Fun Facts!

The political system in Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and thus it is actually the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You often see this abbreviated KSA. Expats who are traveling are said in slang to be "out of Kingdom" or OOK.

Saudi Arabia has no natural, permanent rivers, streams, or lakes.

A person who works in a country other than the one in which they are a citizen is called an expat (expatriate). It is not a pejorative term and has nothing to do with any sort of jingoistic patriotism or lack thereof to one's mother- or fatherland.

Dhahran is the compound established in 1938 for non-Saudi employees of Saudi Aramco. It is a small city these days with western lifestyles and customs (the 2004 population was more then 97,000). Many Saudis live on the compound now (in the beginning it was restricted to non-Saudis only) but they do so with the understanding that people will dress and behave in a western style that would not necessarily be acceptable outside the compound. These Saudi families have generally lived in the U.S. or Europe.

Aramco is now wholly owned by the Saudi government but it began as a consortiuum of American petroleum companies. For a really excellent history of Aramco, I recommend "Oil, God, and Gold." It can be a bit dry in places but contains a lot of amazing detail and is worth slogging through.

Dhahran is about 10 miles from the shore of the Persian Gulf at a latitude of 26 degrees north. It is in a time zone that is GMT +3 hours. It does not follow daylight savings time. So now, in the fall, Dhahran is 7 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast. In the spring, it will be 6 hours ahead.

Despite being positioned at the same latitude as Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the weather patterns in Dhahran are quite different. This site summarizes the temperatures and precipitation amounts in pretty charts. But in short, Dhahran is hot and humid although the humidity can fluctuate rapidly on a daily basis.

In part because Mecca and Jiddah are located in KSA, it is the most conservative and strict Muslim country in the world. The inexorable influx of satellite and other wireless communications has made it nearly impossible for the religious police to restrict and censor as much as they did in the past. Still, there are few Saudis who will openly challenge any aspect of the current political/religious/cultural system (they are one and the same).

I am a guest of the Kingdom and as such, I have signed documents stating that I will obey their laws and customs. However, as a westerner, I am not required to cover my body, face, or hair. I must dress modestly when off the compound, wearing pants or skirts below the knee and shirts that cover the elbows. I've been told that the religious police can get testy and tell western women they need to wear an abbayah over their clothes or a scarf on their head. One is never to argue with them. Some younger women choose to wear an abbayah off compound but I gather that older women find this new trend somewhat horrific.

Alcohol is not allowed on the compound or anywhere in the country. However, the island nation of Bahrein, a short 20-mile trip from Dhahran, is more than happy to sell alcohol to dissolute westerners and misbehaving Muslims. For example, there is a wine club in Dhahran that meets weekly in Bahrein.

Saudi Arabia does not issue tourist visas.

Arabic text is read from right to left. However, the numbers printed on their currency flow from left to right. I can't get a good explanation for this. The exchange rate hovers around US 1 to SR 3.3. The unit of currency is the riyal.

There are significant restrictions on what customs will allow in. Before you decide to ship me something, check with me first. Dhahran is served by both FedEx and DHL. Some mail order companies who have European branches and European-based companies can ship directly to the compound.