Do you know why Saudi Arabia is called that?
There shouldn't be big questions about the second part of the country's name. Still, the country is located on the Arabian Peninsula, which in turn is located on the African-Arabian platform, the Arabian Sea is located nearby, the population of the country is Arabs. In general, you can pick up a lot of other geographical concepts with a part of "Arabian".
At all times, this peninsula was considered a fairly tasty morsel. But in the first half of the twentieth century, most countries had other concerns with the division of territories, so practically no one paid attention to the future Saudi Arabia.
Why Saudi?
In those territories, a century ago, the so-called clans ruled. Three main clans at that time:
- Saud;
- rashidi;
Promotional video:
- hashimi.
In 1932, almost the entire Arabian Peninsula came under the rule of the Saudi clan. The emir of this clan was a certain Abdel Aziz (his full name, in fact, would not even fit in one line). In the same year, it was announced that this very Abdel Aziz became the king of Arabia. His power was practically not disputed by anyone, so he did what he wanted. It was decided to name Arabia Saudi after its clan.
It is very interesting that the Saudi authorities in these territories were preceded by numerous battles and battles. The Saudi dynasty fought with the Rashidi dynasty (and if they won, it would be called Rashidov Arabia, but in the end the Saud defeated)
After 1932, everything more or less calmed down, and all this time until today the country was ruled by the heirs of Abdel Aziz. Six years after the first king of Saudi Arabia came to the throne, oil fields were found, which would later make this relatively small country one of the richest in the world.
Saudi Arabia is a real oil barrel. The export of this raw material provides 90% of the country's export revenues, 75% of budgetary revenues and 45% of the state's GDP. Oil has become for Saudi Arabia not only the main product that boosts the country's economy, but also a serious geopolitical trump card.
Colossal oil reserves were discovered here in 1938, but large-scale development had to be postponed due to World War II. The United States had its share in the Arab raw materials business since 1933; the Standard Oil Company of California operated in Saudi Arabia.
Without waiting for the end of the war, US President Franklin Roosevelt in February 1945, after the end of the Yalta conference, held a meeting with Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud. The talks took place aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal. Then the so-called "Quincy Pact" was concluded, according to which the monopoly on the exploration and development of oil was transferred to the United States. Roosevelt, in turn, promised the Saudis protection from external threats.
Oil made Saudi Arabia the richest state in its region, Abdul-Aziz by 1952 had a personal fortune of about $ 200 million. The USA, in turn, received a good leverage on the oil market.
The Finniken blogger, who has been working as an oil worker in Saudi Arabia for several years, but lives, however, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, writes: “I wanted to write 100 facts about Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed countries in the world. I do not pretend to be the ultimate truth, and I wrote about what I encountered”.
1. We have already found out about the name.
2. Well, from the name it is clear that the king rules in this country. The old 90-year-old king passed away and his 79-year-old brother ascended the throne.
3. The new king, by the way, as he ascended the throne, distributed money to the Saudis. Without DmozDmezBottom. All civil servants, pensioners and students received two salaries / pensions / scholarships.
4. In general, since they are allowed to have four wives officially, the entire royal family has about 5 thousand (!) Princes and princesses.
5. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are prohibited from driving. Local doctors argue that driving can affect the ovaries and pelvic organs and the likelihood of having a child with a deviation is high, and local scientists say that a woman driving a car, I quote, "will lead to the spread of prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce." Despite this, women are actively fighting for the right to drive a car, they write some petitions, etc.
6. In general, in Saudi Arabia, women have very few rights. A woman is not allowed to go out on her own, only accompanied by a male relative. Until recently, they didn’t even have passports, they entered first into the father’s passport, then into the husband’s passport. But the old king gave them the opportunity to have their own passport.
7. At the same time, a woman cannot leave Saudi Arabia alone if she does not have a written permission from her father or husband.
8. Another local feature is women's clothing. A woman cannot go out in any clothes except black abaya. Well, the hair, of course, should be covered with a black scarf. The faces are also mostly covered by the niqab, but not always. Moreover, even a European woman has no right to appear in public without an abaya. You don't have to cover your face, sometimes your hair too. Girls can walk without abaya, up to 12 years old.
