Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
book garnered surprising praise from Arab intellectuals, while eliciting howls of disap-
proval from Saudi conservatives, scandalised by its frankness.
BOOKS ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA
Some of the following titles are available from any branch of Jarir Bookstore. Those that aren't are probably
banned inside the Kingdom, for obvious reasons.
»
Wilfred Thesiger,
Arabian Sand
s: if you only read one book about about the early explorers, make it this one.
»
Charles M Doughty,
Travels in Arabia Deserta
: a rival to Thesiger's meditations on the Bedouin and their
desert home.
»
Marcel Kurpershoek,
Arabia of the Bedouin
: a nuanced account of a Dutch diplomat's search for the magic of
poetry among Bedouin nomads.
»
Ionis Thompson,
Desert Treks from Riyadh:
excellent for excursions around the capital.
»
Kathy Cuddihy,
An A-Z of Places and Things Saudi
: contains everything from the
abeyya
and Islamic banking
to an overview of key places around the kingdom.
»
Sandra Mackey,
The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom:
a searing expat account from the early 1980s.
»
John R Bradley,
Saudi Arabia Exposed
: another insider account from a respected journalist.
»
Robert Lacey
Inside The Kingdom
: gripping and succinct analysis and probably the best (and most frightening)
overview available of the Kingdom today.
»
Saddeka Arebi,
Women and Words in Saudi Arabia
: fascinating insight into the world of Saudi women.
»
Rajaa Alsanea,
Girls of Riyadh
: sensational first novel that lifts the lid on the lives of young Saudi women.
Of the coffee-table books,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
, published by the Supreme Commission of Tourism, makes
a great pictorial souvenir. Other glossy tomes include
The Traditional Architecture of Saudi Arabia
, by Geoffrey
King, and the beautifully produced
Travellers in Arabia - British Explorers in Saudi Arabia
, edited by Eid al
Yahya, which includes maps and evocative photographs.
Architecture
Saudi Arabia boasts a fine palette of traditional stone and mudbrick architecture - Al-Ula
and the abandoned city of Dir'aiyah are probably the best examples. Mud-fortress archi-
tecture finds its most enchanting expression in Najran in southwestern Arabia. Elsewhere,
so much has already disappeared beneath the modernising steamroller, or is deteriorating
fast. However, restoration projects backed by members of the royal family are success-
fully preserving some interesting architecture. A growing awareness of Saudi culture and
history beyond Islam is being fostered by King Abdullah and 60 new museums are sched-
uled to open across the Kingdom during the next decade, mostly in restored traditional
buildings.
