Is Lionel Messi going to Die?

Of course not! It was just a news propaganda!

Just started minutes ago, a friendly match between the national football team of Saudi Arabia and the national team of Argentina.
 
In fact, this game has been globally discussed and grabbed huge publicity due to the picture captured for Lionel Messi, the best football player in the recent three consecutive years, showing a Kalashnikov pointed at him.
 

Interestingly, the well renowned sport news paper in Spain, Marca, has placed this picture in its first page.
 

On his facebook page 2 hours ago, the player wrote, "On the way to the stadium with my teammates from the Argentine National Team to play against Saudi Arabia, a beautiful and interesting country because of its culture and traditions! I hope that it's a great game!! — at King Fahad stadium .
"
The game is taking place at the mentioned staduim, which is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it also has athletics facilities.The stadium was built in 1987 and holds 67,000. It also has one of the largest stadium roofs in the world. It was a venue for matches of the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989 including the final match. The stadium is included on the football video game FIFA 13.

The cost of construction is about (650 million s.r) equivalent to $175M. The stadium's roof shades over 75,000 seats and covering an area of 47,000 square metres. The 24 columns are arranged on a circle with a 247-metre diameter. The huge umbrella keeps the sun off the seats and concourse slabs, providing shade and comfort in the hot desert climate.

Keep tuned for future interesting posts, god bless you all. 

Food Recipe: The Famous Saudi "Kabsa" with Lamb

It has been mentioned in most if not all my earlier posts. it is known and LOVED by Saudis and non-Saudis. I would like to take the privilege to introduce you the famous dish ever, The Kabsa!

It is ironic that rice cannot be grown within Saudi Arabian due to its climate conditions, yet the famous traditional main course constitutes of rice.The Kabsa is very traditional in most parts of Saudi, specifically the central region. Depending on the region, it can be made with many variations - this is just one of them - I hope to post more! Use lamb for this recipe, others have chicken instead.

Ingredients:

2 table spoons of oil

0.5 tea spoon of tomato paste

0.5-1 lbs lamb, cut into 8-10 pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 Roma tomatoes chopped tomatoes

1 pinch ground coriander salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups basmati rice (rinsed gently for 10 seconds), preferably "India Gate"

4 cups boiled water (to be used later)


Directions:

1 pour oil in a large stock pot, casserole or dutch oven. Add onion & garlic & sauté until onion is near golden.

2 Add tomatoes then stir in tomato paste with 2 table spoon of water & simmer over a low heat for a couple of minutes, or until tomato is very tender.

It would look something like this:

2 Add Lamb pieces, & salt and pepper as fit. Cook for a couple of minutes (generally until lamb is half cocked.

3 Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add rice to the pot.

Stir carefully,

Ensure that the water in no more than 1' above the rice, adjust as needed.

4 Re-Cover & simmer for 35 - 40 minutes - adding the raisins for the last 10 minutes - or until rice is tender.

5 Place the rice on a large serving dish, topped with the lamb & garnished with almonds. Serve with a fresh mixed salad - preferably with a little lime vinaigrette. Saudis like their Kabsa with a hot sauce called 'Shattah'.

Keep follow our blog for new posts, you wont be disappointed. If you like this post, please share it with your friends and family.

God Bless you all,

Riyadh: The Capital city of Saudi Arabia

Living in Riyadh is very challenging. This because of several factors such as the weather, culture, and language barriers. This is a statement that is normally sounds reasonable to many non-Saudis. In fact, in contrast, during the time I was working at a multinational company, specifically at the welfare of the United States managing partner then, he announced that after living 16 years in Riyadh it is very difficult for him and his family to go back to Texas. He claims that his wife blended so well within the culture that she might not be able to get used to the US culture. I realized that it is depending on people's personalities, perceptions and capacities, that enable them to enjoy different places. below is an overview video about living in Riyadh.
 

Although being the capital of an Islamic country, where liquor and nightclubs are not sold publicly, people enjoy visiting Riyadh because its abnormal culture, rich infrastructure, job opportunities, and shopping malls. A panoramic view of Riyadh with the capacity of zooming captures it all at the website http://www.arriyadh.com/ar/cgi-bin/localuser/eprojects/Giga/03.html . Also, here are some useful information and things to do with respect to Riyadh.

Hotels:

Ritz Carlton: Enjoying a pre-eminent address in the capital Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA.) and situated within 213,500 square meters (52 acres) of luxuriantly landscaped gardens The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh will position itself amongst the grand palace hotels in the world. Originally envisioned as a royal guest palace for visiting dignitaries and heads of state, the hotel’s stately architecture is modeled on traditional palaces and elegant Arabian residences. Native palms, 600-year old olive trees from Lebanon, and water fountains abound on the property, providing an oasis of serenity amidst the city centre. http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Riyadh/PhotoGallery.htm
 
Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre:
http://www.fourseasons.com/riyadh/

Al Faisaliah Hotel a Rosewood Hotel
Located at Al Faisaliah's 875-foot office tower that is the tallest building in Saudi Arabia. It is slightly higher than Canary Wharf, the tallest building in Britain. http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/alfaisaliahhotel/

Places to visit:

Almasmak cital:

The heart of old Riyadh, this was the fortress stormed by King Abdul Aziz and his men in their daring reconquest of Riyadh in 1902. Renovated in 2008 to an inch of its life, the mud brick structure now looks like it was built yesterday, but the museum inside does a pretty good job of recounting the story of the raid and has some fascinating photos of old Riyadh as well. Alas, the second half is devoted to extolling the greatness of the Sauds in everything from agriculture to education.
 
