What are the BIG Do's and Don'ts in Saudi Arabia?

Question

In other words, what should foreigners know when they visit KSA?

Thanks;-)

Answer 1

Do not lie

Respect people culture

Do not curse

Respect the laws

Do not cheat

Be kind to people who serve you

Answer 2

......I'll only say some of the Big Dont's: alcohol (you'll be send to your home country when caught), drugs (you'll be sentenced to death when caught), pirated CDs and DVD's with naked movies (you'll be jailed and pay enormous amount before they send you home to your country when caught)

Answer 3

yo sup

there is alot but

DOs would be being a radical.

DONTS would be being a normal human being with urges and leading a normal and natural lifestyle

peace out!@

Answer 4

Bojo? if there is no s*x. then the population would have died off millions of years ago...

You meant, no pre-marital fornication...

We adhere to our good Islamic morals here. We live by Islam

Generally the genders dont mix openly.. Thats not to say you cannot have a decent conversation with someone of the opposite gender.. You will come in contact with someone businessly.. a store clerk, a taxi driver, a doctor, etc.. so yes you can talk to them if you are a lady.. obviously..

Just hold yourself in check and be a decent person about it.

Women are asked to dress decently also..

no dating, no alcohol, no partying, no disco's...

No open shows of affection between even married couples in public... We dont kiss in public... and you rarely find married couples even holding hands.. Teens dont mix in public

If you are a women and are greeting a man for some reason, its not normal to shake hands, just a simple greeting, hello, etc... unless he is westernized and familiar with western ways, he might offer his hand to shake, but you as a female, NEVER do.. Women tend when greeting another women, tend to do the over the shoulder kissing the air on either side of head.. Men will do this too with other men, but never EVER do this with the opposite gender..

Never stare at some other womens husband...

Dont take photographs of anthing with women around..

and be sensative to where you can and cannot enter.. like for example.. you as a women are allowed to go to shops, little stores, etc... but you wouldnt walk into a bank.. you might get escorted out by the guard there.. Also there are singles and family sections of restaurants.. women dont go to the singles area...

overall.. just do as you see the other locals doing.. and ask.. plenty of english speaking people that can help you.. ^_^

Answer 5

Do l**k americas *** and agree with everything they say!

Don't think about helping your muslim brothers in palsatine!

Answer 6

no alcohol and no s*x

Answer 7

there are basic general laws and rules...no alcohol, no drugs, decency in what you wear (women are encouraged to wear the black abaya which makes it easier to wear whatever you want underneath...head cover depends on the region, in jeddah you don't have to if you don't want) in mecca and medinah its very common to see women colorful traditional garments and in jeddah abayas come in so many different styles and colors even and it's not shocking to see women wearing long sleeved knee length coats over pants with a headscarf instead.

if using cameras in public...make sure you don't offend others around you...some people consider this invasion of privacy and completly rude and would give you a dirty look (some would be agressive about this in some cities especially if women are involved and will either handle this themselves and come up to you yelling and screaming or would get a security officer or a police man to tell you "taking photos is prohibited in saudi" which btw is not true and there's not a single law against it)...just don't irritate people for no good reason, take pictures just make sure you don't point your camera at a bunch of women and so on...unless you want to capture some of the "local" flavors...ask if you can, it would be easier ofcourse if you were a woman to do so than a man...kind of awkward for a man to go up to a middle aged man to ask him if you can take some photos of his wife and daughters you know!but if you have a guide with you, have him ask for you...makes it easier to accept knowing that you're a tourist "admiring" the saudi traditions and culture ;)

i know there are parts of saudi that are way more closed and strict than jeddah...so what ever i say here is refering strictly to the city of jeddah where i'm from...doesn't necessarily apply to any place in saudi arabia.

men and women mingle and interact almost everywhere in jeddah: malls, cafes, office buildings, hospitals, banks...etc. we do have the "singles" section and "families" section in some of them. so we use them, but if you entered say a bank cause you didn't notice the ladies entrance or something, the men there aould politely ask you wither they can help you and ask if there's something in particular that the ladies sectioncouldn't help you with (a polite way to bring it to your attention) but they wont kick you out..i know, it happenned to me once...i for some reason ended up going in through the male entrance and the clerk helped me out and after we finished all deposits and transfers he kindly brought to my attention that they have a ladies section right next door that could help me in the future...

men and women would be able to have decent conversations and debates if you like about anything...so we're not segrigated and forced to interact with members of our same gender only.

