Saudi Arabia prepares for Valentine’s Day

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Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
Updated 13 February 2020
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Saudi Arabia prepares for Valentine’s Day

  • Hearts and flowers are everywhere as the Kingdom prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow
  • Saudis are buying extravagant gifts, flowers, cheesy balloons and even the cliched teddy bears for that special person

JEDDAH: Love is in the air and hearts and flowers are everywhere as the Kingdom prepares to celebrate the once “haram” Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

As recently as three years ago it would have been unthinkable — Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police saw to that.

Florists and confectioners used to hide their red roses and heart-shaped chocolate in fear of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). Restaurant owners even banned birthday or anniversary celebrations on Feb. 14 for fear of arrest or closure.




Hearts and flowers are everywhere as Saudi Arabia prepares to celebrate the once ‘haram’ Valentine’s Day tomorrow. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

A breakthrough came in 2018, when former Makkah CPVPV President Sheikh Ahmed Qasim Al-Ghamdi declared that Valentine’s Day did not contradict Islamic teaching or doctrine. Celebrating love was universal,and not limited to non-Muslims, he said.

Now Saudis are buying extravagant gifts, flowers, cheesy balloons and even the cliched teddy bears for that special person.

To help readers to get the most out of Valentine’s, Arab News has compiled an essential guide. We have advice on romantic getaways, whether you’re on a budget, or ready to splash out on a rented yacht in the Red Sea or a cultural heritage hotel in a palm oasis in the Eastern Province.

There’s also a “his and her” gift guide for every purse, and info on the best places for that romantic meal for two.


Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs

The conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands. (SPA)
Updated 12 January 2026
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Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs

  • The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers

RIYADH: Experts from more than 50 international and local organizations in education, employment, and artificial intelligence will gather in Riyadh from Jan. 28-29 for the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building to explore the future of education during rapid AI advances.

Discussions will examine how AI is transforming work, its implications for current and future generations, and the new opportunities it creates, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

Organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, the conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands.

Participants will present practical solutions for empowering young people with AI skills, integrating AI into education, and aligning learning outcomes with the most in-demand future skills locally and globally.

By addressing AI’s evolving impact on the job market, the conference offers academics, AI and data professionals, policymakers, and students a platform to exchange insights and explore the latest innovations for societal benefit and national development.

An accompanying exhibition will highlight cutting-edge educational and digital transformation solutions from public and private sector organizations.

The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers.