A report on Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Arab world

Salah Zulfikar and Faten Hamama in the premiere of Bain Al-Atlal ("Among the Ruins") in Cairo, 1959

Excavation of a Kassite dye site on Al Khor Island

The Great Mosque of Kairouan (also called the Mosque of Uqba) was founded in 670 by the Arab general and conqueror Uqba ibn Nafi. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is located in the historic city of Kairouan in Tunisia.

Anthropomorphic stela (4th millennium BC), sandstone, 57x27 cm, from El-Maakir-Qaryat al-Kaafa (National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh)

Abbasid Caliphate at its greatest extent, c. 850.

The "Worshipping Servant" statue (2500 BC), above 1 m in height, is much taller than any possible Mesopotamian or Harappan models. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Korea.

A 1794 map depicting Catura in the Historical region of Bahrain.

Qaṣr Al-Farīd, the largest of the 131 rock-cut monumental tombs built from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, with their elaborately ornamented façades, at the extensive ancient Nabatean archaeological site of Hegra located in the area of Al-'Ula within Al Madinah Region in the Hejaz. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.

A partially restored section of the ruined town of Zubarah.

Colossal statue from Al-'Ula in the Hejaz (6th–4th century BC), it followed the standardized artistic sculpting of the Lihyanite kingdom, the original statue was painted with white

At its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) covered 11100000 km2 and 62 million people (29 per cent of the world's population), making it one of the largest empires in history in both area and proportion of the world's population. It was also larger than any previous empire in history.

Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, the founding father and first king of Saudi Arabia

A British Wilding series stamp, issued 1 April 1957, and overprinted for use in Qatar.

Traditional dhows in front of the West Bay skyline as seen from the Doha Corniche.

Map of Saudi Arabian administrative regions and roadways

Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar, administrative office of the Emir.

Map of oil and gas pipelines in the Middle-East

Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with U.S. President Joe Biden in January 2022.

King Fahd with US President Ronald Reagan and future US President Donald Trump in 1985. The US and Saudi Arabia supplied money and arms to the anti-Soviet mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan.

Two Qatari Mirage 2000s fly in formation during Air Defense Exercise.

As many as 500 princes, government ministers, and business people, including Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, were arrested by Saudi Arabian authorities as part of the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge

Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh with Bogdan Borusewicz in the Polish Senate, 26 May 2014

Ad Dawhah (Doha), the most populous municipality in Qatar.

Verses from the Quran. The Quran is the official constitution of the country and a primary source of law. Saudi Arabia is unique in enshrining a religious text as a political document.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, 21 May 2017

U.S. President Barack Obama meets King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, July 2014

Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is named after a Saudi king. The kingdom is a strong ally of Pakistan. WikiLeaks claimed that Saudis are "long accustomed to having a significant role in Pakistan's affairs".

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir with then British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (now Prime Minister) in London, 16 October 2016

Tourist resort at Banana Island in Qatar

Major Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict locations

Flag of Al-Qaeda, a transnational terrorist group formed by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian national of Yemeni and Syrian extraction who was stripped of his Saudi passport in 1994.

A proportional representation of Qatar exports, 2019

"The Saudi pilots training in Italy 1935"—a scene from 'Our Eagles', one of four video wall shows made for the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum

Saudi soldiers from the First Airborne Brigade.

Qatar Airways Airbus A380, Qatar Airways, one of the world's largest airlines, links over 150 international destinations from its base in Doha.

Deera Square, central Riyadh. It is a former site of public be-headings.

Harrat Khaybar seen from the International Space Station. Saudi Arabia is home to more than 2000 dormant volcanoes. Lava fields in Hejaz, known locally by their Arabic name of harrat (the singular is harrah), form one of Earth's largest alkali basalt regions, covering some 180000 km2, an area greater than the state of Missouri.

A proportional representation of Saudi Arabia exports, 2019

Office of Saudi Aramco, the world's most valuable company and the main source of revenue for the state

The hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims.

King Abdullah Financial Center is one of the largest investment centres in the Middle East, located in Riyadh

The news desk of Al Jazeera English, a Qatari news channel

Al-Hasa is known for its palm trees and dates. Al-Hasa has over 30 million palm trees which produce over 100 thousand tons of dates every year.

Saudi Arabia population density (people per km2)

Lusail Iconic Stadium with capacity of 80,000 seats.

