Travel ideas for Saudi Arabia - unique sights, worth Guinness records
Rub al-Khali
From the series “The Hottest Places in the World”![](../../extreme/img/w300/rub-al-khali_1.jpg)
Main attractions of the desert are sand dunes, which can reach a height of 250 meters. Sand contains a significant portion of the iron oxide, that’s why it has orange and red hues. Literally, Rub al-Khali can be translated from Arabic as ‘a desert place’ that fully reflects the reality. You can travel the desert a few days, but won’t find any signs of life on its territory. There are rare oases in the outskirts of the Rub al-Khali. Rich oil deposits found in the desert are of great value to humanity. ... Complete sights collection
Tower Abraj al-Bait
From the series “The Highest Buildings in the World”![](../../extreme/img/w300/tower-abraj-al-bait_1.jpg)
One of six towers is occupied by the hotel, which annually welcomes hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arriving to Mecca from all over the world. The architectural complex is home to the upscale shopping center and hundreds of stores; its large-scale infrastructure includes parking for 800 cars and two helipads.
This unique skyscraper was completed in 2012. It became the world champion on a number of parameters. First of all, the complex is the heaviest in the world and the second in height; it’s only behind the Burj Khalifa. The planet's tallest hotel is a part of the architectural structure, as well as the highest clock tower. This large-scale architectural complex is located in close proximity to Al-Haram, which is considered a major religious landmark of Mecca. ... Complete sights collection
Raffles Makkah Palace
From the series “The World's Tallest Hotels”![](../../extreme/img/w300/raffles-makkah-palace_1.jpg)
The hotel is located very close to the Masjid Al Haram mosque. Guests can admire the rooms with the panoramic view of the Kaabu. The whole-wall panoramic windows are the mandatory attributes of all the rooms of the hotel. In addition, there are separate gym rooms for men and women. While sporting, it is also possible to enjoy the panorama of the famous sights of Mecca. The Raffles Makkah Palace hotel stands out for its calm and peaceful atmosphere, the guests have access to many comfortable recreation areas, where they can read a book and simply enjoy the panorama of the city. ... Complete sights collection
King Fahd Fountain
From the series “The Most Spectacular Fountains in the World”![](../../extreme/img/w300/king-fahd-fountain_1.jpg)
Although the age of the fountain is more than 30 years, he is not only surprised by the impressive shape, but also by the technical characteristics. Every second, 18.8 tons of water are found above the fountain, which is pushed out of the only powerful nozzle. The speed at which the water swells itself is 375 kilometers an hour. Since the fountain is located near the Persian Gulf and works with the salty water, its operation is made considerably more difficult.
As early as 1987, the experts noted that the fountain construction was damaged by the corrosion and the fountain itself was on the verge of destruction. The steel pipes of the fountain have been replaced by the shortest deadlines and are complemented by special anode protection, which prevents corrosion and allows millions of people from all over the world to graze on the highest fountains on earth. Many travelers strive to see the fountain in the windless day when the water cascade transitions the regular shape and height of the world famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. ... Complete sights collection
Al-Haram Mosque
From the series “The Most Iconic Temples in the World”![](../../extreme/img/w300/al-haram-mosque_1.jpg)
Apart from the Kaaba, the mosque also preserves many other religious sanctuaries, including the stone 'makan Ibrahim' and the holy source Zam-zam. The last major reconstruction of the mosque was completed in 2012, its territory is still 400 square meters larger. Although today more than a million people can be unique on the mosque terrarium, the mosque can not receive all the pilgrims during the religious holidays.
Recently, the adjacent territory was also reconstructed for carrying out the religious events. Only 2.5 million people can be found within the mosque and the adjacent squares. The huge popularity of the religious monument has brought to the perfection of the surrounding infrastructure, near the mosque is the largest skyscraper complex in the world - located Abraj Al Bait Towers. In some towers are the chic hotels, from whose rooms one can enjoy the panorama of one of the most majestic religious buildings ... Complete sights collection
Abraj Al-Bait Towers
From the series “Elegant Architectural Structures for Fans of Skywalks”![](../../extreme/img/w300/abraj-al-bait-towers_1.jpg)
Among the main design features of the architectural complex it’s worth noting helipads on the roof. The highest in the complex is the Royal Tower, it is decorated with a huge clock face. The dial diameter is 43 meters. A huge clock is located at an altitude of 400 meters. It has 4 dials oriented precisely to the cardinal directions.
