Living in Riyadh: an expat guide
What to expect when moving to Riyadh
Sprawling on a high escarpment in the middle of the Najd desert, Riyadh is the very heart of Saudi Arabia — historically, geographically, and politically. Merely a village of mud huts huddled around a desert fort barely a hundred years ago, it is now a modern sprawling city of nearly 8 million. The home of Saudi Arabia's ruling family, the Al Sauds (and yes, the country is named after them), it is the most conservative and traditional of the Kingdom's major cities.
Despite the profound and innate conservatism, the country has seen enormous changes and progress with the Saudi Arabia 2030 vision, particularly in the fields of education, business, and real estate development. First announced in 2016, Project 2030 was launched by the government to achieve increased diversification economically, socially, and culturally and reduce dependence on oil. This has led to a rapid increase in investment and business in Riyadh, with a corresponding rise in foreigners living and working in the city.
Respecting local customs
Viewed as temporary guests in the Kingdom, expatriates are expected to respect local rules and customs. Daunting and forbidding to be sure, but despite this, life in Riyadh can be a rich and highly enjoyable experience. A sense of humour and adventure is a must, as is patience and flexibility.
Compound life can at times feel like an extended stay at a Club Med, with the children looked after by inexpensive help and pools and everyday amenities close to hand. Particularly for young families, Riyadh can offer a less frenetic and easier lifestyle than home, with all the creature comforts laid on.
Is it safe to live in Riyadh?
Security in Riyadh is omnipresent, with all compounds and government buildings heavily fortified and guarded. Ramadan and religious festivals always require being extra careful, but Westerners can move freely throughout the city and the Kingdom. However, if you travel to smaller cities with little or no Western presence, you are likely to pick up a security detail, who will not so discreetly trail you to ensure your safety.
Where to live in Riyadh
The vast majority of Westerners live on compounds, with the largest ones boasting restaurants, corner shops, gyms, pools, tennis courts, and even movie theatres. The compounds can vary dramatically in ambience and amenities; it is well worth a visit ahead of time to check them out.
Some are affiliated with particular companies: for example, the Salwa Compound, located about 40 minutes from central Riyadh, is exclusively for employees of BAE. For those wanting to send their children to the British International School, the adjoining compound Al Hamra is the best choice, or the nearby Fal, Arizona, or Cordoba compounds. Those wishing to send their children to the American International School Riyadh (AIS-R) head to Al Bustan Village in the northern part of the city.
The better compounds are chock-a-block, with lengthy waitlists, and it is often difficult to find accommodation. As a rule of thumb, two and three bedrooms are the most difficult to find, while single apartments and larger `VIP' villas of four and five bedrooms are usually available, but at a steep price. Security is taken very seriously, with multiple gates and checkpoints, and national guardsmen at the gates.
Many compounds actively discourage any form of Muslim dress and forbid people from wearing abayahs and gutras on their premises, something to be aware of when your Saudi friends come to visit.
The Diplomatic Quarter
Some people opt to live in the Diplomatic Quarter (‘DQ' or Al Safarat), which sits to the southwest of town. With beautifully planted boulevards and embassies all constructed in a harmonious Najdi style, the DQ is an oasis of calm and a mecca for runners on the nearly deserted paths and walkways.
Getting started in Riyadh
Saudis run world-class bureaucracies, so your first days in Riyadh will probably involve filling in forms. Most companies escort you through the process and assign a ‘fixer' who shepherds the paperwork through the very byzantine system. Every expat needs to carry an iqama (resident permit), and visas need to be sorted out. An iqama is essential if you want to buy a car and to sign up for a mobile phone contract.
Finding domestic help
Household help is plentiful and inexpensive by Western European standards. Most maids and housekeepers come from the subcontinent or Southeast Asia and are often supporting their extended families back home. Given the large transient population of expats, there are always good nannies, drivers, and housekeepers to be found.
It is not uncommon to inherit drivers and maids with a house or a job, and compounds often have a ready list of people looking for positions. Domestic staff need to be sponsored by either you or an outside sponsor. When hiring full-time staff, do not be tempted to hire them without the proper documents. If caught, the employee will be deported after a spell in jail, and you as the employer will be liable for hefty fines.
Buying a car
When purchasing a car, suppress if you can your green tendencies and go big, both for practical and safety reasons. The testosterone-only roads are filled with aggressive (read: completely insane) drivers of large vehicles, and a big car is the best defence for you and your family. In addition, a four-wheel drive is essential for trips to the desert, a favourite Riyadh pastime. The cost of going large is minimal. In this oil-rich country, petrol is laughably cheap. Most cars sold are white or light shades, better to reflect the heat and hide the ubiquitous dust.
Money matters
The currency in Saudi Arabia is the riyal. While credit and debit cards are widely accepted, it is still advisable to carry some cash, particularly for small purchases, street markets, taxis, and tipping. All money is paper — coins are rarely used, and bills are rounded up or down at the till, with the occasional packet of gum thrown in for good measure.
Learning Arabic
The shops are staffed primarily by people from other countries. Therefore, one does not need Arabic to get around as it is rarely the first language of the person behind the counter. Conversely, this makes it very difficult to learn and practice Arabic.
