There are several interesting aspects of living in Saudi, but arguably one of the most unique is the fact that I can't drive. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving. Fortunately, the company Ben works for provides cars and drivers. (Ben also doesn't drive over here as the company considers the driving conditions unsafe.)
So if I want to go somewhere, I call the dispatcher and arrange for a ride. It is generally a minimum 20 minute wait for the car to come, although it's best to arrange rides a couple hours ahead of time so that you don't have the unlucky situation of calling and all of the cars are already booked (doesn't happen too often).
Generally the car that picks us up is a while Toyota Land Cruiser. Saudis seem to have a thing for white cars as there is an abnormally high percentage of white cars (as well as Toyotas) in this country. (See picture.)
In fact, I still remember the first time I went to the grocery store by myself. When I exited I started to panic. . . which white car is mine? And what exactly did my driver look like again? (The drivers generally drop you off at the door and then go park after you walk in.) Fortunately my driver was watching for me and remembered what I looked like!
Living in this country is definitely a mix of benefits and drawbacks. For me, the driving situation is one of the things I don't feel I've totally adjusted to yet. Before I came, I thought it would be weird to always have a driver (ie stranger) in the car. Ironically this hasn't really bothered me. Sometimes it is nice to just ride quietly with someone else thinking about driving. When riding with the kids, it is nice to talk to them and listen with my full attention. (I'm also not allowed to sit in the front passenger seat since I'm not married to the person who is driving.) And on longer drives we've had some nice (although at times heartbreaking) conversations with the drivers and have been able to learn more about their home countries and the families they left behind to come to work in Saudi.
But. . . the part that is hard for me has been the loss of freedom. It is hard for me to not have a car that I can just jump in and go whenever/wherever I'd like. I dislike the feeling of 'asking permission' (ie calling the dispatcher) before I go anywhere. I also miss being able to be a bit more spontaneous. For example, one weekend evening--spur of the moment--we decided it would be fun to go out to eat. We called for a ride only to find that a driver wouldn't be available for 3 hours. Since the kids would be in bed by then, we had to stay in for the evening. While this was certainly a minor inconvenience, it still reminded me that I have lost some freedom by living in this country.
But despite the all of this being said, I am very grateful for the drivers--without them I would be even more home bound!
I had a couple friends ask me about why I've alluded to or briefly discussed in previous posts that I am covertly taking pictures when out and about in Saudi Arabia. So here's the deal. . . . In 2006 the Ministry of Culture and Information issued a decree that allowed the use of cameras in public places. But, that still doesn't mean that you can just run around taking pictures of anything you'd like.
For example, you still can't take pictures of government buildings or people without their permission. Taking pictures/videos of people without permission is considered not only an invasion of privacy, but also a violation of rights. It is particularly taboo to take pictures of women--even if they are fully covered. Apparently a picture of a woman without her face/hair covered can be used to blackmail her and/or bring shame on her family! They really do take privacy and modesty seriously over here.
And even though it is technically legal to take pictures in public areas, that doesn't even mean the local authorities/security will be aware of this law. I've read multiple stories of people who have been stopped from taking pictures by local police who claim to not be aware of the law. And a few stories about people who almost had their camera equipment confiscated, and others that had to show that they had deleted the pictures from their camera.
It is definitely not culturally acceptable to walk around with a camera snapping pictures as you go. Even the younger generation who have their phones seemingly attached to their hands aren't using the camera feature except on rare occasion. It's something I've been looking for, but since I've been in the country I've seen maybe a handful of people taking a picture--always with their phone. I haven't seen one 'real' camera (SLR or pocket camera) used outside of a compound over here.
So I do like taking pictures, but I also try to be very discreet and not include locals in my pictures. I certainly wish I could walk around with my nicer camera snapping away, but I'm ok settling with taking discreet pictures on my phone so that I can respect the local culture and not draw unwanted attention to myself.