9. Men generally wear a dishdash (such a white robe) and with a red and white scarf on their heads. Disdasha is always dazzlingly white and ironed, and an Arab can adjust the scarf on his head for half an hour in front of the mirror so that everything sits beautifully.
10. From point 9 we can conclude that the Saudis are usually in no hurry, because in such a dress you cannot run, you do not jump, and in general you can only sit gravely or slowly move from one point to another. And it's true, don't rush.
11. In general, the Saudis are not very hard-working people, I would even say that they are not at all hard-working. To tell the truth, they are lazy. The phrase “If someone can do it, let him do it!” Reflects well their attitude to work. They will definitely promise to do everything tomorrow, but … The phrase "inshaala bokra" sounds in Arabic more often than others, it means "if Allah permits, then tomorrow." But it seems that Allah often does not allow, so if they tell you “tomorrow”, then it’s at least in a week, but you should not delude yourself, it can also mean NEVER. You just need to get used to it. I do not speak for all Saudis, perhaps there are hard-working and responsible ones, but I haven’t met such people yet. Although no, one can still be used as an example to others.
12. Saudi colleagues do not like answering letters. Very. It is better to resolve all issues by phone, and even better - in person. Eyes to eyes. First, talk about life, and then get down to business. Because a letter is a document, and a telephone conversation is just a telephone conversation, you can then say whatever you like, blinking with honest black eyes.
13. The Saudis themselves work mainly in government agencies, and if in some company, then in the HR Department, well, or top management. All other work is performed by expats (unskilled labor - Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, engineers and technicians - Americans, Europeans, other Arabs (Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, etc.)).
14. There is such a thing - Saudization. Each company must necessarily have a certain percentage of the local population in the state, and not just gaster. The more Saudis there are in a company, the more companies are given permits to hire foreigners.
15. Arabs love to go to each other's office at work and talk about life. However, they do it loudly. This endless gyr-gyr-gyr can be heard from everywhere.
16. Returning to point 5, I would like to say that I even understand a little why women are prohibited from driving a car. To drive a car in this country, you need to have eggs of steel, because I have not met such cut-up drivers anywhere else (well, perhaps in Tripoli, also in Cairo). Interestingly, the Saudis usually do not rush anywhere in life, but they always drive a car quickly and aggressively. You need to be constantly on the alert so as not to get into an accident. And I see several accidents every day. I traveled several times with the locals as a passenger, the bricks are simply deposited with a bang! The usual picture is that you are driving in the far right with a permitted speed of 120 km per hour, a truck carrying camels overtakes you on the side of the road.
17. In Saudi Arabia, huge fines for traffic violations. The average fine is R $ 500 (1 R $ - 16 rubles). There are cameras around, on the highways there are cars with cameras, but this does not stop anyone.
18. It is not customary for the Saudis to buckle up. Child seat? Nope, I have not heard. Usually, the baby sits with his mother in the front seat, leaning out the window, in the back a bunch of Arab chicks jumping on the seat.
19. It is normal when on a narrow street two Saudis in jeeps stopped opposite each other, blocking the street, and stand chatting, not paying attention to the others.
20. If you see an empty car on a jack in the desert on the side of the road, you are in Saudi. Spare wheel? What a nafig spare wheel, you chow?
21. If you are standing in a queue of three cars and suddenly another one starts wedging in between the first and second cars - you are in Saudi. Oh, how they don't like queues. Oh, they don't.
22. About queues. I met several queues in institutions. For locals, for non-locals, and separately for paki / Hindus / Pilipinas. Direct signs hang over the queues. Racism, yeah.
23. White expats usually do not go to government agencies, all issues are resolved by the HR members. In cases where your presence is obligatory, the HR person will come with you, lead you from office to office and explain everything. You just need to say hello and smile.
24. In general, if you cannot decide something yourself somewhere, like it’s not supposed to be, and all the cases, an Arab with an Arab will always decide between themselves. It's good to have a Saudi friend.
25. And they can easily scribble their scribbles in your documents (for example, in your passport) and they will roll like a document. Even without printing. Verified personally.