The Al-Yamamah Private University in Riyadh

Student Center in Education City. Education City houses various educational facilities, including satellite campuses of eight international universities.

UIS literacy rate Saudi Arabia population, 15 plus, 1990–2015

Historical development of life expectancy in Saudi Arabia

Supplicating pilgrim at Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām (The Sacred Mosque) in Mecca. The Kaaba is the cubic building in front of the pilgrim.

Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the Islamic holy city of Mecca

Sarah Attar is a track and field athlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first two female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia.

The Masjid al-Haram is the holiest Islamic site, located in Mecca

The Mosque of the Prophet in Medina containing the tomb of Muhammad

King Abdullah practising falconry, a traditional pursuit in the country

Arabic coffee is a traditional beverage in Arabian cuisine

Uruguay – Saudi Arabia match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

The 3000-year-old ancient historical city of Dumat al-Jandal in Al Jawf Province

Jabal Sawda ({{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) located in the 'Asir subrange of the Sarat Mountains

Abha City, located {{convert|2270|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level in the 'Asir Region

Dhi 'ain village located in Al Bahah Province

The desert of Al-Rub' Al-Khali (The Empty Quarter)

Saad Khader from left and right Mohammad Al-Ali in 1979

It has a land area of about 2150000 km2, making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world, and the largest in Western Asia.

- Saudi Arabia

It occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and shares its sole land border with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf.

- Qatar

It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south.

- Saudi Arabia

Qatar has the third-highest HDI in the Arab world.

- Qatar

In Saudi Arabia, Ismailite pockets are also found in the eastern Al-Hasa region and the southern city of Najran.

- Arab world

In terms of GDP per capita, Qatar is the richest developing country in the world.

- Arab world

8 related topics with Alpha

Arabian Peninsula

4 links

Peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate.

The geographical and political boundaries of the Arabian Peninsula

The Haraz Mountains in western Yemen include Arabia's highest mountain, Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb or Jabal Hadhur near Sanaa

Ancient coins from Failaka Island, Kuwait

Sabaean inscription addressed to the god Almaqah, mentioning five Ancient Yemeni gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors, 7th century BC

Ottoman territories on the Arabian Peninsula acquired between 1517 and 1590 (See: list of territories)

The peninsula in right before World War I.

Jebel Hafeet on the border of Oman and the UAE, near the city of Al Ain. It can be considered an outlier of Al Hajar Mountains.<ref name="Gardner 01-2004"/>

The northeastern Hajar Mountains, shared by Oman and the UAE, as seen from the desert of Sharjah

The Dhofar mountainous region in southeastern Oman, where the city of Salalah is located, is a tourist destination known for its annual khareef season

The Hadhramaut Mountains of eastern Yemen, contiguous with the Omani Dhofar range, as seen from the city of Al-Mukalla

Terraced fields in the Harazi subrange of the Sarawat Mountains in western Yemen

Jabal Sawdah of the 'Asir range in southwestern Saudi Arabia, in Asir Region near the border with Yemen

The Faifa mountains in the Jazan Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia.

The Midian Mountains of Tabuk Province, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, near the border with Jordan

The Aja subrange of the Shammar Mountains in the region of Ha'il, northern Saudi Arabia

The Tuwaiq Escarpment or Tuwayr mountainous region in the Najd, southwest of the Saudi capital city of Riyadh

The old city of Sanaa, Yemen. Peninsular Arabs trace their lineage to Qahtan, who was reportedly based in Yemen.

A map of the peninsula made in 1720 by the German publisher Christoph Weigel

Ain Zubaydah was built to water the pilgrims in Mecca by order of Zubaidah bint Ja'far

Omar Mosque in Dumat al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia.

The facade of a tomb with its details and architectural elements.

Qasr al Farid, tomb in Archeological site Mada'in Saleh, Al-`Ula, Saudi Arabia

Diriyah the capital of the first Saudi state

The ruins of Umayyad city in the historic Jumeirah district of Dubai.

Bull's head, made of copper in the early period of Dilmun (ca. 2000 BC), Bahrain.

The head and body of a Saluki is made of stone from the Al-Magar civilization, in the Neolithic period, (about 8000 BC).

Geographically, the Arabian Peninsula includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen, as well as the southern portions of Iraq and Jordan.

The peninsula plays a critical geopolitical role in the Arab world and globally due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas.

