No rivers at all –
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a single
permanent river.
Camel beauty contests exist – The
King Abdulaziz Camel Festival offers millions in prizes, and camels are
judged on lips, humps, and posture.
The “Empty Quarter” is larger than France – Rub’ al Khali, the world’s largest continuous sand desert,
covers nearly 650,000 km².
Ancient rock art rivals the pyramids – The UNESCO site at Hail features 10,000-year-old petroglyphs
showing humans, lions, and camels.
The birthplace of Arabic coffee –
Although Yemen is famous for coffee, Saudi Arabia’s Najd region has its
own tradition of qahwa (spiced Arabic coffee) dating back
centuries.
Mountains get snow –
While mostly desert, Tabuk and Asir regions sometimes get snowfall in
winter.
The Kingdom has a “dinosaur coast” – Fossilized dinosaur tracks have been discovered near Tabuk.
No movie theaters for 35 years –
Cinemas were banned in 1983 and only reopened in 2018.
Home to a 3000-year-old oasis city – AlUla was a key stop on the incense trade route and has
monuments older than Petra.
Saudi Arabia has more date palms than people – Over 25 million palm trees produce more than 400 varieties of
dates.
The Black Stone of Mecca is broken – The sacred stone at the Kaaba is actually made of several pieces
held together by a silver frame.
Jeddah’s “floating mosque” really floats – The Al Rahma Mosque is built on stilts above the Red Sea, giving
the illusion of floating.
World’s tallest flagpole – In
Jeddah, a 171-meter-high flagpole carries a giant Saudi flag visible for
kilometers.
Saudi women once had a separate ID system – Until recently, women were listed under their father’s or
husband’s ID cards rather than having their own.
They are building a 170 km-long city – NEOM’s “The Line” project is planned as a futuristic linear city
without cars, roads, or emissions.