26. In Saudi there is a rule of "right hand" - you cannot eat with your left, pass something on, because the left hand is considered unclean (yes, they are washed away with it). A friend works with Arabs in the field, says that they beat on the hands when, forgetting, he takes food with his left hand. As a joke, of course, but still. I also try to submit documents only with the right one, it costs me nothing, they are pleased.
27. Not every Saudi toilet has toilet paper, but every one, even the most shabby, will have a washer. Such a small shower hose. An excellent device, I think.
28. Very little western music. Mostly Arabic, all around. Even young people in the car mostly listen to their native mournful tunes. Of all the many radio stations I found only three with Western music: one Radio Bahrain and two from the Saudi Aramco company (one Western pop, the second American nostalgie).
29. Saudi Aramco (Saudi American Company) is the world's largest mining company. Organized by the Americans in the 30s, at first they were 50-50 with the Saudis, then the Saudis squeezed everything out, now the company is 100% owned by the local. Extracts a quarter of all oil on Earth. A lot of people from all over the world work at Aramco. The average salary of a specialist with experience (and inexperienced people are not accepted there) is fifteen bucks.
30. Entertainment is officially banned in Saudi Arabia. There is not a single cinema in the kingdom (according to some reports, in Jeddah, on the campus, the first cinema was recently opened, but I don't know how true it is).
31. Education in schools is separate: boys separately, girls separately.
32. Each restaurant has two sections: for single men and for families. Because seeing other people's women is not good. Essno, if you are alone, then you will not be allowed into the family section. But even if you came with your wife, you still won't look at someone else's aunt, because even in the family section, the tables are separated by screens so that the woman can uncover and eat quietly.
33. Even in fast food restaurants (McDonald's, for example) there will be two lines to the checkout counters: for women and for others. Food courts are also divided into areas for singles and families. There, the aunts do not uncover, they eat in the curtains. She lifted the curtain with one hand, with the other plug into her mouth. In shopping centers, there is also a division at the checkout counters. Women (or family) separately, single separately.
34. Well, you won't see someone else's aunt's face, very often siblings do not know what the brothers' wives look like. This is normal.
35. Alcohol is prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Strictly prohibited. Punished with imprisonment and sticks. But the locals somehow smuggle in, brew moonshine on dates and so on. You can buy, but very expensive. The whiskey will cost about $ 300 a bubble.
36. Sticks hurt. Not everyone can stand the punishment with sticks. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but after 100 blows, a person can die. Therefore, the doctor is always nearby, if anything, he will stop the punishment. The rest of the person will receive when heals. If the punishment is, for example, 200 sticks, then it is divided into several months.
37. Pork is prohibited.
38. For drugs the death penalty.
39. For homosexuality, by the way, too! But there are still a lot of gays here. Boys from childhood are separate from girls, there are guys all around at school, guys at university, in cafes you can only sit in a single section, where there are only guys. Well, this one. Fall in love with each other.
40. Executions are usually on Fridays, in the squares. Cut off the head. The people are standing, looking. I saw the video, not a pleasant sight, I can tell you. However, in recent years, less and less. Mostly for murder.
41. Censorship in Saudi Arabia. Pretty tough. All films even cut out the kissing scenes, not to mention the bed scenes. They just stupidly cut out, no one cares that the plot can get confused from this. Even on the radio, words are cut out of songs. Remember Psy with his Gangnam Style? There's in the chorus "Yeah, sexy lady." So in Saudi Arabia he sings simply "Eeeeee, uk lady." Well, sex, of course, but an excellent Sia song - Chandelier, where in the chorus "one, two, three, one, two, three, drink", drink is stupidly cut out.
42. But what touches me most is the censorship in the shops. There are specially trained people there who paint over the exposed parts of the body of not only women, but also men on boxes and packages. Men's panties are on sale, for example, legs and arms are painted over. An inflatable pool is for sale, the package contains a happy family - the children and the man are left as they are, the aunt is completely closed with a black marker. In fashion magazines, girls in short-sleeved T-shirts are neatly drawn with long sleeves. And laughter and sin.
