To evoke Saudi Arabia is to come into contact with the sacred. Single-handedly, it crystallizes the magic and the magnificence of a culture, but especially the ancestral beliefs of a global devotion.
The largest country in the Middle East in both its size and its influence, Saudi Arabia is a holy ground that marries a modernity imbued with riches and an exciting, age-old history. From the majestic coasts of the Red Sea to the shores of the Persian Gulf, this divine right of kings expands with dignity, as if to affirm its natural splendor and its leading role in today's world.
Traveling in these places is more than synonymous with a pilgrimage; it is a communion with nature, a tribute to all of her most beautiful offerings. The area around the ancient oasis of Tayma, the grandiloquent Nejd plateau or the monumental region of Asir quickly win over the traveler.
Sometimes desert-like, sometimes effervescent, the country provides the most noble of contrasts. Its capital Riyadh is the most eloquent symbol of this. Synonymous with garden in Arabic, it reveals itself as a giant, bright oasis in the heart of the Nejd plateau, like a brilliantly successful challenge of man vs. nature. And what can be said about Mecca, the most sacred holy city of Islam and the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad in his time? Although it retains, still today, an element of mystery about its glorious past, it remains this torch, this spiritual landmark for billions of faithful worshipers.
Looked at more closely, it is easy to understand the worship dedicated to this hallowed ground, as it expresses in the most unique way in the world, the will of man to reach heaven. In the land of black gold, the real richness is ultimately quite different.
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