United Arab Emirates

4 links

Country in Western Asia (The Middle East).

2nd century BCE era jar found in Mleiha Archaeological site in Sharjah.

A painting of the Portuguese Empire Doba Fortress in Dibba Al-Hisn in 1620.

Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th century. Main cities, ports and routes.

A painting depicting the burning of the coastal town and port of Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah during the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809.

Dhayah Fort at the hill top. In 1819 it was the last Al-Qasimi stronghold to fall in the Persian Gulf campaign of 1819. The fall of Dhayah was to pave the way for the signing of the General Maritime Treaty of 1820.

Dubai in 1950; the area in this photo shows Bur Dubai in the foreground (centered on Al-Fahidi Fort); Deira in middle-right on the other side of the creek; and Al Shindagha (left) and Al Ras (right) in the background across the creek again from Deira

Historic photo depicting the first hoisting of the United Arab Emirates flag by the rulers of the emirates at The Union House, Dubai on 2 December 1971

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the first President of the United Arab Emirates and is recognised as the father of the nation.

Roads leading to Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE (1,892 m), in Ras Al Khaimah.

Acacia trees growing in desert suburbs near Fujairah

Entrance to Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.

Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (furthest right) at the signing of the Abraham Accords.

United Arab Emirates Air Force F-16 Block 60 "Desert Falcon", taking off from the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dubai Police helicopter flying at sunset.

A man pictured with alcoholic beverages in Dubai. Alcoholic beverages were not widely available in the UAE before 2020

Dubai Police super-car motorcade at Jumeirah Road

Protest against the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, March 2018

Two south Asian blue-collar workers posing for a picture with Burj Khalifa on the background.

Dubai construction workers having lunch break.

Dubai Media City is home to diverse news and tech companies.

Burj Khalifa is the tallest human-made structure in the world.

A proportional representation of United Arab Emirates exports, 2019

Ruwais Refinery is the fourth-largest single-site oil refinery in the world and the biggest in the Middle East.

A Dubai Metro train. Dubai Metro is the Arabian peninsula's first rapid transit system and was the world's longest driverless metro network until 2016.

An Emirati folk dance, the women flip their hair sideways in brightly coloured traditional dress.

A band performs Yowlah in an Emirati wedding. Yowlah is a cultural dance derived from Arab tribes sword battles.

Arabic coffee with lugaimat; a traditional Emirati sweet.

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi

University City Hall is the largest hall located in University City in Sharjah. Graduation ceremonies of American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah, and Higher Colleges of Technology are notably held here.

Residential villas in the Palm Jumeirah palm fronds in Dubai.

It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran.

The UAE became the first country in the Arab world to reach Mars, the fifth country to successfully reach Mars, and the second country, after an Indian probe, to orbit Mars on its maiden attempt.

Middle East

3 links

Geopolitical term that commonly refers to the region spanning Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European part of Turkey), Egypt, Iran, the Levant (including Ash-Shām and Cyprus), Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), and the Socotra Archipelago (a part of Yemen).

Map of the Middle East between Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and Southern Asia.

Middle East map of Köppen climate classification.

Western Wall and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

The Kaaba, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Islam is the largest religion in the Middle East. Here, Muslim men are prostrating during prayer in a mosque.

Oil and gas pipelines in the Middle-East

Some henges at Göbekli Tepe were erected as far back as 9600 BC, predating those of Stonehenge, England, by over seven millennia. The site of the oldest known man-made religious structure.

1911 Ottoman calendar shown in several different languages such as: Ottoman Turkish (in Arabic script), Greek, Armenian, Hebrew, Bulgarian, and French.

Most Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world.

The most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area.

In 1958, the State Department explained that the terms "Near East" and "Middle East" were interchangeable, and defined the region as including only Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Arabic

3 links

Semitic language that first emerged in the 1st to 4th centuries CE.

The Namara inscription, a sample of Nabataean script, considered a direct precursor of Arabic script.

Arabic from the Quran in the old Hijazi dialect (Hijazi script, 7th century AD)

The Qur'an has served and continues to serve as a fundamental reference for Arabic. (Maghrebi Kufic script, Blue Qur'an, 9th-10th century)

Coverage in Al-Ahram in 1934 of the inauguration of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, an organization of major importance to the modernization of Arabic.

Taha Hussein and Gamal Abdel Nasser were both staunch defenders of Standard Arabic.