43. Of religions, only Islam is allowed. All other religions are strictly prohibited. Of course, I wear a cross, but I try not to shine.
44. In addition to the regular police in Saudi Arabia, there is also a religious police, which precisely monitors the implementation of all of the above prohibitions. It's called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue, or simply mutawa. They can come up and make a comment if something is wrong. May be arrested for a serious offense. My friend was once stopped on Friday before lunchtime (the time of the main prayer) and they asked why he was not at prayer at that time. The fact that he is not a Muslim did not satisfy them very much. I sat in their car until the prayer time was over, then they let me go.
45. They pray here 5 times a day (in the holy month of Ramadan - 6 times). During prayer, the whole kingdom freezes. Shops, all institutions, gas stations are closed for half an hour. NOTHING works. There are a lot of mosques. There are several in each district. Every shopping center, every institution has a prayer room. Each room at the hotel has a prayer rug, a Quran and an indication of which side of Mecca.
46. In the toilets before prayer, everything is flooded with water. Since you must always pray clean, the locals wash themselves very carefully, a common picture - you go to the toilet, and there they wash your feet in the sinks.
47. Friday is a sacred day! Nobody works. Everything is closed until lunchtime, the streets are empty, everyone is praying.
48. The Holy Quran is the most needed book. It is the official constitution of the kingdom, and it teaches devout Muslims what is allowed and what is not.
49. As in all Arab countries, there is a cult of the family. Every Friday they gather with large families in restaurants, for picnics, etc. They respect the elders very much.
50. Gasoline is very cheap in Saudi. A liter of the 91st costs 0.45 real, the 95th - 0.6 (7 and 10 rubles, respectively).
51. For some reason, most Saudi men have long nails. I don’t understand what it’s connected with, but I’m still not used to it, it cranks every time.
52. Saudi Arabia is very hot in summer. Temperatures in the shade can often reach + 50 ° C.
53. Therefore, on summer weekends, all malls (shopping centers) are full of Arabs and expats. In the malls they walk, communicate, eat. Personally, it is always cold for me in these malls, because they turn on air conditioners at +18 ° C, for the wrapped up Arabs - that's what it is, and I'm freezing.
54. In general, many expats live in compounds, this is such a territory, separated from everyone by a high wall, with security. Inside the compounds, white women may not wear black abaya, they can wear anything.
55. Arab women dye a lot. Finger-thick eyebrows, brightly colored eyes, henna designs on the wrists. Everything that can be shown, everything is decorated.
56. Despite the fact that women can only appear on the street covered, modern women's clothing stores do not experience a shortage of customers. Arab women are actively buying all this to show off at home in front of her husband.
57. There are no fitting rooms in Saudi shopping malls. Women usually buy clothes, try them at home, if they don't like it, they bring it back. Or in the toilet of the shopping center they will try it on without a mirror and will also return it if you don't like it.
58. There is crime. If you leave your laptop in the car, they can break the window and pull it out. In the evening, they can take away the money-phone.
59. The Saudis swim in the sea mostly in clothes. Especially women. Men in shorts and T-shirts, the woman is completely covered. Most cannot swim.
60. The beaches, by the way, are also separate. Somehow, out of ignorance, I came to swim on the family beach, for a long time I did not understand why they were looking at me condemningly. But nobody said anything. The beach is usually visited by a large family, from children to old people. With food, barbecue, hookahs.
61. The country is very dirty. Where a person is, it is dirty. Paper, bags, packaging. The family came for a picnic, ate and drank, left the whole srach. A common picture - you are driving, a bag of rubbish falls out of the window of the car in front of you. Or he stood at a traffic light, napkins and leftover food are thrown out of the next car.
62. The inside of the cars of the Saudis is also usually very dirty. Very. The interior finishing of the car can be done in a couple of months. Make a mess. Therefore, many people do not remove the plastic from the seat for years.
63. Usually Indians remove garbage from the streets. Well, how is it cleaned? They pretend. He walks with a bag, picked up one piece of paper, ten remained lying, goes on.
