Country Pages

Mecca, home of the holy Mosque and the Ka'abah -- Photo courtesy of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia web site.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies a highly important position in world affairs, as it is both the heartland of Islam and the possessor of the world's largest oil and gas reserves.

Comprising most of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia covers an area approximately the same size as Western Europe. Over 95 percent of the country is desert, including the world's largest sand desert -- the Rub al Khali (or "Empty Quarter") -- in the southeast, and the Nafud which stretches across the northwest of the peninsula.

Saudi Arabia is considered to be the birthplace and spiritual center of Islam. Virtually all aspects of Saudi Arabian society are guided by Islamic ideals. The Koran is the basis of Saudi Arabia's constitution, while Shari'ah (Islamic law) is the basis of the country's legal system. Arabic is Saudi Arabia's official language and is considered a holy language by Muslims. Today, the majority of Saudi Arabians are Sunni Muslim, while a Shi'a minority is concentrated in the eastern province.

Islam's holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, are located in Saudi Arabia. Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, houses Islam's most sacred shrine -- Ka'abah -- towards which devout Muslims face in prayer five times a day. Almost 2 million Muslims make the pilgrimage (known as the "hajj") to Mecca every year. Medina is the holy burial place of the Prophet Muhammad and also attracts a large number of spiritual visitors.

-- Photo courtesy of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia web site.

Due to its natural resources and petrochemical industries, Saudi Arabian society is highly prosperous. Riyadh, the capital, and Jeddah, a cultural and commercial center, are thriving metropolises. In addition to its spiritual attractions, Saudi Arabia also contains a number of archaeological sites such as the Nabatean ruins in Madain Salah, and premium scuba diving opportunities on the coast of the Red Sea.

Since 1981, 12 grants have been awarded to U.S. scholars to pursue academic work in Saudi Arabia. Nine of those awards have been for lecturing, two for research, and one combined lecturing/research grants.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Saudi Arabia. Please also feel free to use the contact information at the bottom of this page to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
http://usembassy.state.gov/riyadh/
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, with consular information, embassy reports, latest news, and press releases. The site also includes a Press Office with links to many online journals and newspapers.

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington D.C.
http://www.saudiembassy.net/
The Saudi Arabia Embassy website with an in-depth profile of Saudi Arabia, current news and press releases, online issues of Saudi Arabia Magazine, and a multimedia page with photo galleries and links to Saudi T.V. and radio.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Saudi_Arabia.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabian Information Resource
http://www.saudinf.com/
Extensive website with detailed information about various aspects of Saudi Arabia including history, culture, government, Islam, the economy, social development, and other statistical information.

Arab Net - Saudi Arabia
http://www.arab.net/saudi/saudi_contents.html
Information on Saudi Arabia's history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/saudi_arabia/
Traveler's information on Saudi Arabia, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/sau/sau.asp
Travel site including information on Saudi Arabia's history and government, and the country's social profile and business profile.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=3584
Background information on Saudi Arabia including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Ministry of Education
http://www.moe.gov.sa/
In Arabic.

Ministry of Higher Education
http://www.mohe.gov.sa/
In Arabic.

King Faisal Center for Islamic Research and Studies, Riyadh
http://www.kff.com/framecenter.htm

King Abdul Aziz University
http://www.kaau.edu.sa/

Faculty of Marine Science - King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah
http://www.kaau.edu.sa/Faculties/MARNCOLG.htm

Saudi TV Broadcast
http://www.saudiembassy.net/RealVDO/sauditv.htm
Links to live Saudi television, Saudi Arabian radio, and Saudi Arabian Quran radio.

Saudi Press Agency
http://212.46.160.98/
In English and Arabic. The national news agency of Saudi Arabia with news stories, photographs, and links.

Arab News
http://www.arabnews.com/
Daily English language newspaper of Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh Daily
http://www.alriyadh-np.com/
In Arabic. Daily news.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001/
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

Arab Social Science Research
http://www.assr.org/
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
http://www.uga.edu/islam
A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.