Destination KSA - Your Guide to Saudi
Found as a baby by her adoptive parents in an abandoned rocketship, Johara first discovered she had superhuman strength when she lifted a car at the tender age of 2. An avid reader with a permanent case of wanderlust, she (unfortunately) feels no shame in plagiarising Superman's origin story. Also, pizza will one day rule the world. Ahem.
By Johara Al Mogbel ice cream brands in saudi arabia, Summer is here, with a vengeance. So we decided, being the insane magazine we are, that the best way to celebrate would be to eat ice cream. Spot any of your favorites? best ice cream in saudi arabia Godiva Dark Chocolate Soft Serve SR 25 […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Lately, Riyadh’s being taken over by a new food craze: Burgers. They’ve been cropping up with no signs of it stopping anytime soon. And in a city where the influx of restaurants is impressive to begin with, you know the situation is dire. We at Destination Riyadh decided to find out the best burger restaurant […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Up close and personal with the team. “Hilal or Nasr?” is Riyadh’s most asked question, if the fights between the fans are anything to go by. And seeing as Al Hilal is Riyadh’s fighting champion, we decided to see what it’s like for their youth players to be training in the footsteps of such a […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
The Arabian Peninsula’s secret hidden fountain of youth and yumminess. Ah, winter. It’s such a wonderful time of the year. It’s cold, it’s happy, you have an excuse to inhale hot chocolate every hour of the day, and you get to wear boots! We can’t think of any better time when the circumstances all lead […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
What’s the deal with specialty coffee? Tell us a little about yourselves and your roasting house. 12 Cups started by two young Saudi entrepreneurs Ghassan Alhazzaa and Bader Aljalajel, who studied abroad and came back to Saudi and found a need in the market for high quality variety of coffee beans. We met in […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! Name: Sahrish S. Ali | سحرش Age: 28 Occupation: Programmer / Pun Queen Medium: Geometric drawings, gypsum carving, paper folding, etc., but mostly pens. Web: Sahrish.is/awesome Instagram: thesahrish What got you started? As a child whenever I would get antsy and restless during lessons, an adult would give me a […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Sarah Al Dossary tells us about the creative mobile and tech shop. Who are the brains behind tekSPACY? The dream for a makerspace started when I was working with KACST BADIR Program for Incubators where I was the only female member of the Advanced Manufacturing Incubator (AMI). Dr. Mohammed Al Majed was the Director of […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
The ultimate chocolate indulgence around town. Chocolate Ice Box Cake: Magnolia Bakery Layers upon layers of whoopee cookies covered in a light cream frosting? Sign us up. Sign us up ANYTIME. DR Tip: How can you make a cookie cake better? They can customize with glitter if you like. Glitter! We know. Chocolate Lava Cookie: […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Calligrapher Fahad Al Majhadi. Talk to us a little about yourself. My name is Fahad Saleh Al Majhadi, born in Riyadh in 1982, first Saudi to receive an ‘ijaza’ (an official license of arts) from the Head of Saudi Calligraphers Nasser Al Maymoon, an ijaza from Mumtaz Durdu, a calligraphy instructor in the Research Center […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
How to dress like your inner child without raising too many eyebrows. WOMEN If you find a better throwback than this ultra-glam update to the barrettes, we’ll eat our trendy embroidered straw hats. Stars and Chain Headband, Zara, SR 59 All of our favorite outfits when we were kids involved some form of tutu or […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! Artist’s Profile Name: Ghada Al Hudaithi Age: 23 Occupation: Freelancer Medium: Photoshop cc on my Wacom cintiq / paper, pencil and a bunch of markers. Instagram: ghudaithi What got you started? The compliments I get after someone sees my cartoons, the feeling is very rewarding so I guess that can […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Simple dos and don’ts to prevent child abuse. Don’t leave your children alone in strange places. If you want to take your child to Chucky Cheese, don’t just give them money and leave. The staff isn’t there to babysit. Even in friends’ houses, if you’re not intimately acquainted with the family, make sure your child […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Our meet and greet with the team. State your names and occupations. Abdulrahman Al Khawashki, Alfaisal University Marketing Student Mohammad Al Khawashki, Medical School Graduate Mazen Lawand, Owner of Lawand Studios Who plays what? And can you guys play any other instruments? A: Bass guitar. Also guitar, drums, piano, beginner clarinet. MK: I play the […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! Artist’s Profile Name: Sarah Samer Farhoud Age: 24 Occupation: Physician, Freelance fitness instructor, and freelance artist. Medium: Acrylic and oil on canvas, ink sketches and illustrations. Instagram: farhoudart / vegansaudi What got you started? I always loved to express myself through art. In my early teens my grandfather encouraged me […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Crop of the cream for this year’s food issue. It’s been a great year for Riyadh, food-wise. With restaurants from coveted franchises to brilliant new concepts popping up everywhere, we’re kind of getting spoiled for choice. We compiled a list of our favorites for you. Best Experience: Melting Pot We’re always up for a good […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We sat down with Naif Alkhairallah to get in depth with his debut novel, “Black Bonds.” Can you tell us a little about yourself? My name is Naif Alkhairallah, and I’ve spent 37 years on planet earth. From a very young age I used to doodle whenever I got the time, pencil and a paper […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! Name: Batool Al Jefri Age: 24 Occupation: Dentist Medium: Watercolor Instagram: BatJef What got you started? I don’t remember, I never remember not drawing or painting. Why do you art? It clears my head, and it’s always fun to see the ideas in your mind on paper. And it keeps […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Name: Maysoun AlTamimi Age: 25 Occupation: Full time illustrator, artist and writer Medium: I am like a kid exploring colors Instagram: bambola.sa What got you started? It started suddenly but then I went to pursue it long term when I decided to be a professional artist. Now I use my drawings as part of new […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We asked Saudi students about their Ramadan experience outside their hometowns and that’s what they shared. Name: Mohammed Fahad Age: 20 Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Something you missed during Ramadan that you used to take for granted at home? Two things: 1- Reaching home by iftar time to find all kinds of healthy and delicious […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We spoke to Mohammed Othman Alghamdi, an architect working at BFS architects and a coffee enthusiast, born and bred in Riyadh. After winning the Saudi Aeropress competition, he’s looking forward to represent Saudi Arabia in the World Aeropress Championship in Dublin. We wish you luck! And ya Rabb you win first place, we believe in you. Thank you for having me..