64. Almost every company has a tea boy. The dude who delivers tea and coffee to the offices. Looks in, asks what you want to drink today, leaves, brings.
65. In general, it is not so easy to get to Saudi Arabia, it is not a tourist country. A visa will be given in the case: 1) if you are at work, 2) if you are going to a close relative (daughter, son, mom, dad), 3) if you are a Muslim and perform the sacred Hajj to Mecca.
66. Mecca - the cradle of Islam - is located in the west of the kingdom. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world visit Mecca every year. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter this shrine.
67. When you come to work in Saudi Arabia, HR usually takes your passport from you (not always and not from everyone, they didn’t take it away from me) and in exchange they issue an ikama (residence permit). Iqama is considered an official document in the kingdom. Iqama is required to open a bank account or buy a car. Nobody asks for a passport. By the way, everyone has ugly pictures on ikama. The photo is taken from the system - the one that was made during the first passport control. Usually he takes a picture somehow from below, and the people are fucked up. When leaving Saudi, the ikama is surrendered, the passport is returned.
68. After receiving the ikama, you need to obtain a Saudi driver's license. Russians (and many others) are simply issued on the basis of Russian rights, and, for example, Indonesians need to pass exams from scratch to obtain a license. The water certificate number is exactly the same as that of the ikama. Photo too.
69. Rains are rare in Saudi. Three to four times a year. And therefore, storm sewers are absent here as a class. And therefore, when it does rain, a state of emergency is declared. Cities are flooding, cars are floating.
70. In winter, even snow can fall in the desert. But once every 50 years. In 2013, it was the last time.
71. The deserts in Saudi Arabia are beautiful. Sands vary in color, from yellow to red. By the way, there are fences along the roads in the desert; you can only enter the desert at certain exits.
72. Although polygamy is allowed in the Kingdom, there is no one among my acquaintances who would have two (let alone four) wives. Because according to the law, if you have a second wife, be so kind as to provide her no worse than the first. I mean, the first wife has a house, which means that you should buy a house for the second wife as well. The first wife has a car with a driver such and such, the second should be no worse. And time should be given to both of them equal. Not a cheap pleasure, that's it.
73. Almost every Arab family has Filipino or Indian nannies. There are many children, behind all eyes and eyes. And not only nannies. Cleaning ladies also live in many families. A common picture in the mall is an Arab family walking behind 3-4 children with one or two Filipino nannies.
74. Since entertainment is prohibited, the Saudis try to entertain themselves with anything they want. One of the entertainments is car racing (that's why a lot of crashes), riding on two wheels on its side and changing wheels on the go. Another extreme entertainment is slipper racing. This is when you get out of the car at speed and ride on slippers. At speeds over 100 km / h. Don't believe me? Submit "saudi crazy driver" and "saudi crazy skaters" to YouTube.
75. Another of the entertainment is to throw stones around your car (between the wheels and the bottom). We had such a topic: Cars on stones. What for? We answer …
And here we saw what kind of Saudis on two wheels
76. On weekends, neighboring Bahrain and the UAE are flooded with cars with Saudis. They generally call Bahrain "our bar". Yes, yes, from Thursday to Saturday all the bars are packed with Saudis. And Cho, under the roof Allah does not see how they joke.
77. During children's vacations, people travel to Bahrain and the UAE even more massively. There are wild traffic jams on the borders. Entertain children. Cinemas, water parks, everything.
78. The weekend in Saudi Arabia is Friday-Saturday. A couple of years ago, the weekend was on Thursday-Friday, but then they decided to move it by one day for international business.
79. Generally they do not know how to drink. They poke into vhlam. Taught one colleague. Well, as taught, explained why he quickly gets drunk, said that the snack is very important. Now he drinks like a human, even the head has stopped hurting in the morning.
80. They like to ask about anything forbidden for them (sex, drinking, etc.). Sometimes they remind me of children.
81. Despite strict prohibitions, local girls still manage to have sex outside of marriage. They meet in social networks, they meet in secret. There are dating houses. Even an expat can get there if the "quest" and face control pass.
