Rajaa Alsanea - Girls of Riyadh

*A handsome, well-known Egyptian actor who starred in many Arabic romantic films.

*Taiba and Owais is a massive outdoor flea market where cheap goods are sold.

*Oh, wow!

*Male’s head covering in Saudi. Similar to a shimagh but has a plain white color instead of red and white checks.

* Ma shaa Allah is an Islamic phrase that one says in order not to jinx someone’s luck.

*Famous Saudi critic.

**It is generally frowned upon for young Saudi women to be actresses.

*Saudi prince and famous poet.

*A type of tobacco pipe popular in the UAE.

*Male garment in UAE, similar to the Saudi thobe.

**Turban.

*Old and famous Saudi singer.

**My love.

*Many native Hijazis prefer to shorten the engagement period and lengthen the time between the marriage contract-signing and the wedding, i.e., the milkah period. Unlike Najdis, who would not mind a long engagement period but do not like a long milkah period, when the couple are considered officially married and have the right to meet and go out even before the wedding ceremony takes place.

*God is Great. The starting line in every prayer.

** E Wallah means swearing in God’s name that something is true.

*Nonobligatory prayers held right after Isha prayers during the whole month of Ramadan.

**Nonobligatory prayers held in the last third of night during the last ten days of Ramadan.

*Traditional black cloak that men wear on top of their thobes for important occasions or events.

*By Nabil Shu’ail, a Kuwaiti singer.

*Muhram men are men whom a woman is allowed to go without hijab in front of; e.g., male members of her immediate family.

*While Hijazi girls call their mothers-in-law Mama, Najdi girls find that disrespectful to their own mothers, so they call the husbands’ mothers Aunt.

*Here, Sheikh refers to the patriarch of an Arabian tribe or family.

*Jurists.

*A legal opinion or ruling.

*A female Saudi poet.

*A rephrasing of her name to make an affectionate nickname.

*A Lebanese singer.

*Expensive oil perfume that is extracted from trees in limited parts of Asia.

*An abaya is a long, loose black robe worn on top of clothes whenever a woman is outdoors.

*Unlike in the United States, medical school in Saudi Arabia starts right after high school and lasts for seven years.

*Saudi men’s garments; a thobe is a long white loose dress, while a shimagh is a red and white triangular-shaped cloth worn on the head topped by an eqal to hold it in place. An eqal is a thick round, ropelike sash. Nowadays the shimaghs and thobes are designed by such famous names as Gucci, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Valentino.