For those who will perform pilgrimage this year or in the coming years, the following is a collection of useful facts about Saudi Arabia.
Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Capital: Riyadh
Major Cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam
Holy Cities: Makkah, Madinah
Weather:
September : Makkah (Min 26°C/29°C – Max 42°C); Madinah (Min 26°C/30°C – Max 40°C/43°C); Jeddah (Min 25°C/27°C – Max 37°C).
October: Makkah (Min 25°C/28°C – Max 37°C/42°C); Madinah (Min 20°C/26°C – Max 33°C/40°C); Jeddah (Min 24°C/25°C – Max 35°C/37°C).
Official Language: Arabic (English is the second language)
Business and Banking Hours: 8/9 am – 4/5 pm Sun-Thu (subject to change during Ramadan)
Shopping Hours: 10 am – 1 pm, 5 pm -10/11 pm (may change during Ramadan), Supermarket and Pharmacy have longer hours. The shops will be closed for 30-45 minutes in every prayer time.
Weekend: Friday and Saturday
Currency:
Saudi Riyal/SAR (Notes in One, Five, Ten, Fifty, One Hundred, and Five Hundred denominations; Coin: Five, Ten, Twenty Five, Fifty, One Hundred Halala).
Currency Exchange Rate (per August 2014):
1 British Pound Sterling (GBP) = 6.22 SAR
1 Canadian Dollar (CAD) = 3.44 SAR
1 Euro (EUR) = 4.94 SAR
1 Indian Rupee (INR) = 0.06 SAR
1 Indonesia Rupiah (IDR) = 0.0003 SAR
1 Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) = 1.19 SAR
1 Unites States Dollar (USD) = 3.75 SAR
Electricity: 110V and 220V
Country Code: +966
City Codes: Riyadh (011); Jeddah and Mekkah (012); Dammam, Dahran, Alkhobar, Jubail (013); Madinah and Yanbu (014); Abha and Najran (017).
Telephone Service Provider: STC, Mobily, and Zain
Transportation:
Air: Saudia Airlines, NAS Airlines
Inside the city: Taxis
International Airport:
Jeddah: King Abdul Aziz International Airport
Madinah: Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport
Riyadh: King Khaled International Airport
Dammam: King Fahad International Airport