Saudi Location Guide
Jeddah
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Jeddah is a cosmopolitan city of about three million people and
is situated along the coast of the Red Sea in the western region of
Saudi Arabia. Jeddah has developed this coastal area and you
can now walk along the Corniche where many families meet for
picnics and walks late in to the night - watching the lights of the
city and the anchored ships further out to sea. There are some
lovely restaurants in this area allowing you to sit by the water
and watch the sun go down.
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Jeddah has retained many of its beautiful old coral buildings
within the " Old City" and this area offers a fascinating insight
into the historical past of Jeddah - a melting point of pilgrims
and traders for centuries.
Riyadh
Riyadh
today is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and has
made this massive transition since the 1970s and the huge influx of
oil revenue. The population currently is around five million
people and the building associated with the city continues out in
to the surrounding desert.
It is now the country's capital city as well as its financial
and administrative centre, as such it has all of the world's
Embassy's and head offices of international companies bringing many
more expats in to the community.
As described by the Lonely Planet Guide " Riyadh is considered
conservative, cautious and sober, yet the Kingdom's capital boasts
handsome hotels, fabulous fine-dining and cosy cafés. It's
also got considerable culture, including a National Museum that
numbers among the best in the region".
Dammam and Al Khobar
These cities are located in the Eastern Provinces of Saudi
Arabia and were originally small fishing and pearl gathering
villages prior to the discovery of oil in the 1930s and
1940s. Since this time the whole Eastern Region has grown
into thriving hub of industry, commerce and science with a rapidly
growing population and subsequent building to support this.
Due to the oil industry this region has had the longest history
of westerners living there.