The Reem International Circuit is a motorsport venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located 76 kilometres (47 mi) west of the city on Hejaz road Exit 11.
This track sits on a sandy patch in a desert. It was originally named after the Khubayb Al Reem dunes, the natural habitat of a rare type of deer called Al Reem.
http://www.reemracing.com/reem/en/
 
Kingdom Centre:
Undoubtedly Riyadh's most stunning piece of modern architecture, at 305m the Kingdom Centre is the second tallest building in Saudi Arabia and quite a sight, especially when lit up at night. The centre hosts an (expensive) three-story shopping mall, with one floor reserved for women, but the main reason to visit is the 99th-floor Skybridge connecting the two peaks at a height of 300m. Best visited at dusk or after dark, from here you'll get great views over the vast and flat but well-lit expanse of the city. SR35 (Skybridge). 
http://www.kingdomcentre.com.sa/
 
First Paintball.
The 1st entertainment company is run by a highly dedicated group of Saudi Arabian young professionals. They strive to provide fun based activities and centers for the nation’s youth. The company intends to mesmerize the youth by offering exciting entertainment facilities, 1^st Paintball being the first in line.
http://www.1stpaintball.com/about/
 
Al-Khalediah Arabian Horse Festival:

The staging of an Arabian Horse Festival has been a vision of His Royal Highness, Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin AbdulAziz Al Saud for some years and now, with its inaugural event taking place in January 2008 and thereafter, the dream will come to fruition.
http://alkhalediah-festival.com/en/Home.aspx

Al Janadriya Festival:
A 10-day heritage and cultural festival that takes place every winter (dates vary) in the desert outside of Riyadh. Activities include traditional Najdi sword dances and poetry readings, the sale of local handicrafts and the world's largest camel races, with over 2,500 camels from throughout the Middle East.

Others:

Al Faisaliah Tower - Experience Observation Desk

National Museum

Al Batha area with Masmak Fort, Dirah Square and Riyadh’s oldest Souk

Riyadh Zoo

Al Faisaliah Mall

Centria Mall

Kingdom Mall - Mamlaka Mall

Dirab Golf Course

Wadi Hanifa

Al Dir’iya Old Walled City

Desert Safari

 

Restaurants: This website supports you with all your needs. the page severs similar functions that of yelps.com, with relatively fewer reviews and pictures http://www.sufrati.com/sa/ Thus, i would like to present my favorites
 
Najd Village:

Serving Saudi food in a Saudi setting (designed like a central-region village), this place is almost unique in the Kingdom. It's the perfect place to sample kasba (meat withrice), or the Najd region speciality, hashi (baby camel). The set menu includes 14 different mains, coffee, dates and even bachoor (incense). Prices are reasonable and it's much loved by locals.

Phone	+966 1 464 6530

Al-Nakheel @ Al-Khozama:

Widely regarded as Riyadh’s premier Arabic restaurant, Al Nakheel features Middle Eastern and North African specialties in an authentic atmosphere. The ambiance and spectacular views of Riyadh from the top floor of the Al Khozama Center, combined with sophisticated service, make an evening here a truly memorable experience. From April to November, Al Nakheel’s panoramic terrace is also open for an amazing al fresco dinner.http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotelalkhozama/dining/restaurants/
 
Piatto:
an exciting new chain of Italian restaurants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that offers the best of “Fresh Italian Dining” in a relaxing atmosphere with a delightful Italian menu to share with friends and family. http://www.piatto.com.sa/aboutus/Default.aspx
 
Cigar Lounge:

A badly kept secret among well-heeled 20- to 30-something Saudis as the place to take a date, it's all low-light...and discretion here. Set in the highest point of the Al-Faisaliah Tower, the views by day and night are spectacular. Snacks range from Beluga caviar to hot mezze. Drinks include coffee and non-alcoholic cocktails
http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/alfaisaliahhotel/dining/the_globe/



More information is provided by the High Commission of the Development of Al-Riaydh at their website http://www.arriyadh.com/eng/index.aspx/?1=1&menuId=36
 
Although the below site has it bias toward Riyadh, it contains some valuable information that may enrich you  http://wikitravel.org/en/Riyadh

 

 

What the Non-Saudi Arabians have to say about Saudi Arabia

 

For years, Saudi Arabia has not been recognized in the Western community. In an effort to develop an educated human resources that serves the country, the government of Saudi Arabia has granted scholarships to its high achiever citizens. In 2011, it was estimated that 100,000 of the Saudi students studying bachelor, master, or PhD are in several countries. 50% of them are perusing their education in the United States of America alone. This has not reflected positively on the Saudi part, but also on the other nations'. Due to the great exposure of diverse races and intellectual interaction between the students, people are forming somewhat accurate assumptions on Saudi Arabia. Below is a video, where people from different countries are being asked about their perception of Saudi Arabia.




I hope you enjoyed the video! I promise more interesting content in the future postings.