Riyadh Local Customs

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.

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	Ladies Role in the Society Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on January 10, 2007

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.

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	Muslim men on having 4 wives Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on January 20, 2007

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.

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	Marrying a Saudi Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on January 20, 2007

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.

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	Greetings Tip Rating:

By Cielo_Algaeed

on February 7, 2007

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 :-)

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	Tribes Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on February 10, 2007

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.

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	Hajj (Pilgrimage) Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on February 10, 2007

by Cielo_Algaeed
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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***

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	Umrah Tip Rating:

By Cielo_Algaeed

on February 10, 2007

by Cielo_Algaeed
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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.

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	Iftar in Ramadan Tip Rating:

Updated By Cielo_Algaeed

on March 18, 2007