Although, sadly the laws may change soon making it harder to take pictures and video in public places. I ran across THIS article the other day. I'd really hate to see anything that makes it even harder to take pictures in this country!
To be honest, I didn't know that much about Islam before I moved over here--what I did learn about it in World Geography and Cultures class in junior high is long forgotten! And I still don't know a lot, but I've learned a little more about it in an effort to understand the culture over here.
So, some of the things I've learned . . . . The foundation of Muslim life is the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the five basic acts in Islam and are considered mandatory by believers. The five pillars are 1. Shahadah--a declaration of faith concerning God and Muhammad 2. Salat--ritual prayer 5 times a day 3. Sawm--fasting and self-control during the month of Ramadan 4. Zakat--giving 2.5% of savings to the poor and needy 5. Hajj--pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life.
The pillar that affects daily life the most, not only for the Muslims but also for us living here, is salat or the prayer/worship times. There are 5 daily prayers, and the specific times of the prayers are based on movements of the sun.
1. Fajer--first light of dawn (approx 1 1/2 hours before sunrise)
2. Dhuhr--after mid-day has passed and the sun is starting its downward movement
3. Asr--in the late afternoon (traditionally determined based on shadow lengths)
4. Maghrib--just after sunset
5. Ishaa--night prayer (1 1/2 hours after sunset when it is dark)
Before praying, a Muslim mush perform a ritual washing--called wudu or 'purification'. (HERE is a link that explains the process.) The salat (prayer/worship) is done while facing the direction of Kaaba in Mecca, and the prayer consists of the repetition of prescribed actions (see picture below) and words. The number of obligatory repetitions varies based on time of day and other circumstances.
Although a Muslim may perform their prayer anywhere (for example outside at the park or in their office) it is preferable to pray in the mosque because the mosque allows for fellowship. You don't need to go to a particular mosque for salat; there are mosques everywhere making it easy to go to one no matter where you are in the city. Most are small and simple, although some are large and ornate. Prayer is obligatory for Muslims unless they are disabled, prepubescent, ill, pregnant, lactating, menstruating, elderly or traveling on a long journey. (**See the first comment below for some clarification on this point.**)
Below is a picture of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque that we were able to visit in Abu Dhabi. If you use a magnifying glass, you can see Ben and the kids at the top of the stairs (slightly off-center to the right).
So, what does all of this mean for us as non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia? Although we don't observe the prayer times by going to the mosque to pray, we do still need to be aware of the prayer times since basically everything closes down during prayer time (banks, hospitals and airports excluded). A few other exceptions. . . Although 'sit-down' restaurants lock their doors during prayer time, as long as you are in the doors before they lock them most restaurants in our area (liberal by Saudi standards) will serve you during prayer (ie you can order and they will bring you food). And yes, they will unlock the doors and let you leave if you finish during prayer time. :-) Fast food restaurants and food courts don't allow you to order food during prayer time, but you can stay and eat if you already have food before they close for prayer. Some grocery stores allow you to stay inside if you are in before they close the doors, although you have to wait until prayer ends before the registers open and you can pay for your food and leave.
Whenever we are talking about going anywhere, the first question is always "when is prayer time?" Because the prayers are based on sun movements, they change by a little bit everyday. So right now (during winter when the days are shorter) the last 4 prayers of the day come pretty close together. . . right now roughly noon, 3pm, 5pm and 7pm). The stores lock their doors to people coming in and start clearing people out approximately 20 mins before prayer starts, and then it lasts for approximately 30 mins, so the stores can be closed for 45 mins to an hour per prayer.
So you have to make sure you time your errands appropriately and it is hard to do lots of errands at once since inevitably you will run into a prayer time and be stuck outside somewhere! Fortunately in the modern day we have apps that can help make planning easier. :-) I think a prayer app that tells you the times for the day based on your location is one of the first things everyone puts on their phone once they get over here.
