There are a multitude of blogs out in the blogosphere about Saudi Arabia. I try to follow the ones which are written in English so I can see what is the focus, readership and how often do these bloggers posts. Some of them I believe are excellent and merit positions in the Saudi bloggers “Hall of Fame” while others are simply out there but seem to lack direction, purpose or discipline. Among my favorites are included:
Crossroads Arabia: Crossroads Arabia is a well-established blog written for a retired foreign service officer, John Burgess, who had two tours of duty in the Kingdom. Better yet, our paths crossed when we were both briefly posted at the same time in New Delhi. John provides a well balanced perspective and analysis of Saudi Arabia ranging from politics, economics, literature, social issues and so much more. He has a mature following whose comments add further substance to the issue under discussion.
Saudi Jeans: Saudi Jeans is written in English by pharmacological student, Ahmed Al Omran. Ahmed shares his views, perceptions and impressions on a variety of issues pertaining to the life in Saudi Arabia. He is not shy when selecting his words and sometimes his posts can result in lively discussions. I’m pleased and honored to call Ahmed among my friends. His is also another stable blog. It has been up for several years and he posts regularly taking on a multitude of issues for discussion.
The above two blogs are the ones I will click on each day as they are most likely to have new and informative information. Now I’m going to relate a few other blogs which are interesting, Saudi oriented but I still feel need to mature in various aspects:
Susie’s Big Adventure: Susie is off to a good start on sharing her views, perspectives and experiences about relocating to the Kingdom and now making her home in Jeddah. Sometimes her posts are naïve or perhaps slightly insensitive to the customs and cultures with the tradition of the Kingdom. However I am sure she means no offense and is still learning about life in KSA. She candidly shares her views and experiences, perhaps sometimes a little too candidly when taking into account how many families here like to preserve their privacy. I commend the way she has designed her blog and interspersed it with interesting photos. I wish her all the best on her new life in the Kingdom.
In the Making: I thoroughly enjoy In the Making since Aysha is a Saudi woman who has chosen to blog and blog in English. She writes very well and candidly shares her views and experiences. Aysha began her blog while she was a Masters student in the States. Now she has returned to the Kingdom and she is continuing her blog and sharing her experiences on adapting back to life in KSA.
When active, Saudi Stepford Wife is quite an enjoyable read. Unfortunately her blog has not been stable for more than six months now so one must simply check periodically to see if she has chosen to resume posting. However some of her old posts are worth reading.
Working in Saudi Arabia is an excellent blog and reference tool for the expat in the Kingdom. This blogger will respond quickly and promptly with answers and always writes on key timely subjects. He is providing an excellent public service for expats in the Kingdom.
There will be a number of blogs usually maintained by western women (like myself) who have started blogs sharing their experiences and views. Many of them seem focused on their lives, their children and experience with housemaids. Some blogs started out very good with solid information about the Kingdom but then started to go off-track onto unrelated subjects. As a result, I have chosen not to include those blogs in this review post. However if you as a reader have time, I do encourage you to click one-by-one on all the blogs I have listed in my blog roll. I may not cited each of them individually but I still tend to peruse them for various reasons.
If you are also aware of other Saudi oriented blogs which post regularly, please in turn share those links with us.
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