Riyadh Flight Guide

Riyadh is the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and has 4.6 million inhabitants. The city is the economic, administrative and cultural centre of the country and is home to numerous universities, museums and monuments. Riyadh is also the seat of the Saudi Arabian Government, Parliament and numerous diplomatic missions. Riyadh has been the capital since Saudi Arabia gained independence in 1932. It has been a very important transit point of the Arab region especially for the pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina.

The main attractions include the royal palaces and the old town, which is in the district of Al-Dira. Particularly impressive are the palaces of Qasr Al-HUKM (Justice Palace) and the Towaiq Palace which is built from red desert rock. The clay construction from ancient years can still be admired in the western part of the city. In the north of the city centre is the gate of the city walls. Leaving the old town, two skyscrapers are particularly interesting for tourists: The Al Faisaliah (267 meters) and the Kingdom Center (302 meters) which is the tallest building in Riyadh. To learn more about the country, visit the Museum of Antiquity in Prince Abdullah Street, the Historical Museum in the Khazzan Street and the Museum of Saudi history as well as the National Museum and the Riyadh Museum of History and Archaeology.

Travelling to Saudi Arabia is anything but easy due to the extremely strict rules and laws. It is not meant to be a tourism-oriented country, therefore visitors must obtain a visa which can be very difficult as only a handful of visitor-visas are given out in a year. It is absolutely crucial to follow the rules and under no circumstances should passengers try to import unauthorised goods (e.g. alcohol), get involved in prostitution, make contact with the gay community (which is not acceptable in Islamic countries) or break any other rule. The punishment can be physical – capital punishment is legal even on tourists. Women have restricted rights in this region and female travellers cannot obtain a visitor’s visa- they can only enter the country if they are on a business trip which has to be authorised. On the bright side, women can now book a hotel room without having to be accompanied by a man.

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http://wikitravel.org/en/Riyadh - Travel information Riyadh
http://www.saudinf.com/main/a81.htm - Tourist information Riyadh
http://www.gaca.gov.sa/ - Riyadh airport information
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/advice/saudi_arabia - Important Entry & exit Ragulations Saudi Arabia
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