10 Must Read Saudi Blogs

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Here is a list of ten blogs that I think one should read in order to get a sense of the Saudi blogosphere and feel the real pulse of streets in the country. This is strictly my opinion; if you think there are other blogs that should have been included in the list please do leave a comment or, even better, you can make up your own list and post it on your blog. Note: blogs from 1-5 are in Arabic, while those from 6-10 are in English, however, the list is absolutely in no particular order.

‬1.‭ ‬Heaven’s Steps‬:‭ ‬Hadeel al-Hodhaif is one of the few‭ (‬the only‭?) ‬Saudi female bloggers to use her real name online.‭ ‬Her blog was mentioned on several big websites such as‭ ‬BBC Arabic, and she was interviewed on Al Jazeera‬.‭ ‬Earlier this year,‭ ‬Hadeel was invited to speak at a media conference in Oman,‭ ‬where she talked about her experience in the Saudi blogosphere.

‬2.‭ Mashi97‭:‬ ‬Khaled al-Nassir’s frankness and courage have gained him popularity in a short time,‭ ‬but also cost him a temporary brief absence after writing some fierce posts a few weeks ago.‭ ‬Fortunately,‭ ‬he is back now,‭ ‬with a much cooler head‭ ‬:-‭)

‭3‬.‭ A Tribe Called Sarah: ‬This blog,‭ ‬written by a student studying in Bahrain,‭ ‬is a homogeneous mixture of love,‭ ‬poetry,‭ ‬and humor.‭ ‬Many readers feels that Sarah’s memoir-style blog is some kind of a novel in the making.

‭4‬.‭ MagicKingdom‬:‭ Mohammed’s blog does not only ask good questions and start interesting conversations, but also offers a much needed view on the scene of culture and arts in the country.

‭5‬.‭ Entropy.MAX: ‬Entropy has been blogging for only few months,‭ ‬but over that short time she has proved what an outspoken,‭ ‬articulate blogger she is.‭ ‬It is not only about the issues she touches on,‭ ‬but also in the way she explores the different sides of these issues.

6‬.‭ SaudiSphere: ‬Aya is a young Saudi woman blogging from New York City,‭ ‬and her critical,‭ ‬angry blog is one of most interesting blogs written by Saudis who live abroad.‭ ‬One thing you would find on this blog that you can’t find anywhere else in the local blogosphere is Aya’s occasional selections of cartoons from newspapers all around the world.

7‬.‭ ‬Annals of a Space Cowboy‬: ‬The name says it all‭? ‬Nah‭! ‬In this blog,‭ ‬Fahad al-Butairi,‭ ‬aka Fedo,‭ ‬a student at the University of Texas,‭ ‬comments on news and posts some interesting YouTube videos.‭ ‬He is also a‭ ‬contributer to Global Voices‬,‭ ‬covering the Saudi blogosphere on semi-weekly basis.

‭8‬.‭ An Englishman in Saudi Arabia‬: I wrote about this blog for the first time in last December, and now he is back after some hiatus. This British blogger moved to Riyadh a while ago, and started this blog to record his adventures with tailgaters on our streets and ninjas in our shopping malls. Quite amusing.

‭9‬.‭ ‬Crossroads Arabia‭‬: ‬It is not the only Saudi blog written by non-Saudi,‭ ‬but definitely the best one in this category.‭ ‬Blogger John Burgess is a former US foreign service officer who has had two tours in Saudi Arabia.‭ ‬He describes his work as an effort to put the country into context,‭ ‬and his experience makes this blog one of the invaluable sources about Saudi Arabia on the web.

‬10.‭ ‬Rasheed’s World‭: ‬Rasheed Abul-Samh is a Saudi-American journalist.‭ ‬He is a senior editor at Arab News,‭ ‬and also reports for Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times.‭ ‬His ability to bring us the-story-behind-the-story is what makes his blog stands out.

