Saudi Arabia travel guide

Saudi Arabia is considered the birthplace of Islam. The prophet Muhammed was born in Mecca in 570 AD, and died there in 632 AD. After his death, Muhammed was buried in Medina, making these the two holiest cities in the country, and they’re out of bounds for non-Muslims today. Islam spread across the world from Saudi Arabia after Muhammed’s death. Pilgrims started to come, many landing in Jeddah on the Red Sea, which had been an important port for the spice and incense trade for centuries.

In terms of academic advancements, the Arab world in the 7th to 14th century was an amazing place. The Islamic Golden Age saw big advances in mathematics and science: the alembic, the astrolabe, algebra and algorithms were all invented in the Islamic world in the 8th and 9th century. Arabic numerals appeared in the 10th century – the accepted system that the world uses today. You can do some amazing mathematics when you’re not using a tally chart.

As the centuries rolled on, the center of the Islamic world moved away from Arabia. In the 13th century there were Mongol invasions, and the decline of overland trading routes meant that the Arabian Peninsula’s importance waned. Ottoman invasions lead to villages in the southerly Asir province building high defences – you can even see a village (Habala) which was only accessible by rope. Ottomans occupied parts of the Arabian Peninsula from the 16th century until the start of the First World War.

The Saud family settled near Riyadh in the 1500s (remember these guys). In 1744 they’d go on to found the ‘Saudi state’ in Riyadh. At this point, the fledgling state only contained a portion of the Arabian Peninsula. The Wahhabi, a strict religious group rose under the Saud family and spread their religious teachings. They were purists when it came to religion, art and culture, and clashed repeatedly with Ottoman forces.

The British explorer Richard Burton famously wrote several travelogues in the 19th century (and also brought the tales of the Arabian Nights to Western audiences.) A polyglot and explorer, he controversially disguised himself as a Muslim – including, allegedly, circumcising himself – and became one of the only westerners to go into Mecca. Whilst ‘Ruffian Dick’ was making controversial voyages for the Royal Geographic Society, commercial interest in the peninsula was dwindling. The Suez Canal opened in 1869, and was the final blow to overland trading routes.

The Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, and the state of Saudi Arabia, the modern country as we know it today, was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud of the House of Saud (the guys from before, remember?). Six years later, oil was discovered, though World War II quickly halted plans to drill. After the war, however, there was an even higher demand for oil. Aramco, the Arabian-American Oil Company was founded. Drilling by various companies began in 1945.

Oil transformed Saudi Arabia. Riyadh became a huge capital. The Saudi royal family prospered and grew, living lavish lifestyles. In the 1950s, hunting from motor vehicles drastically reduced the number of leopards, gazelles and oryx found in the country’s deserts.

Saudi Arabia has always played a complicated role in Middle Eastern politics. Saudi Arabia supporting Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war (the US and other western countries followed suit), but then condemned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War. The US has long considered Saudi Arabia its closest ally in the Middle East, in no small part due Aramco, and their reliance on Saudi oil. It’s an alliance that has caused some resentment among Saudi extremists.

1974 King Faisal, one of Saudi Arabia’s most globally popular kings, became Time Magazine man of the year. He was the first king to also be prime minister, a tradition that continues today. He was assassinated in 1975. A period of Islamic Revival followed – which spread from Iran. In 1979, the government closed all cinemas and theatres. Saudi cinemas only reopened in 2018.

In 2001, the September 11 attacks were carried out on the United States. Many of the suspects were Saudi Arabian, and the Saudi government publicly cracked down on extremists. Saudi Arabia’s internet censorship also dates from 2001.

The 2011 Arab Spring protests spread to Saudi Arabia in small numbers: protest is banned in the country and ‘disobeying the ruler’ is illegal. Hundreds were arrested.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia led an air campaign against Yemen. The war has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.

In 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced his Vision 2030 – as plan to diversify the country’s economy so it doesn’t rely entirely on oil – including allowing more visitors into the country and relaxing some restrictions placed on women. Currently a sizeable 45 percent of the country’s GDP comes from oil. With oil comes pollution. Aramco, a single company, has produced 4.38 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions in the period between 1965 and 2017¹.

In 2018 Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and dissident, was murdered in the Arabian consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents. His death caused worldwide condemnation and outcry. Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman denies involvement.

Today, Saudi Arabia remains a deeply religious, segregated country, dependent on dwindling oil reserves. It’s not held in high esteem in the eyes of the world, thanks to war in Yemen and human rights violations. The country started issuing tourist visas in September 2019.

Source: 1 - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/revealed-20-firms-third-carbon-emissions