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Saudi Arabia holidays

April 2021

  • Worshippers maintaining social distance at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

    Mecca to accept only ‘immunised’ pilgrims from Ramadan

    Worshippers must be vaccinated against Covid or have recovered from the virus, say SaudisCoronavirus – latest updates

September 2015

  • Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque before the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca

    The hajj pilgrimage begins - in pictures

    More than 2 million people have gone to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for annual pilgrimage

July 2015

  • Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque during the annual haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca.

    Mecca worshippers stream their stories live on Snapchat

    #Mecca Live trends on Twitter with snaps providing insight into Saudi city closed to non-Muslims

June 2015

  • Looking down from the top of the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah.

    A history of cities in 50 buildings
    Jeddah's Kingdom Tower: how much higher can skyscrapers go? A history of cities in 50 buildings, day 50

    When finished in 2018, this monumental tower in Saudi Arabia will become the world’s first kilometre-high skyscraper. So what does it say about the future of our cities?

May 2015

  • asdf

    Architecture and design blog
    City in the sky: world's biggest hotel to open in Mecca

    The holy city is fast becoming a Las Vegas for pilgrims, thanks to the new £2.3bn megahotel that has four helipads, five floors for Saudi royalty – and 10,000 bedrooms

September 2014

  • Skyscrapers

    Only way is up for towers that touch the sky - in pictures

    Skyscrapers have captured our imagination for decades with their beauty and apparently gravity-defying structures. Here are some of the most breathtaking

October 2012

  • Abraj al-Bait

    Mecca's mega architecture casts shadow over hajj

    Towering over Mecca, this is the world's second-tallest building – and it is just a tiny part of a voracious development that has seen historic sites bulldozed and locals forced into shantytowns. As the hajj begins, Oliver Wainwright reports

August 2011

  • Jason Burke

    Cif belief
    Is Saudi Arabia finally taking an interest in its own heritage?

    Jason Burke

    Jason Burke: For years, the country has been erasing any evidence of its polytheistic, desert-dwelling past. But now, slowly, the tide may be starting to turn

November 2010

  • Cif belief
    Divine dispatches: hajj special

    Riazat Butt
    Riazat Butt: Divine Dispatches: Gold rush in Mecca; voice the Grand Mufti; environmental impacts; hajj fashion
  • British Muslims join the pilgrims at a record-breaking hajj

    Some 25,000 visitors from the UK join the millions pouring into Arafat to spend the day in prayer

  • A Muslim pilgrim looks at Mecca

    Mecca makeover: how the hajj has become big business for Saudi Arabia

    Country's religious tourism industry booming with new luxury hotels proving a huge draw for pilgrims

August 2010

  • Daniel Bent's epic journey to India by bicycle

    Backpacking adventures: real stories

    Whether you're thinking of a year out, need a career break or just an adventurous holiday, find inspiration with these extraordinary gap-year tales

February 2010

  • Hilary Mantel in 1986

    Once upon a life
    Once upon a life: Hilary Mantel

    For four years, the Booker prize-winner Hilary Mantel lived in the repressive, claustrophobic kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Until one day in 1986 when she and her husband left Jeddah and rediscovered freedom

August 2009

  • In brief

    Arabian nights | Sea fans in Saudi | Sand and snow | Flight bargains | Empty promise | A turn with a turtle

June 2009

  • In brief

    Luxury in a cave | BA back to Saudi | A square deal | Clean green safari | High camp | Room for a tenner | Pedal power

August 2008

  • Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia

    Warning over Hajj pilgrimage rip-offs

    The government has warned British Muslims embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year to be on their guard against scams and rip-offs

March 2008

  • Diving

    A new underwater kingdom

    Saudi Arabia is a controversial holiday choice but for divers it offers some of the world's last virgin coral reefs, says James Montague

October 2007

  • Empty quarter, Oman desert

    Space, the final frontier

    Want to live out your Lawrence of Arabia fantasies but can only spare a couple of days off work? Tom Robbins travels to Oman for a weekend in the Empty Quarter - 250,000 square miles of nothing but dunes.

November 2006

  • Luxury timeshares on offer at Islam's holiest pilgrimage site

    Opponents say ZamZam moneyspinner makes mockery of spirit of hajj.

September 2002

  • Tripping over ancient obstacles

    Sweltering in black nylon, Caroline Hendrie endures the religiously enforced restrictions on women to visit the heartland of Islam.

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