and the beaches subsequently formed makes it a favored travel destination of the tourists.

Floating Mosque in Jeddah is one of the sacred sites in the city. The mosque is placed just next to the Red Sea which gives the impression that the mosque is floating in water. It is henceforth named the Floating Mosque. Due to the shimmering white color of the mosque it is also referred as the White Mosque. The mosque is located close to the center of Jeddah. The interior of the mosque is beautifully decorated. The mosque has all the modern facilities like the latest technology based sound systems. For the winter season the mosque also has the provision of hot shower. The Floating Mosque at Jeddah is a landmark of the city and is frequented by numerous tourists round the year from across the world. Floating Mosque in Jeddah bears testimony of the religion of Islam in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the marvelous sacred destinations in Jeddah. The architectural beauty with the huge decorated prayer space and the elegant rooftop gives a unique semblance to the mosque. A soothing ambiance is created inside the mosque. The serene ambiance in the interior of the mosque helps in meditating during the prayer. Not only the Muslims but people from all religions across the globe make it a point to visit the Floating Mosque in Jeddah at least once during their stay at the city.

The Island of Mosque

One of the beautiful thing that really perks you up, if you are really serious about your faith, is the abundance of place of worship in Saudi Arabia. There are literally thousands of mosques scattered all over Saudia Arabia. There are mosque that are built and maintained by the government and there are private mosques that are built  by rich Saudis.

Like this one in Al-Khobar, you can have great time with your family, enjoy the sun and the beaches but still be able to stand up for Salaah in the mosque when the prescribed prayer times come. If you are in the west, you won't find this amenities readily available.

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The King Fahd Medical City

KFMC

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The KMFC of KSA

Saudi Arabia is moving on the cutting-edge of high technology in the delivery of Health care services. In the forefront of this ambitious journey is the King Fahd Medical City, a sprawling, highly advanced tertiary medical city in the heart of the capital, Riyadh.

With one the most highly sophisticated data center in the world, the IT department in KFMC is a model for the whole GCC countries to emulate.

Their website is built upon the .Net Microsoft technologies and being maintained by top-notched web developers and designer.

The Browser

Today is a great day for browser discovery. If you are not yet into flocking website and web services, then you are missing out on www.flock.com

Another Maid Story - Saudi Plot

A maid story repeated all over again, but this time the victim is another Indonesian lady.

Unpaid salary for 18 months, broken teeth, toes and fingers amputated and kept tied foe a month in the bathroom.

What did she gets for all of these, a mere sum of 2,500 Saudi Riyals from a Saudi court as a compensation for all her troubles.

Be sure to have your breakfast before you read her story for you might lose your appetite.

In another efforts to bring young Saudis to the workforce is their government efforts to build and operate more technical training schools. In this Arabnews.com articles, the government is hoping to that more young Saudis would take up jobs in the Industrial sectors.

The bottom-line is that decision makers is hoping to replace the "guest workers" with nationals who are WILLING to work. But then this process would AGAIN bring more "guest workers" as to the question that would pop up is that "who will train these young saudis"? Well the answer would be "let's bring in more guest workers"...

JEDDAH, 9 May 2008 — The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) plans to establish 200 new industrial institutes in various parts of the country as part of its efforts to train young Saudis to take up various industrial jobs currently done by guest workers.

From Arabnews...

Learn more about King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

For somebody who have long enough in Saudi Arabia, most common name that you will never missed is King Faisal. Aside from being the namesake of one of the most advance health care facilities in the KSA.

King Faisal memory will be relieved in an exhibition...

The King Faisal Center for Research & Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) is also to hold an exhibition on King Faisal titled “Witness & Martyr” on the sidelines of the seminar. New information and documents about the king have been collected from several countries, including the US and Britain. On display will be the king’s possessions and speeches, and films and pictures about him.

The exhibition will continue at the National Museum of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center for two months. It will later move to Abha, where the king spent his early days. After 45 days, the exhibition will move to Makkah where it will stay until the Haj season.

“Everybody knows that King Faisal was the deputy of King Abdul Aziz in Hejaz. He had an office and a home in Makkah for several years,” Turki said.

Arabnews Story Here!

Mozarts in KSA

Unbelievable but true. Not something that you heard of most often but come to think of it, how many times would you come across such a headline,

"A first for Saudis: Mozart performed for both genders"

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - It's probably as revolutionary and groundbreaking as Mozart gets these days. A German-based quartet staged Saudi Arabia's first-ever performance of European classical music in a public venue before a mixed gender audience.

The concert, held at a government-run cultural center, broke many taboos in a country where public music is banned and the sexes are segregated even in lines at fast food outlets.

The Friday night performance could be yet another indication that this strict Muslim kingdom is looking to open up to the rest of the world.

A few weeks ago, King Abdullah made an unprecedented call for interfaith dialogue with Christians and Jews — the first such proposal from a nation that forbids non-Muslim religious services and symbols.

Read it all here!