Culture & Identity of Saudi Arabia
WARNING: Terrorist threats linger in Saudi Arabia, please read this travel warning before going!
Introduction
Life in Saudi Arabia is heavily based on their Islamic faith as this religion dictates many rules and laws, truly dictating how most of the people live. However, the oil industry is also changing the way of life, particularly in the form of work schedules and income.
Islam's home is Saudi Arabia and the people and country are very conservative Muslims. The lives of many people revolve around religious obligations, such as Friday prayer, and the five daily prayers. The religion also forbids alcohol as well anything provocative in nature, meaning there is little nightlife and movies and graphic novels are also outlawed, giving the country a very muted entertainment scene. Strict rules on dating and associating with the opposite sex also restricts the social life in the country.
However, the many restrictions are a way of life in the country and for many this isn't much of an issue since they have experienced nothing different and family is the center of life so there is little need to go out with friends, although many people may desire to.
Today the oil industry is changing the country though. This valuable natural resource is providing a large number of jobs in the country and is also giving the people are more regular working schedule, while also urbanizing the population. Today over 80% of the people live in cities and many have regularly-scheduled jobs. Most jobs begin at about 7:30 am and end at about 3:00 pm. However, Islam's holy day is Friday so the work week in Saudi Arabia is from Saturday to Wednesday with Thursdays and Fridays off.