Culture of Saudi Arabia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Architecture
2 Social norms
3 Major religions
4 External links

[edit] Architecture

Many exceptional pieces of modern architecture were created in recent times by eminent architects like Minoru Yamasaki and others.

King Fahd Dhahran Air Terminal, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency Head Office, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Prophet's Mosque Courtyard Treatment, Madinah, Saudi Arabia

[edit] Social norms

A man wearing thobe (white gown), ghutra (white headdress), agal (black ring on the ghutra), and bisht (black overcoat)

Saudi Arabia is a culturally diverse country itself, with many foreign nationals working there. Thus one will find many Egyptians, Syrians, Lebanese, Sudanese, Pakistanis, Indians, Filipinos, and Malaysians there. The dominant social norms stem from a highly-literal interpretation of Islamic texts (see "Wahhabism"), stricter than in most of the Islamic world.

The social norms of native Saudis have the external appearance of puritanical Islamic practice. Men and women typically dress in cultural and religious dress, and woman are obligated to cover their head and bodies. Mixing of the sexes in public areas is strongly discouraged. Men are not supposed to talk to the opposite sex except out of necessity.

The typical dress of the Saudi man consists of the thobe, a brilliant white gown, the agal,is a black ring that holds the scarf in place, and the ghutra, is a red and white, square-shaped scarf that covers the head. This clothing is worn by most Saudi from all social strata, although Western-style clothing is also popular among Saudi youth.

Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles on public roads. Adult men and women may not mingle in public, unless they are married or close relatives.

[edit] Major religions

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state wherein no other major religions have official status, freedom to worship, or legal protections or rights. The particular branch of Islam practiced there is known as Wahabbism.

According to the US Department of State Website, "Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy without legal protection for freedom of religion, and such protection does not exist in practice. Islam is the official religion, and the law requires that all citizens be Muslims. The Government prohibits the public practice of non-Muslim religions. The Government recognizes the right of non-Muslims to worship in private; however, it does not always respect this right in practice."

Furthermore, "Islamic practice generally is limited to that of a school of the Sunni branch of Islam as revived by Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, an 18th century Arab religious reformer. (Outside Saudi Arabia, this branch of Islam is often referred to as "Wahhabi," a term the Saudis do not use. The teachings of the reformer Abd Al-Wahhab are more often referred to by adherents as "Salafi" or "Muwahiddun", that is, following the forefathers of Islam, or unifiers of Islamic practice.) Practices contrary to this interpretation, such as celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday and visits to the tombs of renowned Muslims, are discouraged. The spreading of Muslim teachings not in conformance with the officially accepted interpretation of Islam is prohibited. Writers and other individuals who publicly criticize this interpretation, including both those who advocate a stricter interpretation and those who favor a more moderate interpretation than the Government's, reportedly have been imprisoned and faced other reprisals."