Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In
Riyadh Local Customs
Search:

Riyadh Hotels

Real reviews from real travelers.

Riyadh Local Customs

Best Riyadh Travel DealsSponsored Links

Riyadh Travel
Book With the Travel Company Rated #1 in Customer Service by Consumers

Hilton Garden Inn Riyadh
Our best rates guaranteed online. Book at the official Hilton site.

Riyadh Premier Hotel
Surrounded by Gardens in Downtown. Call InterContinental 800-980-6429.

Saudi FLag: Clean and Green - Riyadh
Saudi FLag: Clean and Green
by Dthey
Learn the local customs of Riyadh. Tips and photos posted by real travelers and Riyadh locals.
Riyadh Map
Sort By:  Most Recent | Best Rated
Ramadan
  • Tip Rating:
  • Ramadan is the Holy Month for our Muslim brothers and sisters.It falls on the 9th month of the Hijrah Calendar or Lunar (moon)Calendar. The date and month may not be fixed if it would be based on Gregorian Calendar.

    The holy month of Ramadan is considered as one of the higights of the year , and during this time our Muslim brothers and sisters fast from dawn to dusk. The celebration culminates with the Eid-Al-Fitr holiday, in which it is customary to buy presents and clothes for children and visit friends and relatives.

    The Arab calendar is a lunar calendar. The 12 months are:
    Muharram (30 days)
    Safar (29 days)
    Rabi'a al-Awal (30 days)
    Rabi'a ath-Thani (29 days)
    Jumada al-Ula (30 days)
    Jamada Ath-Thaniya (29 days)
    Rajab (30 days)
    Sha'aban (29 days)
    Ramadan (30 days)
    Shawwal (29 days)
    Dhul Qa'dah (30 days)
    Dhul Hijjah (29 days: 30 days in a leap year)

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful

    Visiting Riyadh?

    Read reviews about Riyadh Hotels

    Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.

    Saudi names..
  • Tip Rating:
  • Saudi names usually consist of 3 to 4 names or more.

    It i s part of their tradition that the children carry the name of their father and their grandfather plus their surname.

    Example:

    Fahad Abdulrahman Hamad AlGaeed

    Fahad is the first name given by the parents, Abdulrahman is the name of the father, Hamad is the name of the grand Father while Algaeed is their surname.

    Though the ladies name are constructed on the same manner....however, when they get married...they do not used the surname of their husbands.Their names remain the same, meaning they will still used their maiden names.

    Most of the names consist of 2 words.

    Example:

    Abdulrahman

    ABDUL = fixed prefix, while RAHMAN - is one of the names of GOD, believed to have 99 names.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Ladies Role in the Society
  • Tip Rating:
  • As the time evolves, little by little Saudi women are actively being part of manly dominated country.Dont get me wrong, manly dominated - doesnt mean women are second class citizens but moreso their typical idea of a woman is someone who takes care of the house, her husband and family.

    Like i said, slowly they take part in the society.They have Saudi bank employees (exclusive for ladies) while majority of them are teachers.

    Most of the women who are working here in Riyadh either white collar jobs or blue collar jobs are from the Philippines, India, Africa,Lebanon and South Africa.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Muslim men on having 4 wives
  • Tip Rating:
  • Its is stated in the Holy Quran (the Holy Book Of Muslims)that men are allowed to marry upto 4 times at the same time provided that they give just and fair treatment to their wives.

    Today, life has changed alot in terms of marrying more than 1 wife. Men having 4 wives rarely exist nowadays.

    Though fixed marriage still exists..the value of family and family ties still hold a very important role in the society.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Marrying a Saudi
  • Tip Rating:
  • Marrying a Saudi is not an easy thing to do...i am talking about the processing of the papers/documents.

    During the year 1985, Saudi government banned Saudi men from marrying any foreigner except within the Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman) though they are not restricted by religion not to marry a Non Muslim or someone out of the gulf states.

    The only thing that will somehow stop them from doing such is getting the PERMIT from the government. This permit will take years (as per hubby) to get..and so u need alot of patience and a certain amount of money to keep your papers moving from the Ministry of Interior.

    So, Even if you have a legal marriage in a different country (like me in Philippines) it will not be acknowldged here in Saudi Arabia not unless your husband is holding the permit from the M.I.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful

    Visiting Riyadh?

    Read reviews about Riyadh Hotels

    Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.