generally be polite and decent in both appearant and behavior.

there are parties, concerts and "disco/nightclub" like events all year round in jeddah...you just need to mingle and socialize with the local "socially active" crowd to know these things.

unlike what mintee mentioned about greetings between men and women in public, it's very common for married couples to hold hands...male and female relatives greet each other with a kiss on both cheecks even in public...(i personally did that tons of times, especially when greeting my father or brother at the airport) however i was told not to do that when in riyadh or dammam.  when meeting colleagues or friends we shake hands (unless we're meeting the man for the first time and don't get a 'good vibe'...but if the man extends his hand we'll do the same) ofcourse there are some women who follow a more strict section of islam and don't shake hands with an unrelated male...(and the other way around for religious men). same s*x greetings usually involve shaking the hand and kissing both cheeks (number of kisses and order differs)...kissing the forehead and forehand as well when greeting a respected elderly (grandparents in particular).

public displays of intimacy and affection are not culturally accepted so no "squeezy huggies" or "french kissing" plz, keep those private the way they should be...means more.

driving is insane in jeddah, we're ashamed of it as we are of our horrible streets and simply sad airport....don't let it get to you, under no circumstances should you express your rage and anger with hand gestures...avoid getting into any road and traffic fights...(a spa treatment and some yoga would help after driving...better yet, hire a driver)

do not leave any bags, purses, cells, electronics displayed clearly in the car when you get into malls or restaurants...most areas are safe but it's tempting for some teenagers and illegal immigrants to break your window and steal these in other areas (ask a local, they'll list some areas you should avoid)

lines and ques in general are chaotic.. ignored to some extent

but still they are not as bad as other parts of saudi...you still find people respecting it around jeddah..and even if someone is being an a** the people in line would give him a piece of thier mind even if employees ignore him...so don't get confused and frustrated, do what others around you are doing..if in doubt, ask.

women are blessed cause when there are long lines, people as well as employees bump them up and straight to the top of the line they go...

staring and pointing are rude...even though many do when you're not looking ;) so try to avoid them...especially to the opposite gender, could and would be misunderstood...in both a good and a bad way...

speaking to each other or on the phone in public sholdn't be too loud...it annoys and aggrivates people around you. women in particular sholdn't blast into laughter with the strongest and loudest they could physically manage...it's considered very "unfeminine" and is usually associated with women of bad reputations.

smoking is generally very common and accepted everywhere...women smoke argeela (muassel hooka) in cafes and restaurants so it's not uncommon, cigarrets are less common (used to be a taboo in public) ...if you're a nonesmoker....sorry.

tipping is very common...we tip waiters, helpers at the grocery shop..etc. SR 10 being the most common basic tip...increases depending on how satisfied you are with his service, the scale or level of place you're in, and how "poor and helpless" he seems i guess...

in jeddah we have a problem with illegal immigrants that form specialized gangs for begging in the streets...locals used to pour everything they had in their wallets when they saw a woman with bare feets and an infant begging at traffic lights or young boys with one leg missing and stuff....we learned our lesson. give one and 10 more will suddenly be at your door...giving them money is making this a lucrative business to those using them...they oragnize themselves with individuals and groups assigned to certain locations and have shifts...they even target saudis in thoubs more than they do a man in a suit...the go for jeeps and highend cars more agressivly...they kidnap kids, emputate them and abuse them for this...some will come and say they came for umrah and got robbed and need money to travel home, others will show you papers that thier old man is sick and in need of operations he can't afford...if they are poor there are centers that help them go back home, get jobs, health care or provide food and shelter if needed. so please help us and the government get rid of this issue...do not give them money. if they look too sad for you to ignore...buy them something to eat..a good meal will do them much better than a couple of riyals that'll be forced out of thier hands later that day..

during ramadan, it's polite not to eat and drink in public...but most of us don't really mind, we understand that you're not muslim and hungry ;) so don't act "too guilty" about it.

i forgot to mention that during prayer times (5 times a day) all trade and commerce activities stop so shops will close...it shouldn't really take more than 10 minutes to reopen but employees abuse this and treat it like thier own personal "break" and take up to 40 minutes...we also close from 2:00 pm till 4:30- 5 pm, the time where we have lunch and a nap at home because most students go home and working hours at the government sector is over. besides it's too hot for anyone to do anything during these hours. try your best to arrange your schedule and activities to accomodate that.

i guess these are enough for now...they'll get you around...