السعودية

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Saudi Arabia (Arabic: السعودية, as-Suʿūdīyah) is the quintessential Arab kingdom. Vast deserts, scorching heat, immense oil wealth, camel races, glitzy shopping malls, traditional souq markets, you can find every Arabian cliche you can think of and then some here. A deeply conservative country that was entirely closed off to (non-pilgrimage) tourism for decades, the government did a drastic policy U-turn in 2019 and has been trying to open up the country to the world and shed the country's straight-laced image, with mixed success. Saudi Arabia covers a significant portion of the Arabian peninsula and is home to Islam's holiest cities — Mecca and Medina — both of which attract Muslims from all over the world. Religious pilgrimages used to be the country's primary source of income before oil was discovered in the 1930s. With over 16 million visitors annually, Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most popular travel destinations, if you count Muslims coming for the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia continues to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic (Sharia) law, but many of the most visible regulations, particularly those regarding women's clothing and separation of the sexes, have been wound back. Nevertheless, you should not travel to Saudi Arabia if you are unprepared to accept strict limitations on your freedom of expression and behaviour.

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