Al khobar

Al khobar is one of the largest cities in the western region where most of the Saudi oil production is located. Aramco, the oil company, which is owned by the government of Saudi Arabia, is located in Al Khobar city. It is very close to AlDamman and AlDahran cities with only a few kilometers (from 10 to 17). The only city in Saudi Arabia that most of its population is not Saudis at 60%. This is due to the large oil and industry companies that attract the elites from international engineers and scientists. What interesting is that the expatriates have their own compounds that stimulate their community-like type of living. 

The climate is hot in summer and cool in winter. It is considered one of the tourist cities that attract Saudis to spend vacations due to the large number of 5 and 4 stars hotels and natural parks. It is famous for its waterfront or as Saudis call it (Khornaish) where they have water activities and water parks. The King Fahad Bridge that connects Saudi Arabia with Bahrain and other gulf countries is one of the most important landmarks. The city is famous for its (Prince Turki St.) which includes many international and local chain of restaurants, coffee bars and boutiques of all kinds. There are a lot of huge shopping malls that offer international brands. 

Commercial practices and shipments from all over the world pass through the bridge and the Arabian Gulf. Its importance is drawn from the location and the oil that is discovered. A lot of international schools that teach in different languages with high standards are located in Alkhobar. It has many governmental universities such as King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the University of Dammam and King Faisal University that all offer different majors. It is a fun place to spend a short vacation or weekends.

Abha

Abha city is called the bride of the southern region and the fog city. It is higher than the sea level and is built on mountains. It is one of the tourists attraction due to its cool weather in summer compared with the desert weather in other regions in Saudi Arabia. 

It includes a large number of monuments and palaces such as Rijal Alma as shown in pictures below. Abha is full of green mountains and coloured heritage buildings. It is a city that you can escape the heat during summer time.

 It includes popular traditions markets such as Tuesday market that contains only traditional things such as pots and baskets and a lot of modern malls such as Abha mall. 

In terms of things to do in Abha for tourists, there are many resorts that are connected by chairlifts which make them more interesting because of the mountains surrounding these resorts. one example is AlSoudah resort as shown below. 

Another example is the Green Mountain Restaurant & Cafe. It has many natural parks that have the rocky nature which is a golden opportunity for hiking and enjoying natural views. The Cable car is the only transportation method that is used to take tourists to the old Abha.

The city has been developing since the last 20 years especially its infrastructure and transportation which makes a rocky nature city accessible. There is a domestic airport that connects Abha with big cities such as Jeddah and the capital Riyadh. Hotels range from five-stars to small motels in the villages around Abha. We usually enjoy opening the hotel windows to allow clouds and fogs get inside the rooms. It is a really interesting and fun place to visit.  

Jeddah

Jeddah is one of the largest cities in Saudi arabia located in the western region on the coast of the Rd Sea. It has the largest sea port with population of more than 3.5 millions. it is famous in sea food due to the closeness to the Red Sea which makes it unlike other cities in the country.

Unlike other cities, Jeddah is considered to be worm in winter with degrees range from 15 to 28 but in summer, it is hot and humid and extremely hot. It is famous for its many large shopping malls such as Mall of Arabia, Alandalus, and Red Sea mall.  

There are old and new Jeddah. The old Jeddah contains historical buildings and traditional houses which makes it the first tourism attraction in the city (see women tradition clothes below). Every Ramadan, there are many festivals held to introduce people to the traditional cuisine. it has its own accent called Hijaz as on of the famous accents within the Arabic language. 

one of the most interesting attraction is the King Fahd fountain as  shown below. it contains 2 large government universities that offer education for free which are King Abdelaziz University and Jeddah University and some other private universities. It is famous as well with its attractive roundabouts that everyone contains a master piece of art such as the Mecca Gate and the huge bicycle. anyone can visits an live in jeddah because it welcomes all religions. Its multicultural nature makes it contain more diversity.  

Medina

In my blog, I will take you on a tour through most attractive cities in Saudi Arabia. Medina is my hometown where I was born and raised. It is considered as the second holiest city for all Muslims around the world because it contains the grave of the prophet Mohammed peace be upon him and his followers.

The population of the Medina is almost 2 millions. It is located in the western region and considered to be one of the largest cities. An important and interesting point is the haram limits where only Muslims can enter this area. There are many non-Muslims live outsides of this area but still live in Medina. Medina is hot in summer, moderate in fall and spring but very cold in winter. It is surrounded by mountains.

Medina is historical city that is full of stories since 1400 years ago and even more. One natural site is the Uhud Mountain, which retains a great Islamic and historic value to all Muslims around the world. It has the area that one ancient nation built their houses through mountains and the village still attracting tourist.

It has two large universities, which include Islamic University of Medina and Taibah University. It has an international airport that has direct flights to most of the countries around the world. One interesting thing about Medina is that you can see the lights of its streets and houses from 100 Km if you are land travelling between cities. A special type of dates called Ajowa only grow in Medina and never in any other city or place. It is a quite and peaceful city that everyone loves.