Portal:Saudi Arabia
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. It's borders with Jordan on the north, Iraq on the north and north-east, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the south and south-east, and Yemen on the south, with the Persian Gulf to its north-east and the Red Sea to its west. It is called "the land of the two holy mosques", a reference to Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest places. It is also referred to as Saudi Arabia (pronounced in English /ˈsɒdɪ əˈɹeɪ̯bɪə/), السعودية /ælʕɑrɑˈbiː æsːæʕuːˈdijːæ/ or, less commonly, KSA. 
 The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 (1157 A.H.) when Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab settled in Diriyah and Prince Muhammad ibn Saud (of Diriyah) agreed to support and espouse Wahhab's cause, with a view of cleansing the Islamic faith from what they considered to be distortions of Islamic practice (see Wahhabism). The House of Saud and its allies rose to become the dominant state in Arabia, first subduing Nejd, then extending their influence over the eastern coast from Kuwait down to the borders of Oman. The Saudis also brought the highlands of 'Asir under their suzerainty, and their Wahhabi forces conducted raids on the frontiers of Iraq and Syria, culminating in the sacking of the Shi'a holy city of Karbala in 1801. 
Kingdom Centre, in Riyadh, is the tallest skyscraper in Saudi Arabia. With a height of 302 m (992 ft), it is considered the 25th tallest building in the world. The tower is built on area of 94,230 square meters of land, while the whole centre is built on a total area of 300,000 square meters. The Kingdom Centre is owned by Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a prince of the Saudi royal family. The total cost of the project was 1,717 million Saudi Arabian Riyals and the contract was taken by Saudi Arabian Bechtel. Kingdom Centre is situated in Al-Urubah Road between King Fahd Road and Olaya Street in the growing business district of Olaya in Riyadh. Kingdom Centre was the winner of the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as the "best new skyscraper of the year for design and functionality". A three-level shopping center, which also won a major design award, fills the east wing. The large opening is illuminated at night in continuously changing colors. 
Did you know that a whole new city is being built on the shore of the Red Sea, King Abdullah Economic City (Arabic:مدينة الملك عبدالله اللإقتصادية), a multi-billion economic project revealed in 2005 in Saudi Arabia. This future city will be located along the red sea, around 50km north of Jeddah. The city is fairly small (55 km²), 35km in length. However, it will have huge buildings and high skyscrapers that would be important landmarks in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The project cost is about 100 Billion Saudi riyals (US$26 Billion). The King Abdullah Economic City will be a multi-stage development with construction beginning on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. This mega project will closely integrate itself into the Kingdom’s on-going drive to expand the economy, create employment opportunities for its youthful population and function as a catalyst to attract foreign investment, global trade, commerce and industry. Based on initial forecasts, the project and its several components will create up to 500,000 employment opportunities in the various industries and service-oriented companies that will open in the City. Government
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Jeddah is the major urban center in western Saudi Arabia, the largest in the Western Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city Riyadh. The population of the city currently stands at over 3.4 million. It is considered as the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and the wealthiest city in the Middle East and western Asia. Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca, the holiest city of Islam, which able-bodied Muslims are required to visit at least once in a lifetime. HistoryThe city was founded as a fishing village over 2,500 years ago, but first achieved prominence in 647 A.D., when the Muslim caliph Othman ibn Affan turned it into a port for Muslim pilgrims making the required hajj to Mecca. Jeddah was for centuries the main city of the historic Hejaz province and historic port for pilgrims arriving by sea on their pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca. At the end of the 17th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered Hejaz, including the holy city of Mecca and Jeddah. The Ottomans rebuilt the city walls of Jeddah following their victory over Lopo Soares de Albergaria's armada in the Red Sea. During World War I, Sharifs of Hejaz whom were the Ottoman commanders of the area had revolted against Turkish empire seeking independence from the ruling Ottoman Turks and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen. A few years later, King Ibn Saud, whose clan originated in the central Nejd province, conquered Mecca (1924), Medina, and Jeddah, and deposed the Sharif of Hejaz, Hussein Bin 'Ali Al Hashem, who fled to Cyprus, settling eventually in Amman, Jordan, where his descendants became the Hashemite royal family. In this way, as part of Hejaz, Jeddah came under the sway of the Sa'ud dynasty. In 1926, Ibn Sa'ud added the title King of Hejaz to his position of Sultan of Nejd. Today, Jeddah has lost its historical role in peninsular politics, historic Hejaz province along the west coast having been subdivided into smaller provinces, with Jeddah falling within the new province of Makkah with its provincial capital Mecca . Mohamed Al-Daeyea (محمد الدعيع) (born August 2, 1972 in Taif) is a Saudi Arabian soccer goalkeeper. He is currently (as of early 2006) the world recordholder for most international appearances by a male player, 181, for Saudi Arabia. Al-Daeyea was about to be signed for Manchester United in 2001 but did not get a work permit. The following year in 2002 FIFA World Cup he let in 8 goals in a group match against Germany. Al-Daeyea helped the Saudi Arabian national team reach the World Cup in 1994, 1998, and 2002. Al-Daeyea played professionally for Al-Hilal. The world's most capped international footballer whose inclusion in the Saudi Arabia squad in 2006 is seen as something of a surprise. Al Daeyea's international career looked to be over until Marcos Paqueta took over at the helm of the national squad at the end of 2005. Zaid remains the Saudi number one but Paqueta has decided to include Al Daeyea in his squad due to his immense international experience. In March the 33-year-old earned his 179th cap in a friendly defeat by Portugal but remains a strong and agile keeper who is regarded as an excellent shot-stopper. Germany will mark his fourth and final appearance in the World Cup finals although he is likely to be third choice. Despite losing his place as his country's number one, Al Deayea will be a prominent member of Marcos Paqueta's squad as he possesses invaluable and extensive experience. This Portal is maintained by WikiProject Saudi Arabia. 
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