By Johara Al Mogbel
For travelers, students abroad and hostess gifts. Here are DR’s picks for the perfect Saudi Care Package! There’s absolutely nothing Saudis like more than their food. Rain, shine, sandstorm, England, Timbuktu… whatever state we’re in or place we’re at, kabsah isn’t really far from our minds. With that in mind, we’ve put together the perfect […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We continue our cyclist series with Omar Alomair, a Saudi cyclist and explorer. Omar Alomair just wanted to cycle. Buying a standard level bike, he joined the well-known Darajati group, a club filled with cycling enthusiasts that routinely traversed the roads of Riyadh together. But it wasn’t enough, and soon after he ended up upgrading […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
An explorer working on preserving the historical neighborhoods of Al Madinah through beautiful photography. How did the idea of documenting the old neighborhoods of Almadinah come about? When I came back from overseas I saw a changing city and the development is taking down some part of it so I wanted to keep something for […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! Name: Faris Alosaimi Age: 24 Occupation: Full Time Artist Medium: Drawing Web: farisosaimi.com Instagram: farisosaimi What got you started? Art has always been a fascinating subject for me. It was the reason for me leaving the house, traveling, having adventures and getting into new situations, as well as visiting galleries […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Travel the world with these drool-worthy desserts! Rossopomodoro – Calda Calda Imagine this: pizza dough that’s fried to perfection, covered in sugar, and topped with a dollop of sweet, sweet Nutella. Salivating yet? We are. Following the tradition of Napoli’s naturally decadent desserts, this particular dish isn’t for the faint-hearted. Location: Tahlia St. Instagram: rossopomodorosaudi […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Meet this month’s emerging artist! By Johara Almogbel Name: Ftoon AlThaedi Age: 20 Occupation: Arts and design student, full time artist. Medium: Oil painting and drawing. Instagram: falthaedi What got you started? At the age of 16 I felt extremely lost and I had no interests at all so I started a self-discovery process in […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Look beautiful inside out. By Johara Almogbel Frankly, fashion isn’t known for being, er shall we say… charitable? Prices are big, and the jewels are bigger, and woe be unto you if you’re wearing last season’s duds. How could you?? There’s a lot of waste is what we’re saying, and in today’s climate crisis-ed […]
By Johara Al MogbelFrom the very expensive to the does-not-cost-a-thing-at-all. 1. Take her on a trip. To the Maldives, or Dubai, or even Jeddah. Just give her a change of scenery, either with you or with a travel partner she really enjoys. This is our number one thing on the list for a good reason, though, it will […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
You’ll need: Steps: 1- Butter the toast generously. 2- Place the cheese between the two breads, butter side up. 3- Heat the saucepan, place the sandwich in. 4- Grill until golden brown. 5- Eat, and be happy.a day ago
By Johara Al Mogbel
Photography by: Faris Al Yahya We know how important coffee is to half of the world. And with the new speciality wave coffee craze that’s been sweeping over the city, we’ve decided to go undercover -sort of- and explore this new and exciting (and rather caffeinated) terrain! What better to start with than Riyadh’s very […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
221B Baker Street has come to Riyadh! We love puzzles, point and click games and escape rooms, so when we found out Breakout was opening up in Riyadh, we positively squealed. Breakout Riyadh is a new group activity where teams are put in an unusual room and are challenged to “escape” this room in 60 […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Name: Nadiah Abo Al Samh Age: 19 Occupation: Design Student Medium: Illustrations (Paper and Digital) Instagram: 4nadiah What got you started? I grew up in a highly creative environment where I was encouraged to interpret and create my own versions of the cartoons and comics I liked as a child. I continued to enjoy cartoons […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We’re prepping you for a puzzling month ahead ’cause the weather’s going to start getting crazy. Up our sleeves are games, activities and more— your sanity in the city will be saved.
