Must-see attractions in Saudi Arabia

  • Prophet’s Mosque

    Saudi Arabia

    One of only two mosques in the world that can accommodate a million people, the Prophet’s Mosque holds deep significance for Muslims all over the world…

  • Al Masjid Al Haram

    Mecca

    The focal point for every Muslim and the biggest mosque in the world, Al Masjid Al Haram is able to host a million worshippers and covers an area of 356…

  • Jubbah Rock Carvings

    Saudi Arabia

    This is arguably the Kingdom's premier pre-Islamic site and open-air art gallery. Covering an area measuring 39 sq km are some of the most impressive…

  • Masmak fort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Masmak Fortress

    Riyadh

    Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was…

  • Pearl Merchants' Neighbourhood

    Saudi Arabia

    Staring at the mesmerising geometric and floral designs of the carved patterns that adorn the houses and arched gateways of Farasan's former pearl…

  • Students in square at National Museum, Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia

    National Museum

    Riyadh

    This state-of-the-art museum is one of the finest in the Middle East. Encased within modernist architecture, its two floors contain eight well-designed…

  • Empty Quarter

    Saudi Arabia

    The 'Abode of Silence', or the Empty Quarter, covers almost 655,000 sq km and evokes all that was romantic and forbidden for European adventurers, such as…

  • Al Ula Viewpoint

    Al Ula

    The views as you wind your way up to this gem of a spot offer glimpses of what's to come. At the top, the road plateaus through a windswept, lunar…

  • Al Habala

    Saudi Arabia

    The mysterious and unique 'hanging village' of Al Habala is one of the genuine wonders of Saudi Arabia. This series of sandstone houses hewn from local…

  • Wahba Crater

    Saudi Arabia

    The result of an underground volcanic explosion, this spectacular crater in the middle of the desert measures 1.3km across and 200m deep. In the middle,…

  • Al Shafee Mosque

    Jeddah

    Beautifully restored and maintained, this historic mosque, one of the finest in Jeddah, is named after one of the four great imams of classical Sunni…

  • Al Yanfa

    Saudi Arabia

    The ancient residents of Al Yanfa came up with a novel way to navigate their congested village built on an uneven hill: they created a network of warrens…

  • Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques

    Mecca

    This little museum is brimming with relics from the two holy mosques, Al Masjid Al Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. These include…

  • Al Balad

    Northern Saudi Arabia

    The melancholy of Al Wajh's beautiful old Hejazi houses, as they stare wistfully out to sea, is apparent in every corner of the town's near-abandoned Al…

  • Matbouli House Museum

    Jeddah

    With so many traditional houses closed in Al Balad, this privately owned museum in a beautiful three-storey property with stunning Hejazi mashrabiyya …

  • Corniche

    Jeddah

    Once a smelly, unpleasant stretch of coastline, the corniche in northern Jeddah has been transformed into a pleasant walkway and leisure space. There are…

  • Taif Souq

    Saudi Arabia

    The Taif souq is one of the largest in Saudi Arabia and well worth a wander. Set in the tastefully renovated historic centre, where wonderful little…

  • Hail Flea Market

    Saudi Arabia

    Like any flea market worthy of the name, here you'll find old rugs, vintage cameras, wires for contraptions you didn't know existed, and of course that…

  • Jeddah, SAUDI ARABIA:  Saudi women shop at a grocery in the Souq al-Alawi market in the old town of Jeddah 29 December 2005. The market is the biggest market in Saudi Arabia where hundreds of thousands of Muslims from different countries have so far arrived for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which begins on January 7. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI  (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

    Souq Al Alawi

    Jeddah

    This souq runs off Al Dahab St and is the most extensive in the Kingdom. The market stalls cut into the heart of the old city and buzz with the activity…

  • Al Mudaifar Mosque

    Saudi Arabia

    Surrounded by a forest of palms, this quaint little Najd mud mosque, with its tall round minaret and engraved wood door, truly evokes the Saudi Arabia of…

  • Najd Mosque

    Saudi Arabia

    A pearling legacy, this mosque, built in 1928 by a wealthy pearl merchant, hints at the island's trade links with the subcontinent. The mosque's…

  • Al Ula Heritage Village

    Al Ula

    There are plans to make this a formal tourist venue in the near future, but for now you can enjoy freely wandering among the beautiful mud ruins where…

  • Al Nasb

    Saudi Arabia

    Start at the eastern edge of this area for a wonderful vista of the old mud and slate houses backing onto a fertile patchwork of greenery: this is what…

  • Al Muftaha Village

    Saudi Arabia

    This cultural village really embodies the artistic spirit of Asir. A mosque with stunning calligraphy graffiti sits surrounded by a series of small art…

  • Sky Bridge

    Riyadh

    Not for the faint-hearted or sufferers of vertigo, here high-speed lifts fly you at 180km/h to the 99th-floor Sky Bridge, inside the Kingdom Centre. The…

  • Madain Saleh

    Madain Saleh

    Northern Saudi Arabia

    Often dubbed the 'second Petra', Madain Saleh, for many, is on a par with – if not more impressive than – its famous cousin across the border in Jordan…

  • Masjid Miqat

    Saudi Arabia

    The biggest miqat (pilgrim station) complex in Saudi Arabia, this fort-like mosque rises up like a North African kasbah on the southwestern edge of Medina…

  • Al Nafud Desert

    Saudi Arabia

    While the Empty Quarter gets all the attention, it is actually far easier to come upon the picturesque desert of romantic Arabia by visiting the beautiful…

  • Mt Soudah

    Saudi Arabia

    Rising some 3000m above Sarawat Valley, covered in juniper forests and famous for misty, cold weather, the Kingdom's tallest mountain is everything you…

  • Jebel Al Lawz

    Northern Saudi Arabia

    Jebel Al Lawz, rising 2580m above sea level, is one of the only accessible mountains in the Kingdom to experience snowfall in winter. This is what many…

  • Haddaj Well

    Northern Saudi Arabia

    The Haddaj Well is an outstanding example of ancient engineering. It reportedly dates back to the Babylonian presence during the 6th century BC, and at…

  • Rija Alma

    Saudi Arabia

    Built on the slopes of steep mountains that are enveloped by clouds in the winter, Rija Alma village, dating back to the 8th century, contains some of the…

  • Riyadh Zoo

    Riyadh

    Accessible only for children and those accompanying them, this is the largest zoo in Saudi Arabia and began life in 1957 as a small-scale menagerie…

  • View from the Al-Faisaliah  (Globe) tower, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Globe Experience

    Riyadh

    The Globe Experience is a spectacular viewing platform inside an enormous glass ball that's 24m in diameter, made of 655 glass panels and suspended just…

  • Kingdom Centre

    Riyadh

    Riyadh’s landmark tower, rising 302m high, is a stunning piece of modern architecture – it’s particularly conspicuous at night, when the upper sweep is…

  • Edge of the World

    Saudi Arabia

    This is a spectacular spot where you can stand on the edge of a sheer precipice, stare out across a dry, barren valley floor and feel like you're at the…

  • Historic Yanbu & Port

    Saudi Arabia

    The remnants of old Yanbu are not as extensive as some old towns along the Red Sea, but nevertheless it is worth going for a wander in the area directly…

  • Masjid Al Qiblatain

    Saudi Arabia

    The Arabic word qibla means 'direction' of prayer, and this mosque is said to have two. One facing Mecca, and another above the entrance (look where…

  • Hejaz Locomotive & Ruins

    Northern Saudi Arabia

    A lone rusting locomotive sits in the sun on its side, its funnel pointing downwards. Derailed and useless, this relic really evokes the impact TE…

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