Middle East
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen.
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen.
"لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله" There is no God but Allah Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah |  | 25.2049412N 47.8125E |
 King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz |  Sultan bin Abdul Aziz |  |
Capital
Government
Monarchy
Religion
Muslim 100%
Population
28,686,633
Ethnic groups
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
National Language
Arabic
National Day
23 September - National Day (unification of the kingdoms Nejd and Hejaz 1932)
Currency
Saudi Riyal (SR) (SAR)
Anthem
Aash Al Maleek (Long live the King)
Attractions
Hejaz Railroad Ride, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Nabatean Tombs of, Madain Salah
Website
www.the-saudi.net/saudi-arabia/tourism.htm
Art & Cultural
The ICON
 The Kaaba , (English: The Cube) is a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, after Ishmael had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they are able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a anticlockwise direction (as viewed from above). This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when about 60 million (officially) pilgrims simultaneously gather to circle the building on the same day. |  |
