Urban historical village in southern Saudi Arabia The original inhabitants of cities and villages are known as () sedentary people; they settled in villages, towns and cities across Saudi Arabia. Some of the famous cities of the past and some still remain were
Al-Ahsa,
Qaryat al-Faw,
Dumat al-Jandal,
Al-Ukhdud,
Al-Ula,
Diriyah,
Ha'il,
Jeddah,
Manfouha,
Mecca,
Medina,
Qatif,
Madain Saleh,
Tabuk,
Taif,
Tarout island,
Tayma, and
Thaj. Most Saudis (whether they were historically sedentary or nomadic) trace their lineage to the different
tribes of Arabia, and there are also many prominent Saudis of various origins including
Caucasian,
Bosniak (e.g. Deputy Minister at
Ministry of Tourism; Mohammed Bushnag), Southeast Asian (
Jawi) (e.g. former
minister of Hajj and Umrah;
Muhammad Benten),
Turkish (e.g.
Dr. Muhammad Khashoggi),
Central Asian (Bukhari) (e.g.
footballer;
Amin Bukhari) and
South Asian (e.g. footballer;
Abdulbasit Hindi). They are mostly from the cities of
Mecca,
Medina and
Jeddah in the
Hejaz region.
Afro-Saudi Many Afro-Saudis belong to tribes that trace their heritage to the
Hausa people and also to historical
Tekrur and
Ghana empire, this is evident in family names such as
Hawsawi (e.g. footballer;
Osama Hawsawi) ,
Fallatah, and
Bernawi. A number of members of the Afro-Saudi minority are descendants of former slaves, in particular descendants of the slaves who had been freed in 1962. Afro-Saudi activists complain that they are not given media representation and are unable to find opportunities to improve their social condition. Many suffer from racial discrimination in employment and education. Many Saudis view them as inferior.
Bedouins A portion of the original inhabitants of the area that is now Saudi were known as
Bedouin (nomads) (). They remain a significant and very influential component of the indigenous Saudi population, though many who call themselves "badu" (nomad) no longer engage in "traditional tribal activities" and are instead settled. According to authors Harvey Tripp and Peter North, the Bedouin make up most of the
judiciary, religious leaders, and
National Guard (which protects the throne) of the country. Bedouin culture is "actively" preserved by the government.
Dress The religion and customs of Saudi Arabia dictate not only conservative dress for men and women, but a uniformity of dress unique to most of West Asia. Traditionally, the different regions of Saudi have had different dress, but since the re-establishment of Saudi rule these have been reserved for festive occasions, and "altered if not entirely displaced" by the dress of the homeland of their rulers (i.e.
Najd). In Saudi Arabia, women were required to cover in public. However, in March 2018, the
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman claimed that
women could choose what to wear in public, provided it met certain standards, when he stated, "The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear". Until late 2019, all women were required to wear an
abaya, a long cloak that covers all but the hands, hair, and face in public. Modest dress is compulsory for women in Islam, but the color black for women and white for men is apparently based on tradition not religious scripture. Foreign women were required to wear an abaya, but did not need to cover their hair. Many Saudi women also normally wear a full
face veil, such as a
niqāb. Women's clothes are often decorated with tribal motifs, coins, sequins, metallic thread, and
appliqués. In recent years it is common to wear Western dress underneath the
abaya. Foreign women in Saudi Arabia are "encouraged" by the religious police to wear an
abaya, or at least cover their hair, according to
the New York Times. Authors Harvey Tripp and Peter North encourage women to wear an abaya in "more conservative" areas of the kingdom, i.e. in the interior. in Riyadh. Saudi men and boys, whatever their job or social status, wear the traditional dress called a
thobe or
thawb, which has been called the "Arabic dress". During warm and hot weather, Saudi men and boys wear white thobes. During the cool weather, wool thobes in dark colors are not uncommon. At special times, men often wear a
bisht or '''' over the thobe. These are long white, brown or black cloaks trimmed in gold. A man's headdress consists of three things: the ''
, a small white cap that keeps the gutra
from slipping off the head; the gutra
itself, which is a large square of cloth; and the igal
, a doubled black cord that holds the gutra'' in place. Not wearing an igal is considered a sign of piety. The gutra is usually made of cotton and traditionally is either all white or a red and white checked. The gutra is worn folded into a triangle and centred on the head. •
Ghutrah ( ) is a traditional
keffiyeh headdress worn by men in the Arabian peninsula. It is made of a square of usually finer cotton cloth ("scarf"), folded and wrapped in various styles (usually a triangle) around the head. It is commonly worn in areas with an
arid climate, to provide protection from direct
sun exposure, and also protection of the mouth and eyes from blown dust and
sand. •
Agal ( ) is an item of
Arab headgear constructed of cord which is fastened around the keffiyeh to hold it in place. The
agal is usually black in colour. •
Abaya ( ) is a women's hijab worn by women when leaving the house. It is a black cloak that covers the entire body except for the head, although some abayas also cover the top of the head. •
Imama ( ) is a type of the
turban headdress native to the region of
Hejaz in modern-day western
Saudi Arabia; it is but one version of Arabian turbans that have been worn in the
Arabian Peninsula from the pre-Islamic era to the present day, but in general nowadays most Hejazis wear
Shumagh ( ) instead. •
Thawb ( ) is the standard Arabic word for garment. It is ankle length, woven from wool or cotton, usually with long sleeves similar to a
robe. •
Bisht ( ) is a traditional long, white, brown or black Arabic
cloak trimmed in gold worn by men. It is usually only worn for prestige on special occasions such as weddings, or in chilly weather. More recently,
Western dress, particularly
T-shirts and
jeans have become quite common
leisurewear, particularly in Jeddah,
Riyadh and the
Eastern Province. Traditional footwear is leather sandals but most footwear is now imported. ==Religion==