SAUDI ARABIA: “Women can’t be tour guides.” Salwa Hamad, Founder Of Haya Tours, Building Saudi Tourism

Businesswoman Salwa Hamad is trying to change perceptions of Saudi Arabia by showing people its hidden wonders.

When you think about "holiday destinations," Saudi Arabia probably does not come to mind. But Salwa Hamad, the founder of Haya Tours, is hoping to change that.

Her new office in Riyadh is adorned with beautiful photography, colourful travel brochures, traditional handcrafts, and a "Best Tour Operator" award taking pride of place. It is a far cry from the simple room in her house where her business began six years ago.

Salwa always had a passion for travel and adventure, which started in childhood.

I read a lot as a child. I read Around the World in 80 Days and I read about travellers like Ibn Batuta. My father would also take us camping each spring. He was from the Eastern Province and my mother’s family was from Taif, so every year we travelled to both places. I learned all the roads and routes between the two.

Salwa was taught to be independent by her businessman father, Hamad Mohamad al-Qunaibit, who stopped giving her money as soon as she started to work. He allowed her to choose her own path in life, as did Salwa’s mother, Moday Hamad al-Olayan.

My mother was from the generation where women did nothing for themselves because they were not allowed by the tradition. She never went to the supermarket because all she was allowed to be was a mother and a wife. She said to me: Salwa, you have to be independent. Don’t ask anybody to put money in your hand. You have to make it yourself.

Salwa took her mother’s advice to heart and after completing her diploma in computer science, she got a job as a computer programmer in the Saudi Finance Ministry. Yet she felt her work environment stifled her creativity, due to the bureaucracy and reluctance to modernise the old computer systems.

But the job also gave her a lot of free time, which she used to educate herself about interesting places in Saudi.

During her 20 years working in government, Salwa married and had three sons. A friend arranged the marriage, which broke with local tradition, as Salwa decided she would not marry anyone from within her family.

Contrary to the customs of the time, she also requested to see her husband before the marriage and told him that she would not wear the niqab. This is despite the female face-covering being an expected part of the culture throughout most of Saudi Arabia, even today.

I told him that I wouldn’t cover my face because I don’t like it [the niqab] and I wouldn't stop working either. He agreed because he was open-minded and a kind man.

At the age of 42, Salwa retired from government and put her time into arranging family vacations to interesting places in Saudi Arabia.

I would go to the ministry of tourism, get all the maps, hire a bus, collect my sisters, my kids and say, let’s go!

She went to places like Mada’in Saleh – an archaeological site in the northwest, once inhabited by the Nabateans, who later built Petra in modern-day Jordan.

She also helped her sister, a school teacher, arrange field trips to historical places like Masmak fort a mud brick complex in Riyadh’s old quarter and the site of ibn Saud’s recapture of the city.

Another of her favourite places was the breathtaking cliff face overlooking the Acacia Valley. It is hailed as being the steepest drop in the country and is known as the Edge of the World.

Salwa became an expert in researching, writing schedules and planning logistics. And so becoming a tour operator was a natural, but not easy, transition.

I wanted to be official and so I applied to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage for a tour guide licence. Three months passed and I had no answer, so I called them to ask why. An employee on the phone told me, “Women can’t be tour guides.”

Salwa was not deterred. She had the support of her family and upon her husband’s advice, she applied for a tour "operator" licence instead. But this required her to have an office, which she could not afford, so she rented a small room. But upon inspection, a tourism ministry official told her that the room was too ugly to operate her business from. Frustrated, she headed to the tourism licence head office.

“I was afraid, but I explained everything. After hearing me, they called up the head in the Riyadh office. I think my temperature was 500 degrees! I said to him, it’s my right to have this licence and I asked him to give me six months to prove myself. He said, “I’ll give you one year.” I got the licence!”

From then on, Salwa was unstoppable. She created schedules, making sure her programmes ran on time and in the correct season. For example, if you want to see the rose festival in Taif you must go in spring.

Word of mouth has been her main source of publicity. Various Saudi press agencies have approached her to cover what she does, but she has largely shunned them, fearing that journalists would only focus on her being a woman in a male profession.

