May 19th, 2013 at 2:00PM: Raha Moharrak
Raha Moharrak has become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to climb Mt. Everest when she made it to the summit yesterday after a grueling climb.
The 25-year-old climber first had to convince her family to allow her to make the attempt, and then had to undergo rigorous training to climb the world's tallest peak. She was part of a four-person team called Arabs on Top of the World. ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
SaudiArabia posts
Raha Moharrak Becomes First Saudi Woman To Climb Mt. Everest
May 19th, 2013 at 2:00PM: Raha Moharrak
Raha Moharrak has become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to climb Mt. Everest when she made it to the summit yesterday after a grueling climb.
The 25-year-old climber first had to convince her family to allow her to make the attempt, and then had to undergo rigorous training to climb the world's tallest peak. She was part of a four-person team called Arabs on Top of the World. ...Galley Gossip: Interview With A Saudi Airline Flight Attendant
Nov 5th, 2012 at 11:00AM: Where are you from, Ahmed? Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I'm Jeddah based.
What are the requirements to become a flight attendant for Saudi Airlines? High school minimum, English language (reading writing and spoken fluent), minimum age is 19, maximum age is 35, flight attendant diploma or courses has a priority.
How long was your flight attendant training? 3 months. But the new procedure is 6 ...A Pre-Islamic Civilization In Saudi Arabia
Oct 9th, 2012 at 2:30PM:
The ancient past of one of the world's most closed countries is beginning to be revealed.
Mada'in Saleh, about 200 miles north of Medina in northwestern Saudi Arabia, is an impressive remnant of the Nabataean civilization, the same people who built Petra in Jordan 2,000 years ago. Massive tombs carved out of cliffs tower over the desert. Some are decorated with carvings or bear ancient ...The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh opens, featuring bowling alley and cigar bar
Nov 4th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. continues to expand into the Middle East market with their first hotel in Saudi Arabia, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh. The 493 room hotel in the Diplomatic Quarter is adjacent to the King Abdul Aziz Convention Centre.
Of course, the hotel has to be appropriately palatial - it includes 52 acres of landscaped gardens, a massive fountain, and a one kilometer ...A journey to Mecca
Sep 17th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
The pilgrimage to Mecca, or the "Hajj", is a once-in-a-lifetime journey required by all followers of Islam. Each year, millions of pilgrims make the journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to pay respects to their religion, resulting in a tidal wave of visitors, traffic and stress on the local economy.
Vimeo user KDMart captures the journey spectacularly in the above video, from the masses of ...
New world's tallest building planned for Saudi Arabia
Aug 3rd, 2011 at 2:00PM: Less than two years after the Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai, Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has announced a new world's tallest building to be built on the Red Sea resort town of Jeddah. The Saudi building is planned to be 172 meters (564 feet) taller than the Burj and will stand at 1,000 meters or 3,281 feet. It will be part of the $20 billion "megadevelopment" Kingdom City and will ...Top 20 least sexist countries in the world
Apr 24th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Have you ever wondered which countries are the least sexist in the world?
The Global Gender Gap report calculates such a thing. The study chronicles gender disparities and progress for rights across the sexes in several countries. It essentially gauges the treatment of women using various data points including educational attainment, health, and political empowerment. The study encompasses ...Strictest dress codes - 5 countries with fashion police
Apr 13th, 2011 at 1:30PM:
Earlier this week, the "Burqa Ban" went into effect in France. Since passing into law, several burqa draped women have already been arrested, and the symbolic law is causing an uproar among the Muslim population of France and beyond. However, France is not the only country with authoritative garment laws. Many countries possess laws that limit what citizens and visitors are allowed to wear.
...Bahrain Protests: What you need to know (including where it is on a map)
Feb 16th, 2011 at 12:15PM:
The small country of Bahrain is now well into its third day of protests. Following the fall of Mubarak in Egypt, countries like Bahrain, Yemen and Libya have attempted to create a "Tahir Square movement" to create change in their own country.
The country, like Egypt, is protesting the lack of political freedom and economic opportunity. Protests have generally been peacful until police ...Photo of the Day (11.16.10)
Nov 16th, 2010 at 4:30PM:
This Sunday marked the beginning of the Hajj, the world's largest annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. As the fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage is a religious duty that must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim that can do so. Saudi officials have reported that a record-breaking 3.4 million people are expected to come from all corners of the globe to perform the Hajj this year. ...Huge dust storm plunges Saudi capital into total darkness
Mar 10th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Riyadh was hit by a massive dust storm this afternoon, shutting down all air traffic and forcing residents inside. With visibility under 200 meters, most traffic came to a standstill. The video you see above was actually taken right before the capital of Saudi Arabia was plunged into darkness for most of the afternoon. Scary stuff. ...
The Very Best Foreign National Parks
Feb 13th, 2009 at 10:00AM: The Coalition of National Park Services Retirees (yeah, I didn't know they existed either) put out a press release yesterday listing the organizations favorite national parks from around the globe. The list was compiled by the more than 700 members of the CNPSR, who voted on their favorite places to visit while traveling abroad. Each of those members is a former employee of the U.S. National Park ...Smoking hurts on Saudi airline
Feb 4th, 2009 at 2:00PM: For a smoker, nothing is more miserable than staring down a long flight without being able to light up. As if air travel isn't enough of a chore, various regulations and health nuts have taken away our preferred coping mechanism. A Sudanese man fought back ... and paid dearly. According to the Daily Mail, the passenger lit a cigarette on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Qurayyat to Jeddah. ...Saudi Arabia Opens Up to Visitors
Feb 3rd, 2009 at 8:00AM: As the global economy continues to spiral downward, and the price of oil hovers around the $40/barrel, down more than $100 from last summer, Middle Eastern countries are looking for new opportunities to bolster their coffers. To that end, Saudi Arabia has begun opening its borders to visitors from the West, although there are a few caveats for anyone planning to make the journey. According to this ...Saudi women may finally be allowed to drive
Jan 21st, 2008 at 1:30PM: If Saudi Arabia is on your list of places to see this year, note that as a woman, you might actually be allowed--for the first time ever--to drive a car. Well, that might actually only be true if you are a Saudi citizen. I assume that if you got your driver's license elsewhere, they wouldn't put you in jail for actually using it there. But I wouldn't bet on it.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most ...
