One thing is for sure, there’s no shortage of incredible places to see in Saudi Arabia. In this list I selected some of the lesser known, hidden gems and extraordinary places to see in Saudi Arabia. It was actually very difficult to select only 20 places out of so many options! Saudi Arabia is a […] The post 20 Incredible Places in Saudi Arabia That You Probably Haven’t Heard About appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Here’s an article I wrote about Saudi Tourism and the Economy for Internationale Politik magazine, the magazine for DGAP (Deutsche Gesellshaft fur Auswärtige Politik), German Society on Foreign Relations. IP is Germany’s leading foreign policy magazine that covers contemporary subjects from around the world. Their 03/2018 issue is about the Gulf States and the economy, […] The post Saudi Tourism and Economy appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Jeddah is just an 1,5 hour flight away from Riyadh making it the ideal weekend getaway destination in Saudi Arabia with all the cool things to do in Jeddah. Sometimes we don’t have to travel far or abroad for a relaxing weekend getaway! Saudi Arabia offers many great destinations for families to choose for a […] The post Weekend Staycation in Jeddah-Why You Should Visit Jeddah! appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

There is a brand new highway which will connect Saudi Arabia and Oman by road. Once it’s open, the road from Saudi to Oman will cut driving time by half. The border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Oman has not opened yet, so in the meanwhile those planning to drive from Riyadh to Oman must […] The post An All Female Road Trip from Saudi Arabia to Oman appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Great news for women in Saudi Arabia who are under their husbands sponsorship, and previously unable to register online to apply for Saudi driving license. There has been a problem with so called “dependent iqama” holders to apply for the driving license conversion which requires an independent Absher account. The update is that now the […] The post How Expats with Dependent Iqama can apply for Saudi Driving License appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

ستقوم المملكة العربية السعودية برفع الحظر عن قيادة النساء في 24 يونيو 2018 ويجري الآن إصدار رخص القيادة السعودية للنساء. حصلت أول امرأة سعودية على تراخيصها هذا الثلاثاء من مكتب المرور. وفي يوم الأربعاء، افتتحت المكاتب لجميع النساء اللاتي لديهم مواعيد لتحويل الرخص الأجنبية ومنها الحصول على رخصة القيادة السعودية. حصلت على رخصة قيادتي صباح […] The post دليل خطوة بخطوة عن كيفية التقديم على رخصة القيادة السعودية appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Saudi Arabia will be lifting the ban on women driving on the 24th of June 2018 and Saudi driving licenses are now being issued to women. The first Saudi women got their licenses this Tuesday from the Moroor traffic office. On Wednesday the offices opened to public for women with appointments to convert licenses to […] The post How to Apply for the Saudi Driving License (for women) appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Mysterious, remote and undiscovered, Madain Saleh is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Arabian Peninsula. The historic name of Mada’in Saleh is Hegra, or al-Hijr in Arabic. Madain Saleh is located in AlUla, in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia, some 300 kms north of Medina and 500 kms south-east of […] The post The Mysterious Ancient City of Hegra (Mada’in Saleh) in Saudi Arabia appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

I’ve been looking for a place to recycle waste in Riyadh for a long time. Probably one of the most frequently asked questions I get from readers are “where to recycle clothes, old appliances, glass, metal, batteries etc”. I must admit, one of the most shocking things for me in transitioning to life from Finland […] The post Recycle Center in Riyadh appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more

Some of you may already know that I’ve been making Saudi souvenirs as wall calendars for several years now, five consecutive years in fact! I love compiling and designing the calendars using imagery from my travels around Saudi Arabia, despite it being a huge hassle every year to produce and print them. The hardest part […] The post Saudi Souvenirs: Magic Kingdom 2018 Wall Calendars appeared first on Blue Abaya ..read more