Saudi Arabia
- Bernd
- Sep 2, 2024
- 5 min read
My ideas about this mysterious, mystical, glorified country are shaped by clichés: Oil sheiks live in Saudi Arabia, everyone is unimaginably rich. All women are deprived of their rights and veiled. Caravans travel through the hostile, scorching desert. Oriental fairy tale.
No longer the country from the film Lawrence of Arabia, no. It is already modern but was still isolated from the outside world until a few years ago. Saudi Arabia, along with Mecca, is the religious center of 1.8 billion Muslims. Violations of religious rules are punished draconianly.
The ITA Airline plane jolts from an outside position in Terminal 2, Frankfurt, towards the runway. Parked aircraft, service buildings and Fraport service vehicles flank our plan to take off on time. Construction vehicles stand abandoned. Only the piles of asphalt, rubble and sand document that they have been used.
Where have all the climate stickers gone? They brought several airports in Germany to a standstill in the past summer months. We should start converting the runways into sand tracks. Then they can stick themselves to their hearts content, have a good feeling that they have done something for the climate and can be relocated by the police without much effort. Everyone is happy. What a Solomonic thought.
King Khaled International Airport: Visa/entry/passport control
My rating: *****
Before I travel, I apply for the eVisa at visa.visitsaudi.com. The process is very simple. I can download it from my email account in a few days.
The entry procedure is also pleasantly uncomplicated and the officials are friendly. Fingerprints, photo, done.
Exchange money
The national currency is the Saudi Riyal.
Exchanging money is easy. I recommend using the numerous ATMs that are available in practically every mall.
If you don't like that, you can also find exchange offices.
Note: Not every sheikh is also an oil sheikh. Long live the cliché!
Taxi
After I have collected my suitcase, I go to the arrivals hall. I ignore the numerous transport offers, take the path to the left and book one of the green taxis to downtown Riyadh.
Note: The taxis have a taximeter.
Security
Saudi Arabia is an authoritarian country with high security standards. Public spaces are obviously equipped with surveillance cameras throughout.
And in places where I don't see them, I wouldn't rule out that they are still there.
Most people are open and friendly towards me, ask where I come from and are very open-minded. To my surprise, some women are unveiled. But female tourists no longer need a headscarf either.
Capital city of Riyadh
Riyadh has been the capital of Saudi Arabia since 1932. Almost 7 million people live here. The Saudi royal family maintains its main palace in Riyadh. With the opening to tourism in 2019, the government is investing huge sums in renovating the historic buildings.
Hotel Rosh Ray haan by Rotana
My rating: *****
Adresse: Olaya District, Al Olaya, 12241 Riad, Saudi Arabien, ca. 600 m vom Zentrum
The 5-star hotel has 236 rooms and is located in the business district. The rooms and service meet the expectations of this hotel category. The only downside is the internet speed of 10 Mbit/s. You have to pay extra for the slightly faster 15 mBit/s option.
During the summer some services are limited.
Summer, 46 degrees C or Big Mac for two
I take it easy and walk to the Kingdom Mall, about 2 km away, at around 3 p.m. in 46 degree heat. Every traffic light there is a martyrdom in this scorching heat.
When I arrive at the mall, I withdraw money from the ATM. At the end of the hall is a small food court, where I order a freshly squeezed orange juice and a Big Mac. Suddenly, everything goes black and I have to sit down.
With my upper body and head lying on the table top, sweat runs in streams down my face and back.
I fight with all my strength against the nausea, hear my heartbeat in my ear and only vaguely perceive my surroundings.
The desert heat is nothing new to me. But this has never happened to me before. A circulatory collapse is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to you on the road. And this time it was pretty close. A puddle of cold sweat formed on the table.
After about an hour, I slowly sit up and drink my juice in small sips. I regain the upper hand over myself
Only now do I notice the friendly service staff fixing me. Is it because of me or because of the Big Mac? Probably the latter.
With one experience richer, I slowly get up, try to leave the mall as gracefully as possible and take a taxi back to the hotel.
I leave the untouched Big Mac to whoever wants it.
Travel time
My mishap proves why most tourists travel to Saudi Arabia in the winter months. Activities during the day are almost impossible in the summer months. The locals use the time to travel abroad, for example to cooler Europe.
Public life in the city is correspondingly reduced. Only the malls remain, but visiting them is boring in the long run. It is not until late afternoon that life returns to the streets and squares. But even at night the temperatures are well over 30 degrees C.
There are definitely advantages to traveling the country in summer. The tourist hotspots are not overcrowded and there are no long waiting times at the entrances. But the main argument is: silence, especially in nature.
From a climatic point of view, the best time to travel is between November and February.
Zurück zu den Wurzeln: At-Turaif World Heritage Site
My rating: *****
Adresse: Wadi Hanifah, Al Traif, Diriyah 13711, Diryah
+966 9200 21727
The north-western suburb of Diriyya, with its 62,000 inhabitants, is considered the cradle of the country. There I discover an open-air museum made of restored mud buildings that once housed traders and wadi farmers.
The place is the home of the Al Saud dynasty, which has existed since around 1735, and is the nucleus, the root, of Wahhabism. The At-Turaif district has been a World Heritage Site since 2010.
Employees in traditional costumes serve Arabic coffee to visitors as a sign of the proverbial hospitality.
Small bottles of mineral water are available to visitors free of charge at various points in the buildings. Who knows how long this will last. I expect that in a few years the place will be flooded with tourists.
Zeitreise per Lichtshow
My rating: ****
Saudi Arabia, a place steeped in history, is currently reinventing itself. An animated history tour is taking place in front of one of the buildings: images of the country's long road to independence are projected onto the walls of the buildings. Sometimes romanticized or heroic, but always determined in the fight against the Ottomans.
In the end everything will be fine: shake hands.
Restaurants, the friendly staff, the entire ambience take me back to the time of Lawrence of Arabia, monumental and grandiose. Depicted in the film of the same name by director David Lean, with Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif in the leading roles, among others.
I am of the opinion that history only becomes emotional through music. The organizers also thought about this. A small orchestra lets the night sky of the East ring out to oriental sounds.
And I could buy gigantic illustrated books in a small bookshop. But they aren't suitable for my suitcase and certainly not for hand luggage, they are so big and heavy. Not suitable for my flight.
My further travel route will be Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina. Step by step.
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