Construction of the architectural complex was completed in 2012. Today, along with significant historical and religious sites of Mecca, it is one of the most popular tourist sites. There are several options to look at the Mecca from a height. You can rent one of the rooms in the hotel and enjoy the attractions, or reserve a table by the window in one of the restaurants and have a romantic dinner. In addition, there is an amazing Islamic Museum and the Lunar Observation Center, which are also open to the public. ... Complete sights collection
Kaaba
From the series “Top Surviving Artifacts of Muslim Civilization”![](../../extreme/img/w300/kaaba_1.jpg)
At the beginning of the 7th century, the Kaaba underwent the first major reconstruction, each year the number of pilgrims became larger, so the area around the church gradually expanded. The shrine repeatedly suffered from floods and fires, after which its complete restructuring was required. According to some reports, during the time of its existence, the church was completely rebuilt 12 times. The Kaaba is one of the most inaccessible Islamic shrines, only a limited number of high-ranking representatives of religious communities can enter the temple.
For ordinary believers a huge area was equipped around the temple. On certain days they can come as close as possible to the temple and touch its walls. For adherents of other religious currents, the shrine is inaccessible. The area of free space around the temple today is about 193,000 square meters, at a time up to 400 000 people can accommodate in this area. In the period of the major religious holidays, hundreds of accidents are always registered on the square because of a huge number of parishioners. ... Complete sights collection
Masjid an-Nabawi
From the series “Top Surviving Artifacts of Muslim Civilization”![](../../extreme/img/w300/masjid-an-nabawi_1.jpg)
There is no accurate date of the mosque building that we see now. The first references to it are unknown but the first mentions of it date from the 12th century. Apart from the Prophet Muhammad, two first Muslim Khalifa - Umar and Abu Baker, were buried here. At the beginning, the mosque has executed a wide range of functions: from important social and cultural meetings to the court and school.
Nowadays Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque is the major attraction for thousands of pilgrims from the whole world. At once here could come up to 600 000 believers. However, during the haj, the number of believers is much bigger. Every year more than one million of people come here to pray. The mosque is well-equipped: it has large stone “umbrellas” which protect the believers not only from the rain and but also from the streams of the strong sun. The height of the minaret is 105 meters. It is incredibly beautiful and more than that it is appealing from the architectural point of view. Only adherence to Muslim confession could visit this outstanding spiritual landmark. ... Complete sights collection
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Preferred to Open 9 New Hotels in 2022
In September 2022, the Sommerro hotel in Oslo will start operating in a carefully restored 1930s Art Deco building. This building is a true landmark of Frogner, a historic neighborhood of the Norwegian capital. A multi-million-dollar renovation carefully turned the largest preservation project in Norway into a modern hotel with 231 rooms, including 56 residences. Preferred will open five more hotels in 2022, namely, The Wall Street Hotel in New York, Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences on Singer Island (Florida, the US), TOA Hotel & Spa in Zanzibar, Pendry hotel in Washington, and Pendry Park City hotel in Utah.
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27.07.2024
In September 2022, the Sommerro hotel in Oslo will start operating in a carefully restored 1930s Art Deco building. This building is a true landmark of Frogner, a historic neighborhood of the Norwegian capital. A multi-million-dollar renovation carefully turned the largest preservation project in Norway into a modern hotel with 231 rooms, including 56 residences. Preferred will open five more hotels in 2022, namely, The Wall Street Hotel in New York, Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences on Singer Island (Florida, the US), TOA Hotel & Spa in Zanzibar, Pendry hotel in Washington, and Pendry Park City hotel in Utah.
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27.07.2024
Photogallery of landmarks of Saudi Arabia
Trip ideas for regions of Saudi Arabia
Active leisure enthusiasts will like the 1st Paintball center providing the best facilities to enjoy this popular entertainment. Excellent grounds and a good assortment of equipment and gears are available for its visitors. People giving preference to horse riding should visit the Equestrian Club. The club has its own horse riding school, moreover regular tours to the most interesting and scenic nature areas of the Riyadh resort are organized there. The club hosts on its territory a cozy café, … Read more
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Red Sea is a very popular destination among modern shopping complexes of the city. In this trading center visitors will find a huge choice of different products. Luxury clothing and accessory boutiques, numerous jewelry stores and perfume shops, interesting souvenir outlets and shops selling antiques – one can easily spend a whole day looking at shining showcases of the huge shopping mall. Mall of Arabia shopping center offers a large choice of various products at very attractive prices. … Read more
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You have to understand that it is not easy to get to Mecca. You can't just enter Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa. There is no such type of visa for this country. You will definitely need a visa in order to enter the city. This can be a work, student or guest visa in case you are not a pilgrim. Please note that if you are an unmarried girl, you can only travel with a group and with permission from a guardian. However, the same applies to married ladies under the age of 45. But they will have to … Read more
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In the midst of a hot day, you will have a good time in Rashed Mall. It is remarkable for its original snow-white design and decoration of public spaces with living plants and flowers. Once inside the mall, customers find themselves in an incredibly beautiful and cool oasis. Besides stores, there are many other interesting things in the shopping center. It offers a cafe with affordable prices where you can relax with the whole family, several children's playgrounds, and frequent children's … Read more
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