Since Saudi Arabia announced that they would start to issue tourist visas in 2018, the country has become a popular place to visit and experience its rich history, culture and religious background. You should start planning your trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and listed below are some stunning tourist attractions that you’ll love to visit.
Visit Mecca
Mecca was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and has been a popular location for Muslim tourists. According to the Quran, it is known that every Muslim who can afford this sacred trip to Mecca, is required to make a pilgrimage here (called Hajj) once in his or her life.
However, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the city of Mecca along with the space around the famous Kaaba stone.
Visit the Riyadh’s Kingdom Centre Tower
Kingdom Centre is such a famous landmark of the Saudi capital “Riyadh” that when you type in “Traveling to” Riyadh on Facebook, an emoji version of it shows up. Although Kingdom Centre is the third-tallest building in Saudi Arabia, it’s known for being a shopping mall and residential complex that also houses an observatory.
The observation deck of the Kingdom Centre Tower, which is located in Riyadh City, will be a great place to start any tour around this bustling city. Visitors can get a literal and figurative perspective on the capital of 5.2 million people- as well as its local main airport. It would also be a great place to get a selfie.
Visit the Empty Quarter
The Empty Quarter (known in Arabic as Rub’ al Khali) is a vast area of sand dunes that stretches between Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. You’ll have the choice of either travelling by 4×4 or by camelback through the dunes and you can also visit the nomadic tribes that live in this inhospitable region.
However, you may need a travel guide with you for this trip as you will get lost in sand dunes. It will also be best to be with someone who knows where to camp and knows the area very well.
Visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina
Mecca is the most prestigious holy site in Saudi Arabia, but Islamic history tells us that Medina is also quite important – the Prophet Muhammad taught and lived here for many years after he came of age in Mecca before he returned to the city later on in his life. The mosque of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi is the most iconic site in Medina which was formed before the year 622.
However, just like with Mecca, non-Muslims are not allowed to visit central Medina.
Visit the Lost City of Mada’in Saleh
You may have heard of the Lost City of Petra which is located in Jordan but you may not know that Saudi Arabia contains a city that is both similar in origin and design and dates back to the Nabatean Kingdom in the 1st century. It maintains a low profile for international tourists but many Saudis love to visit Mada’in Saleh. This means that you should be able to have a relatively quiet trip there.
Go Red Sea Scuba Diving
People assume that Saudi Arabia is a land of just sand but we can’t forget that they have vast coastlines on both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. This means you have the advantage of living your best life scuba diving and snorkelling around in the Red Sea (famous areas include Boiler wreck and Allah’s Reef). It’s also important to know that scuba diving is not popular among Saudis so there will be no big crowds.
