Calendar and public holidays 

The Hijrah is the official calendar of Saudi Arabia. A Hijrah year has 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days each and begins 10 to 11 days earlier than each Gregorian calendar year.

• Eid-Al-Fitr is one of two official holiday periods each year. It comes at the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting) and extends for a week.

• Eid Al-Adha, the other, lasts 11 days, from the fifth to the fifteenth of the twelfth month (Dhu Al-Hijjah). This period coincides with the pilgrimage (Hajj)

• Saudi National Day is the 23^rd of September (1932 A.D.)

Banks, currency and credit cards

The Kingdom’s banking sector has developed excellent IT bases. Plenty of ATMs across the Kingdom offer wide-ranging services from cash withdrawal to utility bill payment. Saudi riyals can be easily converted to any foreign currency (dollars, euro, etc.) at local banks.

Saudi Commercial Banks

Saudi commercial banks also provide investors with various types of loans.

• Arab National Bank 
• Al Jazira Bank
• Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation
• Bank AlBilad
• National Commercial Bank
• Riyad Bank
• Saudi American Bank
• Saudi British Bank
• Saudi Fransi Bank
• Saudi Hollandi Bank
• Saudi Investment Bank.

Credit Institutions

The Kingdom has established specialized credit institutions to provide long-term loans to the vital sectors of the economy such as industry, agriculture, and real estate, in addition to supporting professions and small businesses.

• The Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) provides low-cost medium and long-term capital for industrial projects. In addition the Fund provides marketing, technical and financial advice to all Fund-financed projects to enhance their chances of success. With the issuance of the new foreign investment law, SIDF will extend its loans to projects fully owned by foreigners.

• The Public Investment Fund provides medium and long-term loans to the large-scale government and private industrial projects that Saudi commercial banks fail to finance.

• The Real Estate Development Fund provides medium or long-term loans to individuals or organizations for private or commercial housing projects.

• The Saudi Arabian Agricultural Bank provides loans and credit facilities to farmers and agricultural projects.

• Saudi Credit and Savings Bank provides interest-free loans to small and emerging enterprises as well as to Saudi craftsmen and tradesmen to encourage them to run their own businesses and trades.

• The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) is the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia.

• The most readily accepted credit cards are American Express, Visa and MasterCard.

Climate

The climate of Saudi Arabia varies from one province to another. The Kingdom lies in the tropics and the nationwide temperature averages 18°C (64°F). Local average vary considerably from 24°C (75°F) in the Western Province, rising towards the southwest until it reaches 28°C (82°F) in Jeddah and 30°C (86°F) in Jazan. In the northwest, the average temperature is 22°C in Tabuk and 28°C in Madinah, which is 850 meters above the sea level. In the Assir region in the southwest, the average temperature is only 19°C because of the high altitude. The Central Province, which is surrounded by desert, has an average of 25°C for Riyadh, 21°C in Ha’il and 23°C in Qassim. In Dhahran, the Eastern Province, the temperature is an average of 26°C. Apart from topographical factors, Saudi Arabia’s climate is also affected by tropical winds which cause monsoons in the west and southwest during the summer months. In the south, tropical continental winds blow particularly in winter often accompanied by sandstorms.

Detailed information on the climate can be found at: Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.