82. In Saudi Arabia, New Year is not celebrated. At all. Even Arabic.
83. By the way, according to the local calendar it is now 1436.
84. In the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudis fast. You cannot eat or drink during daylight hours. In recent years, Ramadan fell on the hottest months, it was hard for the Arabs, not a sip of water all day. Expats are also strongly advised not to drink or eat in the presence of fasting people, and to respect the fast. All offices have shorter working hours during Ramadan.
85. But after Ramadan, the whole country walks for 9 days. Well, maybe not the whole country, but our office has been resting for 9 days in recent years.
86. In general, there are officially only three holidays in the country. These are Eid al-Fitr, aka Eid al-Fitr (after Ramadan), Eid al Adha, aka Eid al-Fitr (also, by the way, have 9 days of rest) and National Day.
87. Many sites have been blocked in Saudi Arabia. For example, our "VKontakte", "Chips", not to mention the porn sites.
88. It is forbidden to photograph people (especially the military, police and women). Recently, a dude was arrested for finding wedding photographs of various couples (he had a photo studio, and three photographers aunts gave him wedding photos, and he sold to other men). Photos are decent, no nudity, just faces.
89. I have never seen public transport in Saudi Arabia. Taxi only. Perhaps he is somewhere, but not sure.
90. Sometimes at the crossroads you can meet women wrapped in abaya, who walk from car to car and beg. They are not Saudis. Refugees.
91. There are no orphanages in Saudi Arabia. If parents have died / died, children live with relatives.
92. They calmly take minor accidents with scratches and small dents. They can safely disperse after such an accident, without calling the police and generally without any complaints. They drove me a couple of times slightly aft, just left.
93. Traffic jams in the desert often go around the desert. Along the side of the road in five rows.
94. Saudis, driving up to the shop, often do not even get out of the car. Specially trained Indians run up, take the order, take the money, run away, bring the order and change. For a penny tip.
95. In general, Indians do a lot here for a penny. For 100 riyals a month you will have your car washed three times a week.
96. Very tasty (in my opinion) local food, especially the grill. Something, but the Arabs know how to cook meat. Served with tortillas, hummus and babaganush. The yummy is unreal. Especially the lamb ribs. And most often the most delicious grill in the most unpresentable cafes. Well, rice. Rice goes automatically.
97. Camels all around. On the sidelines, in the desert, even on the menu. Tried good meat.
98. In many Arabian clothes, instead of a tablecloth, they simply lay polyethylene. Since the Arabs eat everything with their hands (instead of a spoon / fork, a piece of flatbread), they simply dump rice with meat on the table (onto polyethylene), eat it with their hands, and after eating they simply collect the polyethylene with food leftovers and throw it away, and the table is again as good as new until the next client …
99. There are no taxes in Saudi Arabia. You can open any business, make money and you don't have to pay taxes. True, it is difficult for expats to open a business; a Saudi must be a partner.
100. At Saudi weddings, women walk separately, men walk separately. Often even in different parts of the city. Women come to the celebration in their most beautiful dresses and jewelry under abayas, they celebrate openly, but before the newly-made husband comes to pick up his young wife, they again take cover with abayas and niqabs.
101. There are no rivers in Saudi Arabia. Water is more expensive here than gasoline. Magic is officially banned in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, there are nesting dolls for sale, but they are made in accordance with the norms - women in abayas, men in tobi and guthrie. My favorite sport is football, the national team of the country was three times the champion of Asia. It is not so easy to get a visa, especially if the passport contains a note about visiting Israel.
102. The legal system of Saudi Arabia is based on Sharia law, the death penalty in the country is provided for premeditated murder, armed robbery, homosexuality, extramarital affairs, religious apostasy, sexual assault, and the creation of opposition groups.
The observance of Sharia law is controlled by the religious police - the Mutawwa, also called the Sharia guard. She reports to the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Refraining from Vice.
For various crimes, Sharia norms establish various punishments - from blows and stoning to beheading.
The right to execute executions in Saudi Arabia is considered honorable; there are still several dynasties of executioners in the country, this skill is inherited. In 2013, Saudi Arabia faced a shortage of personnel, the number of sword-bearers is now decreasing, so the forms of execution have also changed.