The Flag of Saudi Arabia

The Arabic text on the flag is the Shahadah or Creed, which is the cornerstone of Islam. It translates as "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah".

The Emblem

The emblem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consists of two crossed curved Arabian swords surmounted by a date palm.

Location

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia situated among three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. It is part of west Asia and is parallel to the eastern coast of Africa. They are separated by the Red Sea which is the main passageway to the Mediterranean that is linked to Europe and then to the Atlantic Ocean through Gibraltar.

Area and Population

The area of Saudi Arabia is 2,240,000 square kilometers. Its territories stretch between 36-34 degrees longitude to the east of Greenwich. It is between 34-32 degrees latitude. The total population is around 24,500,000 people.

Constitution of The Country

The constitution of the Kingdom is the Holy Qur’an, the book of Allah that Allah revealed to the last of His messengers and prophets, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). The Kingdom follows the Islamic Sharia (the law of the true and tolerant religion Islam), as the basis for its source of legislation and procedures. Among the most important objectives of the Kingdom at the foreign affairs level is serving Islam and Muslim all over the world to enhance pan-Arab and Islamic solidarity and to contribute to world peace and security.

The Flag and Emblem

The flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is oblong, green spreading from the mast till its end with the words of Tawheed (the testimony of Islam) “La Ilaha Ilala Allah Muhammad Rasoul ul Allah”, written with the Thuluth calligraphy in white color. Under these words, there is a drawn sward with its hilt towards the mast in white color as well. The emblem of the Kingdom consists of two Arabian swords crossed against each other, on top of them there is a date-palm tree. The two swords represent justice, power and sacrifice. The date palm represents growth, prosperity and vitality.

Official Name and National Day

The official name of the Kingdom is “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. It is called for short sometimes Al-Saudia (Saudi Arabia) or Al-Mamlakah the Kingdom. The national day falls on the first day of Libra, 23rd of September. It commemorates the anniversary of the unification of the Kingdom by the late King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud within a unified entity and a strong integrated state.

Calendar and Timing

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows the Higri Calendar, based on the date of the migration of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) from Makkah to Madinah. This calendar based on the lunar year, 12 months each 29 to 30 days. Many establishments use both the Higri and Gregorian Calendars.

Timing in the Kingdom is Greenwich plus three hours (GMT + 3).

Government Offices Timing

Official timing in the government departments is from seven to eight hours daily. It starts mostly at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. from Saturday through Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are official weekends.

In the private sector, work hours are eight hours a day. Friday is a holiday. On Thursday, there is a half-day work hour from morning until noon. Office hours distributed into two shifts in private offices from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Official Holidays

The weekend holidays in the government departments and educational institutions are on Thursday and Friday. I n the private sector weekly holiday is only on Friday. The seasonal holidays are the two holidays of the Eid Al-Futr (the feast that comes by the end of the holy month of Ramadan) about one week holiday. Eid Al-Adha, the feast that comes by the end of pilgrimage about ten days holiday.

The annual academic holiday is almost three months. It usually starts towards the end of June and ends by the beginning of September.

Official Currency

The official currency in the Kingdom is the Saudi Riyal. It is equal to one hundred halalas. Currency denomination starts with one Riyal, five Riyals, ten Riyals, twenty Riyals, fifty Riyals, one hundred Riyals, two hundred Riyals and five hundred Riyals. One US Dollars is equal to Saudi Riyal 3.75.

Transportations

A big road network interconnects Saudi Arabia. Transportation is available between and within the regions. Road transport is available by taxicabs (called limousine) and by busses. Car rental (driver not included) is also available in all cities of the Kingdom. Air transport is ideal for transportation among the cities of the Kingdom, as distances are quite long. Saudi Airlines and Sma Airlines and Nas Airlines operate domestic flights. The number of domestic airports in the Kingdom is twenty-six airports, in addition to three international airports: King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah and King Fahad Airport in Dammam. All main airports have transportation services using SAPTCO busses and airport taxicabs.

Administrative Areas of Madinag Region

The Madinah Munawarah Region comprises six governorates/cities surrounding it. These governorates are Yanbu, Al-Ula, Al-Mahd, Khaibar, Badr and Al-Hanakiya. Added to those governorates are seven main administrative centers: Wadi Al-Far’a, Al-Mlaileeh, Al-Suwaiderah, Al-Freesh, Abiar Al-Mashi, Al-Yatimah and Al-Hafr. Urban areas, villages and agricultural settlements extend all over the region.

The Governorate of Al-Ula

It is divided into two parts; Al-Ula (Dedan), the well known holy area and Al-Ula (Al-Hijr) known as Madain Saleh, full of famous archeological ruins. It is 450 kilometers north of Madinah on the international road to Tabuk, Jordan and Syria. It comprises 14 administrative centers: \ Shallal, Al-Najeel, Al-Hajar, Al-Thalath, Al-Abraq, Al-Berika, Al-Ward, Al-Fargha, Al-Slailah, Al-Nashifa, Al-Hajar, Abu Raka, Al-Azeeb, Moghira and Fadala. The governorate is famous for its diversified economic activities like agriculture, tourist resources and metallurgy. Its location on the international road gives it a potential growth in the field of services. There are areas that can support environmental tourism like Jabal Dukhan, Herrat Ouerud and Jabal Nahr.

Noble Lineage of The Holy Prophet (PBUH)

He is Muhammad (PBUH) ibn (son of) Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib named (Shaibah) ibn Hashim named (Umar) ibn Abdimanat named (Al-Mogirah) ibn Qusai named (Zaid) ibn Kelab named (Hakeem) ibn Murrah ibn Ka’ab ibn Lu’ai ibn Ghalib ibn Fehr (he is Quraish) ibn Malik, ibn Al-Nadher ibn Kenanah ibn Khuzaimah ibn Mudrikah named (Amer) ibn Elyas ibn Mudhar ibn Nizar ibn Ma’ad ibn Adnan. Adnan is descended from Ismail ibn Ibrahim (PBUH).

The mother of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is Sayedah Aminah Bint Wahab ibn Abdimanat ibn Zuhra ibn Kelab, the fifth grandfather of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) day and night forever and ever.

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