Honorable mentions: There is also a few many Saudi blogs that I consider worth reading. Here’s some of them. In English: American_Bedu, S as in Saudi, and Kingdom of Lunacy. In Arabic: Bandar, OS X Arabia, Arab Tech Channel vlog!, and Prometheus.

33 thoughts on “10 Must Read Saudi Blogs”

  3. Thanks Ahmed for including my blog in the list.‎
    Your blog is also very special and very important. I regularly come here and read your ‎brilliant articles and comments.‎
    Thanks again for the nice gesture.

    prometheus‎

  4. Dear Ahmed

    I’m so proud that I made your list, and so happy that I got leads to new and interesting blogs to read

    You are one of the pioneers of Saudi blogging, and an amazing writer with a simple but effective style

    My best to you always

  5. slm is there any site where I can get really good arabic-to-eng translation?
    anywayz I usually blog abt tech stuff from Dhahran
    and keep up the goodwork

  7. Lalla Mona, it’s the first time I read your blog, and it seems interesting. Who knows? Maybe there will be a sequel to this post and your blog would be there.

    Hadeel, Prom, MK, you’re welcome guys, but really you don’t need to thank me. You’re there because you are doing a good job.

    Muneeb, I don’t have much experience with such services, but maybe you should try Google Translation and Ajeeb. BTW, 7 stands for Ø­ and 3 for ع.

  8. Ahmed,

    Shukran jazelin for the honorable mention! I do try to share my experiences and opinions on life in Saudi as I see them and as one who crosses daily between the cultures of East and West.

    Best Regards,
    American_Bedu

  9. Thanx Ahmad I checked GoogleTranslation It was blocked. Will work arnd later…
    and Ajeeb is a gr8 site

  10. thanks for mentioning these blogs. It’s always nice to see Saudi blogs doing so well. While I am not in Jeddah anymore, I still try to keep myself connected to Jeddah through Saudi blogs.

    Mansur

  11. Nice list Ahmed..

    reading blogs has been my way of connecting back to saudi and hearing about whats happening.
    It’s way better than reading the local news papers that write “what is good to read” rather than ” what is there to read about”
    keep on working on it you and the rest of the Saudi Bloggers.

    Salam

  12. Ahmed, thanks for the inclusion. You know I consider your blog to be the gate to the Saudi blogosphere. Oh, and while we are on the subject, define “young” ;)?

  19. Ahmed,

    Thanks very much for the list. I live in the US and most of the information I get about home are either through short phone conversations or reading the online magazines. The blogs you listed provide me with a divers view from home. I have added them to my list of weekend readings and I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of them.

    All of the blogs were excellent. By the way your blog was the first Saudi blog I found and I think it is fantastic.

    Cheers,

    wadeeaq@yahoo.com

  20. hello everyone, i would appreciate it if you guys help me out in my study on fast food in your country and specifically McDonald’s. Please if you can share with me what is your perception on Mcdonalds and wat are the bad or good things about it…anythin would help …

    thanks in advance

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    • Yasir Imran–I am sure Ahmed will answer, but I would like to say that from my experience, yes, non-Saudis are welcome in the Saudi blogosphere.

      The blog Divan is devoted to reviewing Saudi blogs, most in Arabic, some in English (including Saudi Jeans) and is an excellent starting point.

      Divan

      You are also most welcome to read, enjoy, and comment on my blog, which is Saudi-themed, and includes the broader MENA context.

      Chez Chiara

      Also most of the blogs in my blog roll are Saudi themed or on related cultural aspects.

  29. If you live in Saudi Arabia and love eating then please visit this website it is great and can help you find what you need. Plus It is impressive to see that Saudi arabia has so many amazing variety of foods

  31. Hey everyone,

    Interesting list Ahmed.. Gd job
    I left my hat 4 the blogs listed above.. They deserve it all simply cuz they work hard 2 git it..

    I’d like also 2 support all new bloggers too.. wishing them best of all the best..

    Zaina from Saudi Arabia

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