By Fariha Eshrat
Land of magnificent history and ever-changing innovation, home to the arts of the masters and a culture of camaraderie and endless conversations, and cradle of nature’s most impressive landscapes… welcome to the Netherlands.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a fairly young monarchy like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A modern European country today, Netherlands is known for its liberal mentality and welcoming attitude to travelers. As a founding member of EU and NATO, the country hosts the International Court of Justice in The Hague putting Netherlands at the heart of international cooperation. The country has many sights to see, making it a unique destination to discover and explore.
Bilateral Relations
The relation between the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia is very strong. Besides economic and trade relations on oil, gas and agricultural commodities, the two countries have a growing cooperation in areas such as education, human rights and security as well. The embassy of the Netherlands in Saudi Arabia is spearheading three other aspects of Dutch-Saudi relations: security, prosperity and the cooperation on human rights, including women’s rights. There are also many active projects to share cultural experiences between the two kingdoms through events such as the Saudi Design Week, concerts, and film screenings.
Dutch Embassy Activities
The embassy promotes cultural exchange by organizing events such as concerts, film screenings and lecture sessions. The embassy, together with two Dutch companies here in Saudi Arabia, participated in the annual Glowork Career Fair from 26-28 September. The career fair is designed especially for Saudi women who are looking for a job, and it is thereby unique in its aspect. On the first day of the career fair, a female Dutch CEO, who is heading an entertainment company, gave an inspiring speech. By participating in such events the embassy hopes to contribute to the careers of many young Saudi women.
Future Projects
The embassy is glad to participate in many upcoming events in Saudi Arabia. On 4-9th October the Dutch embassy, together with five Dutch designers, will participate in the Saudi Design Week. On 19 October, a jazz concert will be held at the embassy premise by a Dutch Latin jazz band. Also this year, the embassy is proud to host an exhibition of two Saudi female painters. There are also several missions underway to Saudi Arabia in the fields of agriculture, oil, gas, and health.
In 2018, two major events are already on the embassy’s agenda: a large film festival and a female entrepreneurship mission to take entrepreneurs from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to the Netherlands.
WHERE TO GO
- The Keukenhof where the flowers are all-abloom. Best time to visit: spring.
- Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the western part of the Netherlands with the famous Dutch windmills
- Giethoorn, a city also known as Dutch Venice because of all its small canals and many bridges
- Maastricht, one of the most beautiful cities in the south of the Netherlands
- The Wadden Islands, five islands in the Wadden Sea in the north of the Netherlands. The Wadden Sea has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009 because of its unique ecosystem and beautiful flora and fauna.
WHAT TO DO
- Go on a canal cruise on the famous canals of Amsterdam, or visit one of Amsterdam’s famous museums, like the Rijksmuseum or the Anne Frank House.
- Visit the Efteling, an award winning theme park near the Dutch city of Kaatsheuvel. It’s been awarded best theme park in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg several times in a row.
- Go to the Markthal in Rotterdam. Opened in October 2014, the Markthal is one of the nice recent additions to the Rotterdam skyline. With its impressive architecture and food stands with all kinds of delicious food, it’s definitely worth your while.
- See Gouda, a small but really cozy town in between Utrecht and the Hague. Its architecture from the Middle Ages and a beautiful market square and city hall are some of the nice features of this town. It’s also the place where the famous stroopwafels and Dutch cheese comes from, so if you want to buy those, Gouda should be on top of your bucket list.
- Visit the Hague. It’s the Netherlands’ center of power and home not only to the Dutch Parliament, but also Paleis Noordeinde Royal Palace. If you’re there, don’t skip Madurodam, the miniature city in the Netherlands that allows you to see miniature size replicas of the most famous buildings and highlights in the Netherlands.
