Saudi Arabia Travel - One Day in Riyadh 🇸🇦

I have a photo tag. Stepped out of the hotel. This is the first day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A country that was formerly closed to tourists is now more or less opening up. Part of the Prince's Vision 2030 program. Going to get an Uber, which is apparently one of the best ways to travel around the city. To the center, so kind of on the edge. Let's see where it's going. Because of the importance of religion in Saudi Arabia, I decided to first visit a mosque. To get a sense of the role of Islam in this country. I just visited the mosque, the King Khalid Grand Mosque. Full name, I think. It's one of the bigger mosques in Riyadh. During Friday prayer, which is of course always the large congregation of people. The most important prayer of the week. Stores are slowly opening back up. People are taking lunch somewhere. So I might also try to grab something. Busy place to eat something. Local after Friday prayer. Quite busy. Food seems very fresh. Let's order something. The food here is mostly Sudanese, but there are also some Indian influences. Maybe some different flavors and spices as well. Also the people that are visiting are from different countries. I'm sitting here with a very kind man from Pakistan. A very kind man from Sudan. Another kind man from Saudi Arabia. Welcome, Roland. Welcome. There you go. We're very welcome. Thank you, sir. I then decided to travel to the Kingdom Center shopping mall in downtown Riyadh. For a glimpse into modern Saudi Arabia. But when I arrived... I must say this is a bit of a surreal experience. It's Friday afternoon. Kind of right after prayer, 2 o'clock almost. I'm walking through one of the otherwise busiest shopping malls in Riyadh. As you can see, however, everything is closed. Every store in Saudi Arabia is required to shut down during prayer. Five times a day. Emphasizing the role of religion in this country. Instead of walking the nearly deserted shopping mall, I decided to travel to the National Museum and the Masmak Fortress in the south of Riyadh. Both give an insight into the history of Saudi Arabia. And are well worth the visit. Perhaps equally interesting was the small bazaar I found behind the Masmak Fortress. It's Arabic, this perfume. You must put it in the fire to smell it. Maybe three hours. Don't lose the smelling. It's very nice smelling. And it's very expensive. From 100 Riyals, maybe 30,000 Riyals. It's in the box for 30 years and more than. It's more expensive. So it's a little bit like wine. Yes, like. Different, but like it. Different, but like wine. And this one also Arabic perfumes. Oud and roses. It's very, very heavy. See. This is 150,000 Riyals. It's a big box. Yes, that's fine. It's not broken. Walking down a small shopping area near the Masmak Fortress. Dera Square. There's a lot of traditional shops selling rugs, carpets. And as you just saw, some perfume and special material. Thank you. As you can see behind me, there's a lot of people from South Asia mostly. Many are from Pakistan, Bangladesh, even from India as well. I think around 37% of the entire population in Saudi Arabia is from another country. Many people are working here for years, for years, for many years. And these guys are all taking a break from the construction site. I am working here in Saudi Arabia. Online problem Pakistan. How long are you working here? One year. Four years. Four years. Long time. Now you have a break. Lunch time. Tasty? Tasty. I've seen a lot of these areas where old mud buildings have been torn down basically. To make way for newer concrete apartments and shopping malls. It's interesting to see the contrast. So I'm now in the Uber with one of the drivers. I don't know his name to be honest. I will check it on the app later. But he's very kind. He's driving a large Toyota Land Cruiser. Mostly it's smaller cars. But this guy is, I don't know, it seems like he's a student. He's a fan of America. It's the same shopping mall that I visited earlier today. However then it was closed and all the shops were empty. The stores are about to open after prayer time. It's a unique experience to see the difference between day and night. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Riyadh. And quite worth it as well is the Kingdom Center Tower. Which is approximately 300 meters high. It's located above the Kingdom Center shopping mall and provides great vistas over the city. Riyadh of course is the capital and also political center of Saudi Arabia. People in this city take into account that things will take extra time. The final destination of the day is the Riyadh Season Festival. An event aimed to promote culture and increase tourism. It's all the way in the north of the city, so it's quite a drive. Now standing in line to buy tickets to the Riyadh Seasons Festival. The sun has set, but it's not even 6 o'clock yet. Riyadh Season Boulevard with lots of little attractions and food and kinds of stories. Welcome to our burger. Thank you. Where are you from? We are from the Philippines. Tamil Nadu? Thank you sir. We have a photo track, specialty coffee and sweets. I am very happy in Riyadh Season. And it's very good I am still here in one month and a half late. Thank you. How is the coffee? It's ok. So I'm here in Randy's Donut in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. I think one of the most popular donut stores in the Middle East. 4,000 donuts per day they produce here. In a pop-up store in a festival. They smell very good. I'm sure they taste equally amazing. Can you explain me why you're buying the donuts here? It's a great experience here. It's my first time. So that's why I'm here to see all the people here. It's a very big line. That's why I'm retired here. You look wonderful. I hope it's going to be a nice tasting. I wish you enjoy the donut. Thank you. As this first day in Saudi Arabia comes to an end, I'm trying to grasp what I've seen and experienced. The Friday prayer and the role of religion in society that is all around. The vast majority of women wearing abaya. Mostly segregated restaurants. But also the migrant workers sharing their stories. The different atmospheres in historic and modern parts of Riyadh. The enthusiasm of small entrepreneurs in the festival. And this was only a glimpse from all the things that are going on in this vast, complicated and interesting city.