Saudi Arabia Top Things To Do

• Muslim visitors should take the pilgrimage to Mecca in January to see the Kaabah Enclosure, the Mountain of Light, the Plain of Arafat and the House of Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib, where Muhammad was born. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter these holy cities.

• Go shopping in the traditional souks, large department stores and mall complexes. Shopping is a much-loved way to spend time in Saudi Arabia - possibly since there are no bars, casinos, nightclubs, theatres or cinemas.

• Visit the royal capital, Riyadh, a modern city built on the site of the first town captured by Ibn Saud in 1902. The only trace of the old town that remains is the Masmak Fort and a few traditional Najdi palaces near Deera Square.

• Discover Hofuf, at the centre of the great Al-Hasa oasis, which has a strong Turkish influence and a very good camel market. The agriculture here thrives and the food is sensational.

• Explore the ornate ruins of Timna and Shiban, ancient cities resting amidst orchards of pomegranates, limes and bananas.

• Enjoy the Obhir Creek, north of Jeddah. It has good facilities for watersports, including swimming, waterskiing, fishing, snorkelling and sailing, and there are similar beaches on the Gulf coast south of Al Khobar.

• Drive (carefully - Saudi Arabia does not boast great driving conditions and has a high incidence of car accidents) down the astounding modern corniche road that winds along the sheer cliffs of the Taif escarpment to the hot coastal plain.

• Find some of Saudi Arabia's ancient crafts and skills. In Jebel-al-Qara, the potteries have been worked by eight generations of the same family.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.