When Saudi Arabia is mentioned in Uzbekistan, holy places of pilgrimage come to mind. The largest of these is Mecca – the official name is Makkatul mukarramah (the blessed Mecca). The city is home to the main shrine and qibla of Muslims around the world – the Kaaba and Masjid al-Haram.
Many new buildings and facilities are being built in Mecca in order to improve the quality of services for pilgrims. In 2010, the first metro was opened in Mecca, in 2012, the construction of one of the largest skyscrapers in the world – Abraj al-Bait – was completed. Its tallest building, the Royal Clock Tower, has the largest and tallest clock in the world.
Mecca has a local population of over 2 million, and more than 2 million pilgrims visit the city during the Hajj season itself.
Medina, officially known as Al Madinatul-munawwarah (the radiant city), is the second holiest city for Muslims after Mecca. The population is about 1.5 million.
The Quba Mosque is not far from the Nabawi Mosque. As the first mosque in the history of Islam, it is considered valuable for Muslims.
Millions of Muslims who come for Hajj and Umrah every year also visit Madinah to visit Nabawi Mosque.
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and the largest city in the kingdom. The name of the city means “gardens”, the population is more than 7 million people.
Here are the residences of the Saudi king and princes, as well as central government offices. There are no industrial buildings in the capital, but there are a lot of domestic and service buildings, universities, museums and scientific centers.
There are many offices, luxury apartments and restaurants in the Royal Center, a symbol of modern life in Riyadh. The 99-story building “Burj al-Mamlakah” is the tallest building in the city, its height is 302 meters.
AlUla is an oasis located in northwestern Saudi Arabia, 350 km north of Medina.
Scientists have found traces of Neolithic life in the oasis. Due to its importance in trade, some Arab tribes lived in the oasis until the beginning of the 1st century BC.
In this area registered by the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is developing tourism by establishing natural, tourist and cultural parks.
Since 2018, the “Winter in Tantor” festival has been held in AlUla. The largest glass building in the world – the Maria concert hall – was built here.
It is covered with reflective glass panels on all sides. The area of the glass facade is 9,740 square meters.
The rocks in the oasis have been shaped by the wind for many years.
Also, large palm groves can be found in the kingdom.
The main part of the kingdom consists of deserts, and on both sides of the country, there are large bodies of water – the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
