Category: Saudi women

10 Activities For Women in Riyadh

I meant to post this on earlier but what stopped me was the Move From Hell which we experienced this week! Believe it or not we were sleeping on the floor in the new house, while our beds and foods were being held hostage overnight in the moving truck by the greedy and totally unprofessional movingRead more

Saudi Wedding Extravaganza

So I attended my first big wedding party (walimah) here in Riyadh! What an amazing experience! The second part of the wedding party celebrations can be read here. Weddings are the most important social gatherings in Saudi. Often costing hundreds of thousands of riyals, this is the time SaudiRead more

The Famous Saudi Hospitality

I experienced hands on the generous side of the Saudi people by having the chance to interact with many families through my work. At the hospital a patient would have their own private rooms and the average length of stay would be 8 days. A nurse typically works around 12 hours a day, on averageRead more

King Abdullah Starts a New Era for Saudi Women

King Abdullah has announced in his speech something monumental in regards to women’s rights in the Kingdom.  This is a historical moment for Saudi women and Saudi Arabia as a country. King Abdullah has announced that women will be allowed to vote and participate as members in the appointedRead more

Janadriyah Cultural Heritage Festival in 2011

Janadriyah Cultural Heritage festival of Saudi Arabia is held annually on the outskirts of Riyadh at the Janadriyah Village. This post depicts images from the festival in 2011. For more information about the folk festival itself, the timings and dates of Al Janadriya, check out Blue Abaya guides toRead more

Saudi Government Offices- Women’s only sections

Saudi-Arabia is a gender segregated society where government offices are no exception to the rule. Women are not allowed in the main buildings at all because their male family members are supposed to take care of most of the woman’s issues. However there are specific much smaller sections forRead more

Breast Cancer awareness in Saudi-Arabia and pink abayas

This month is international Breast Cancer awareness month and it can be seen in Saudi-Arabia as well. A National Awareness Campaign to Combat Breast Cancer has been inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to coincide with international Breast Cancer Awareness month. The campaign is led by PrincessRead more

King Abdullah- the Emissary of Saudi Women

King Abdullah was recently chosen as one of the world’s top 10 most respected leaders by Newsweek. This might come as a surprise to some since his actions do not usually make big headlines internationally. Nevertheless in the past few years he has accomplished a lot for women in Saudi-ArabiaRead more

Cultural comparisons-moving houses

I thought it would be interesting of making a comparison between the Saudi and Finnish cultures every once in a while. They tend to be each others opposites sometimes! These posts are not intended to be taken too seriously. I’ve written them with a dash of humor with them so please readRead more

Underneath the abaya, there’s a different story!

I often get asked the question what do women in Saudi-Arabia wear under the abaya? Doesn’t it get terribly hot under the abaya? How does it feel to be forced to wear abaya? Isn’t it horrible for western women to have to wear abayas everywhere? What are abaya fabrics made of? Do SaudiRead more