By Johara Al Mogbel
We know how important coffee is to half of the world. And with the new speciality wave coffee craze that’s been sweeping over the city, we’ve decided to go undercover -sort of- and explore this new and exciting (and rather caffeinated) terrain! What better to start with than Riyadh’s very own roasting houses? This week, […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
STEPS: Rip a strip of tape at least 10 inches (295 mm) in length and place it sticky side up on your working surface. Then, rip a second piece of equal length and place sticky side down halfway over the first strip. Fold the rest of the strip facing up over the second strip. Flip […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Jaffat Elaqlam is a website and an e-magazine that is rapidly establishing itself as a major hub and safe space for Middle Eastern talent, whether that talent lie in writing, photography, spoken poetry, glitch art, painting, sketching, or music. It was started by the wonderful Sarah Ahmed as a blog where she displayed a curated […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
The world of makeup is vast and multifaceted, but somehow Hessa Alajaji, the makeup artist behind this month’s issue cover has managed to stretch her skills into editorial makeup, bridal, and even special effect movie makeup. We’ll delve deeper into how she got her start as a makeup artist, and how she’s been able to […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We know how important coffee is to half of the world. And with the new speciality wave coffee craze that’s been sweeping over the city, we’ve decided to go undercover -sort of- and explore this new and exciting (and rather caffeinated) terrain! What better to start with than Riyadh’s very own roasting houses? This week, […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
The Rorschach inkblot test is used to analyze a person’s perception. The shape drawn was inspired from the first out of ten cards of the test. The inkblot doesn’t have an actual shape, no right or wrong. One of the most known comic book writers Alan Moore was inspired by the test to create Rorschach, the […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We’ve done a lot in 2015, discovered new places, met new people, and did new things. We skipped on Tahlia St and jumped in puddles in front of our houses. This is Riyadh as we see it, the Riyadh we love and live in, the Riyadh our magazine is for. What do you see in […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Emad Aldoghaither and Ahmed Jadallah, the talents behind Semaphore. What got you into game developing? I started playing games at the age of 4 and developing games at the age of 5 (That’s not a typo!) When you play a game like the classic Prince of Persia on good old DOS you start thinking about […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Mukhttar’s brilliant adventure game, A Cat’s Manor. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I’m your average Saudi who was raised in a half Saudi, half Swiss household. I grew up on Star Wars and video games. I went through the standard public education system in the Eastern Province where I also work now. […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Our favorites from around the Khaleej. Sometimes making and appreciating art is hard. The cost of materials is high and demand from publishers never matches the velocity or magnitude of the output, which leaves what accessible art there is available very expensive and rare, and to be quite frank… pretentious. Hence comes the need for […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Name: Yara Mohammed Arafsha Age: 20 Occupation: Medicine Student Medium: Black pens and white papers for doodling. Instagram: yarafsha Why do you art? Sometimes I don’t know how to express myself, I get lost in words. I’m not the kind of person who can or who would open up easily, I always find myself doodling […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Jeddah’s sandwich favorite is in town, finally! We’ve got our lunches lined up now, that’s for sure. With a myriad of salads, burgers, sandwiches and soups, it’s the perfect place for when you’re at work and starving. They even have a tofu burger on the menu, giving vegans and vegetarians more options than just a […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
The heroes behind the cure for our morning blues. Elixir Bunn What got you interested in coffee? Curiosity and adventure to push the limit of coffee options in the market. In my first work experience, I used to get sleepy after lunch and coffee was my answer. The coffee capsule trend just caught on. All […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
We sit down with UXBERT, the leading pioneer in user usability and website development in Riyadh, to find out what makes them tick. School buddies, Nadeem Bakhsh and Farrukh Bandey felt a duty to bring user experience and usability to the Saudi market. In 2012, pushed by a client, they founded UXBERT; the coolest consulting […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
Visiting the skyscraper city on business. Just a couple of hours away from any city in Saudi, people here find it really easy to hop over for the weekend for a quick change of scenery. With that thought in mind, we were pretty excited when we were invited to try out FlyDubai and Sheraton Dubai […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
It’s a given, in some of households, before busting out the pills from the medicine cabinet, you open your kitchen cupboards first. Here’s a list of time-tested remedies passed on from our Grandmas and now to you: 1. Smell (Asfetida) hilteet to combat open wound or stitch inflammation. 2. Cumin or chamomile to cure a […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
One day, every winter, we cancel everything on our schedules, take a scorching hot shower at 6pm, put on a mask, and settle in with a nice cuppa and a stack of books. There’s just something about staying cozy and limbless that makes us very happy. Here are our favorites for this season! Scrub your […]
By Johara Al Mogbel
