The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a beautiful land of sweeping deserts, magnificent mountains and abounds with springs and wells, bordering the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Known as the original motherland of the Arab people and of Islam, the cultural identities of Saudi Arabian citizens are namely Muslim and Arab, relating to millions of people beyond the nation's borders. It has a population of about 24 million, including about 6.5 million expatriates. They also identify with the contemporary state and its national culture; the country's name links the ruling dynasty, Al Saud, with the state's cultural and geographic setting.

Saudi Arabia is well-known for being the heartland of the Islamic world with significant numbers of pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Medina. This “Cradle of Islam” is known to reap huge profits from religious tourism alone, generating about $7bn annually. Besides being a popular religious site, it is also known as the greatest exporter of petroleum in the world. The petroleum brings 80% of the national incomes. The main regions which produce it are near Dhahran and in the north in Safaniya.

Saudi Arabia is an incredible country full of cultural aspects which are simply wonderful. In the following posts, I will touch on the people of Saudi Arabia, culture and traditions, the growth of tourism and its impacts on Saudi Arabia’s society.