Flag of the Arab League, used in some cases for the Arabic language

Flag used in some cases for the Arabic language (Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz 1916–1925).The flag contains the four Pan-Arab colors: black, white, green and red.

Arabic calligraphy written by a Malay Muslim in Malaysia. The calligrapher is making a rough draft.

It is the lingua franca of the Arab world and the liturgical language of Islam.

Gulf Arabic, spoken by around four million people, predominantly in Kuwait, Bahrain, some parts of Oman, eastern Saudi Arabia coastal areas and some parts of UAE and Qatar. Also spoken in Iran's Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces. Although Gulf Arabic is spoken in Qatar, most Qatari citizens speak Najdi Arabic (Bedawi).

Bahrain

2 links

Island country in Western Asia.

A 1745 Bellin map of the historical region of Bahrain

Map showing the locations of the ancient burial mounds. There are an estimated 350,000 burial mounds.

The Persian Empire in Sassanid era on the eve of the Arab conquest, c. 600 AD.

Facsimile of a letter sent by Muhammad to Munzir ibn-Sawa al-Tamimi, governor of Bahrain, in AD 628

The Portuguese Fort of Barém, built by the Portuguese Empire while it ruled Bahrain from 1521 to 1602.

Arad Fort in Arad; constructed before the Portuguese assumed control.

Purple – Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th centuries. Main cities, ports and routes.

This photograph shows the coronation of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the Hakim of Bahrain in February 1933.

A photograph of the First Oil Well in Bahrain, with oil first being extracted in 1931

Satellite view of Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia in 2016.

Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Bahrain.

Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain

of the Royal Bahraini Navy taking part in a multilateral sea exercise

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa meets U.S. President Donald Trump, May 2017

Bahraini protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family in 2011

Several people held a sit-in in solidarity with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab

A proportional representation of Bahrain exports, 2019

The cities of Muharraq (foreground) and Manama (background)

The Tree of Life, a 9.75 meters high Prosopis cineraria tree that is over 400 years old

The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space

Bahrainis observing public prayers in Manama

Female students at the University of Bahrain dressed in traditional garb

Ambulance in International Hospital of Bahrain

The Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa house is an example of traditional architecture in Bahrain.

An artisan making pottery using the traditional mud and water mixture on a revolving wheel.

The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on June 10, 2009, in a World Cup qualifier

The podium ceremony at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway.

Members of the municipality were elected annually; the municipality was said to have been the first municipality to be established in the Arab world.

Arab League

1 links

Arab League of states establishment memorial stamp. Showing flags of the 8 establishing countries: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (North Yemen), Syrian Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Lebanese Republic and Palestine

Joining dates of member states; the Comoros (circled) joined in 1993.
1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s

Administrative divisions in the Arab League.

Recognition of both Israel and Palestinian State
Recognition of Palestinian State only

The Arab League (الجامعة العربية, al-Jāmiʿa al-ʻArabiyya ), formally the League of Arab States (جامعة الدول العربية, Jāmiʿat ad-Duwal al-ʿArabiyya), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, and Western Asia.

The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 initially with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (renamed Jordan in 1949), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

As of 2013, a significant difference in economic conditions exist between the developed oil states of Algeria, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, and developing countries like the Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Al Jazeera

1 links

Wadah Khanfar, former Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera (الجزيرة,, "The Peninsula") is the state-owned Arabic-language international radio broadcaster of Qatar.

The channel has been criticised by some organisations as well as nations such as Saudi Arabia for being "Qatari propaganda".

Another competitor is Al Alam, established in 2003 by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, which broadcasts continuously. It seeks to address the most challenging issues of the Shia Muslim and Arab world and the Middle East.

Muslim Brotherhood

0 links

Transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928.

Muslim Brotherhood fighters in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War

Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with then-Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, May 2013

A group of pro-Brotherhood protesters holding the Rabia sign and making the associated gesture during a pro-Brotherhood protest held in October 2013.

Erdoğan performing the Rabaa gesture (which is used by Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt protesting against the post-Brotherhood authorities)

It remained a fringe group in politics of the Arab World until the 1967 Six-Day War, when Islamism managed to replace popular secular Arab nationalism after a resounding Arab defeat by Israel.

Persian Gulf monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates followed suit, driven by the perception that the Brotherhood is a threat to their authoritarian rule.

Today, the primary state backers of the Muslim Brotherhood are Qatar and Turkey.