Day-to-day living in Riyadh
Much of a typical expat's social life revolves around the compound: barbecues, bridge groups, tennis lessons, and children's activities. On weekends, people head out to the desert, going on hikes or quad biking through the dunes. Visits to the camel and falcon markets are also popular activities. Golf is available in town at the Intercontinental and about 45 minutes out of town at the Dirhab Country Club, you can ride horses through the desert.
Riyadh is surrounded by beautiful deserts, with camping, quad biking, and some of the best stargazing in the world, and is a short flight away from most Middle East destinations.
Shopping
Riyadh is grocery store heaven, ranging from the hypermarket-style Carrefour and Danube to the smaller American Safeway, aka Tamimi, and all have multiple branches throughout the city. Due to the large expat population from the subcontinent and Southeast Asia, you can find almost any spice, noodle, or exotic vegetable imaginable. Even though you are in the middle of the desert, fresh fish from the Red Sea is plentiful, from the more familiar salmon and sea bass to brightly coloured exotic fish.
For household items, there are the hypermarkets and Saco World or better yet, have your driver head down to the teeming area of the old city, Batha, where the expats from the subcontinent and Afghanistan congregate. Here you can buy anything from tires and remotes to light bulbs, scrub brushes, and custom suits at knockdown prices.
Souks
Souks can be found all over Riyadh in various guises, although they lack the picturesqueness of those found in Morocco or Tunisia. Congregated around the Masmak fort is the Dierah souk, where one finds carpets, gold, worry beads, and ’antiques' of the real and ‘made in India' variety, and the Clock Tower souk, featuring all things manly: desert coats, dashing robes and gutras, antique guns and piles of aromatic woods and perfumes.
Abayahs, kitchenware, and inexpensive galibiyah (kaftans) can be found at the Kuwaiti and Owais souks off Olaya Street, while the adventurous head out of town to the secondhand souk near the cement factory. Here piles of old cookers and dishwashers vie with tent furnishings and bikes.
Going to the mall
In modern-day Riyadh, with searing heat five months of the year and no sidewalks to speak of, the mall has become central to Saudi life, the favourite pastime of Saudis and non-Saudis alike. Teenagers prowl in giggling packs (single-sex, of course), and congregate en masse in food courts and cafes. Large families careen from shop to shop. Boys often have a hard time getting into the malls, as the ever-vigilant mall guards and mutaween do their best to keep them out and away from the gaggles of girls within.
Getting around Riyadh
With virtually no public transportation, Riyadh is all about the car and is criss-crossed with jammed highways night and day. The worst times for traffic are the school run hours (6-8 am, 2-3 pm) and during prayer times, which everyone takes as a signal to rush off to the next mall. After final prayer (usually around 8 pm) the streets fill with cars heading to the malls and restaurants. Saudis lead far more nocturnal lives than their Western counterparts.
If you can afford it, having a personal family driver is ideal. Not only do they whisk you to the shops and engagements, but they often do double duty as handymen and errand runners. A good driver will be able to navigate the ever-changing streets and the labyrinthine traffic patterns. There are many reliable limousine services in Riyadh that you can hire on contract or just for single trips, and compounds usually have their own fleet of drivers and cars for residents to use. Local taxis, which are white, are not recommended: the drivers rarely speak English, the meters are always 'broken', and the fares can be exorbitant. Many of the larger compounds also have daily shuttle buses to malls and grocery stores.
This is also a city with no street addresses to speak of. Many streets will have multiple names or none at all, house numbers are random, and street signs are primarily in Arabic. Houses are pinpointed by their proximity to landmarks and key thoroughfares, and invitations are always accompanied by elaborate maps and directions and an all-important mobile number so the guest can be guided in if need be.
Restaurants and eating out
Chain restaurants of the Chili's, Applebee's, and Tony Roma varieties abound and are enormously popular, although there are more and more restaurants entering the scene with gourmet pretensions.
For fine dining, most Westerners will turn to the hotels that offer fairly sophisticated fare. The more upscale hotels offer superb Friday brunches, laying on lobster, foie gras, and ‘mocktails', with special children's areas with face paint, chips, and gummi bears keeping the little ones happy. It makes for great people-watching as Saudi families while away the afternoon.
Meeting new people
It can be extremely difficult for Westerners to meet local Saudis. Saudi social life tends to revolve around the family, and because of segregation, socialising between couples rarely happens. As most expats go to international schools and live in Western compounds, it is entirely possible to live for years in the Kingdom and never make a Saudi friend. Western expats are far more likely to mingle and befriend expats from European and other Arab countries. Compounds usually have large concentrations of Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, and Egyptians, who prefer the more relaxed environment.
Holidays and travel
Although very liveable day to day, everyone needs a break from the rigours of Riyadh. Drive 20 minutes out of Riyadh in any direction, and you find yourself in the desert, sometimes rocky and flat, other times sandy, with high dunes of gold or red, or camel trails winding up the high escarpment. From November through April, expats and locals head out for picnics and overnight camping.
The city is a great base to take off to other countries too. A four-hour dash to Bahrain can find you sipping a mai tai on the beach, and a weekend skiing jaunt to Lebanon is less than two hours away by plane. Bahrain and Doha are drivable, while Lebanon, Egypt, and the UAE are only short flights away.
The last word
Riyadh is surrounded by beautiful deserts, with camping, quad biking, and some of the best stargazing in the world, and is a short flight away from most Middle East destinations.