Trying to go anywhere between those afternoon/evening prayers is crazy since there are a lot of people all trying sneak a little shopping or eating in between prayers. On Fridays (the Muslim holy day), most stores do not open until 4pm, and on Saturdays stores are often closed from noon to 4pm. (Some stores actually close everyday from noon to 4pm.) This helps avoid some of the open/close madness. Restaurants seem to get very busy about 25 to 30 mins before prayer starts since people often like to sit and eat during prayer time.
Other than using your phone, Muslims know to go to a mosque for prayer when they hear the adhan or prayer call. The person doing the prayer call--traditionally from the minaret--is called the muezzin. The prayer call seems to happen about 10 minutes before the prayer time. Then a second called the iqama summons the Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers.
Traveling in United Arab Emirates and Oman we only ever noticed hearing the first call to prayer, not the second one. Also, we didn't ever notice any stores, restaurants, museums or attractions closing for prayers. Although if they were closed, it was generally from noon to 4pm and not based on specific prayer times.
Since it is hard to describe what salat sounds like, check out the video (less than a min) to get a small taste of what it is like. The prayer call actually lasts for several minutes. This video was taken from the roof (of our old house) facing east at the maghrib (sunset) prayer time. In the video, the main prayer call you hear is from the mosque closest to us, but you can also hear the calls from other nearby mosques competing a little bit.
The prayer call definitely has a little bit of an eerie sound to it, but it has grown on me over time. There really are mosques everywhere though, (you can spot 5 minarets from the roof) and I don't know that it is possible to be outside somewhere in the city and NOT hear the call to prayer. . . although that's the idea so I guess they are effective. :-)
Saudi Arabia is officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but is often referred to as simply "The Kingdom", "Saudi" or "KSA".
It was officially founded in 1932 and has been an absolute monarchy since then. The Quran and the Sunnah (the traditions of Muhammad) are the country's constitution and the primary source of law.
The capital (and largest) city is Riyadh. The official language is Arabic, and the official religion is Islam. No other religion may be openly practiced--this includes wearing or displaying religious symbols such as crosses.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world which bans women from driving. This year (2013) women were given the right to publicly ride bicycles--but only in recreational areas and accompanied by a male relative. Single women (local or foreign) are never allowed to be accompanied by a non-related male.
Alcohol, pork products, and pornography are forbidden. (Keep in mind that a woman wearing a t-shirt and knee length shorts would be considered 'porn' in Saudi--so essentially all Western books, movies, magazines, etc fall into this category.)
There are no movie theaters or other forms of public exhibition of films.
Water and dirt are more expensive than oil/gas.
The weekend is Friday (the holy day for Muslims) and Saturday.
Five times each day, Muslims are called to prayer from the mosques. Stores close to observe the prayer times. A few of the large stores (such as grocery stores) and most restaurants won't require everyone to leave, but the registers close and no one can enter the store during prayer time.
Two of the most holy cities in Islam are in Saudi Arabia (Mecca and Medina). Non-Muslims are not allowed to visit these holy grounds.
Football (soccer) is the national sport. Other popular sports include scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing, camel racing and falconry.
It is illegal to practice any form or sorcery or magic, and there is even a special police force for catching witches. Not surprisingly, Harry Potter is banned in the country.
They use the Islamic/Muslim/Hijri calendar (concurrently with the Gregorian calendar). It is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days, and it is used by Muslims to determine the proper days on which to observe the annual fast (Ramadan) and to attend Hajj. The current Islamic year is 1436 AH and runs from approximately 3 Nov 2013 (evening) to 23 Oct 2014 (evening).
Education is free at all levels. The government spends about 25% of its budget on education. A large part of the curriculum at all levels is devoted to Islam, and classes (and sometimes even schools) are segregated by gender.
The government provides free health care for citizens and does not collect income or sales tax (even from foreigners).
These are just a few interesting facts about Saudi Arabia. If you are curious to learn more, Wikipedia had a good article on Saudi Arabia.