    Greetings
  • Tip Rating:
  • The classic Saudi way of greetng is to give 4 kisses.One on the left cheek and 3 on the right cheek. This apply to both sexes (male to male; female to female)

    As for the elders, one way of showing respect is to kiss the right hand and the forehead aside from the kisses on the cheeks.

    It is very common for male friends to hold hands in public but this doesn't necessarily mean they have special relationship :-)

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Tribes
  • Tip Rating:
  • Until the present time, the Saudi society consists of many TRIBES like Shammar, Anaza, Otayba and Motair just to name a few.

    If you belong to a tribe means you're a pure Saudi (by birth and by blood) A non-Tribal are the ones who just migrated from other countries long time ago and settled after Hajj in Mecca and Medina.

    Footnote:
    It is very common to see someone tribal who cannot marry or deprived the right of marrying a non tribal individual.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Hajj (Pilgrimage)
  • Tip Rating:
  • HAJJ is the 5th pillar of Islam and is obligatory to all Muslims to perform this pilgrimage once in their lifetime.

    It is being performed on a specific time of the year. According to the Hijra Calendar (Arabic Calendar), it is during the 12th month namely Dhul Hijjah.

    It is performed from 9th until the 13th of the Dhul Hijjah month wherein the most important day is the 2nd day where Muslims stand on the Mt. Arafa.

    Conditions of Hajj:

    a. Must be an adult - Over 14 yrs of age
    b. Must be able to afford the cost to perform Hajj. Borrowing of money to perform Hajj is not allowed.

    Footnote:

    a. Special White clothes has to be worn when performing the pilgrimage. It is made up of 2 pieces of white cloth: (FOR MEN)

    Upper part: Ihram
    Lower part: Izar

    ***No other undergarments or any clothes should be worn underneath for men.
    As for women, they have to uncover their faces and wear an ordinary dress***

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Umrah
  • Tip Rating:
  • UMRAH means visiting the Holy Mosque in Mecca at any time of the year.
    It inlcudes 7 complete turns around the Kaaba (House of God) as well as 7 laps between Mt. Safa and Mt. Merwah. One lap is approximately 500m.

    Performing Umrah can last for a short period of time (approximately 1 hr for a fit person).

    Footnote:

    a. There is no age limit when performing Umrah
    b. Special white cloth has to be worn with no undergarments for men
    c. Women must uncover their faces and wear an ordinary dress.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Iftar in Ramadan
  • Tip Rating:
  • IFTAR is an Arabic word which means to break fast. Muslims break their fast at sunset with few Dates and Arabic coffee coupled usually with fresh breakfast cream or Tahina (made of sesame)

    The reason why they eat dates when breaking their fast is because dates contain high sugar content to balance the sugar level in the body after refraining from drink and food for the whole day.

    Main course inlcudes: Soup, sambusa, baked macaroni and rice with chicken or meat.

    Sweets or desserts are usually served as well like dumplings or creme caramel.

    Rate   Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    More Riyadh Tips
    Overview
     
    Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 51 - Photos: 49
    Things To Do
    Tips: 138 - Photos: 231
    Nightlife
    Tips: 16 - Photos: 15
    Transportation
    Tips: 44 - Photos: 22
    Restaurants
    Tips: 116 - Photos: 173
    Shopping
    Tips: 64 - Photos: 73
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 21 - Photos: 50
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 10 - Photos: 2
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 33 - Photos: 22
    Local Customs
    Tips: 80 - Photos: 62
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 20 - Photos: 12
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 12 - Photos: 11
    General Tips
    Tips: 38 - Photos: 38
    Flights
    Tips: 12 - Photos: 0

    More Riyadh Travel Deals

    10 Hotels in Riyadh
    Book your Hotel in Riyadh online. No reservation costs. Great rates!

    Riyadh Saudi Arabia Hotels
    Find Rooms at Top Hotels - Cheap with Orbitz Low Price Guarantee!

    Marriott Int'l Hotels
    Marriott.com - The Official Site of Marriott Hotels. Book Online Now.

    Arabi Hotels
    Low Rates Guaranteed - Book Your Room with the Hotel Experts Today!

    Sponsored Links

    Riyadh Hotels





    Find:        Matching:  Advanced
    About VirtualTourist |  10 Great Things to Do On VirtualTourist |  Contact Us |  Advertising on VirtualTourist |  Press Center |  Help |  Travel Tools |  VT Gear |  Local Merchant Login |  User Agreement |  Privacy Statement
    Virtual Tourist® ©1994-2009 VirtualTourist.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.