She wanted to talk about tourism, but the questions she received were about not covering her hair in front of expats.

There were other challenges too. Salwa found that Saudis – who she was most keen to educate - were largely disinterested in the tours. They did not associate Saudi with tourism.

Many of us have a vary bad image about ourselves and we need to correct it. Maybe they think tourism should only relate to places like Europe, where there is green countryside. I’d like to know the answer as to why they’re not interested. Within six years, I do not understand my own people.

Speaking to a few Saudis about why they did not want to explore more of their own country, and received similar responses along the lines of, “there’s nothing to see here”.

Another Saudi tour operator explained why he thought the locals were disinterested in visiting Saudi’s heritage and beauty sites. He said, in jest, “It’s because there are no shopping malls there.”

Salwa says that can be overcome by education.

For much of the outside world, Saudi is synonymous with human rights abuses. More recently, its been criticised for its role in regional wars. Salwa explained her irritation over things like the driving ban on women, but she is adamant that change is happening and she tells her clients the same.

Look at me, I’m a woman and I’m working and travelling all around. When I was in government I got the same salary as my male colleagues, she emphasises.

On the subject of Yemen, Salwa conceded she is against all wars and wants a solution. Incidentally, this year saw her first tour cancellation, when an international school called off a visit to an area near the Yemen border, citing security fears.

On the destruction of heritage sites in the name of religion, Salwa said the government does not sanction it and that it is extreme individuals who send out brainwashed young men to do such things. Her solution to this is better education about Islam.

In March 2015, Saudi led a coalition of Arab and Gulf countries in support of Yemen’s toppled government against Shia Houthi rebels. Since then the war has killed more than 7,000 people and wounded nearly 37,000, according to the United Nations.

Despite the controversy associated with Saudi, Salwa was pleasantly surprised to find that expats living there were very interested in her tours.

We always hear about the restrictions in Saudi, but we don’t hear about the more positive side.

Taking part in the Haya Tours, I experienced true Saudi hospitality and saw some amazing landscapes. I went to the date festival, the falcon display, the Edge of the World and the camel beauty pageant – that was the first time any women had been allowed to go!

Client enthusiasm is one of Salwa’s biggest sources of motivation. She now receives requests from international schools, women’s groups, and companies like Aramco, as well as individuals who live in Saudi that want to explore the country with a local.

Salwa also gets hundreds of emails and increasing numbers of requests from groups abroad.

But she grapples with government restrictions. Currently, tourism visas are not issued by the government and so Saudi is only really open to those who travel there for work purposes. Salwa says things are changing though.

Until now, the government hasn't opened the country up for tourism, but I believe they will. It will just take time.

It seems she may be right. Last month King Salman pledged to engage in archaeological excavations alongside French teams.

The government has also promised to invest in the tourism sector, as part of King Salman’s 2030 vision to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.

In the meantime, Salwa awaits the opportunity to extend her passion for educating people about her country’s beauty, history, culture and heritage.

She invites you to see “the real Saudi”.

Enjoy your Tour with Haya Tours

QATAR: Trouble For Qatar As Iran Offers To Export Food By Sea

American universities say branch campuses in Qatar are operating normally while they monitor diplomatic developments in the Gulf nation.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab powers severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday and shut down land, sea and air links with the energy-rich nation.

Northwestern University, Texas A&M, Georgetown and Virginia Commonwealth University said they are keeping their Qatar faculty and students informed while summer classes continue.

Those universities, Weill Cornell Medical College and Carnegie Mellon University have programs in Qatar's "Education City" complex, which was established by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to enable Qataris to earn U.S. degrees at home.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups in the region, allegations Qatar denies.

Kuwait's ruler is calling on Qatar to exercise self-restraint in its dispute with Saudi Arabia and other regional nations, issuing a statement just hours after a senior Saudi royal arrived in Kuwait with a message from the Saudi king.

The visit and statement Monday evening came after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and shut down land, sea and air links. They accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups in the region. Qatar denies that.

Kuwaiti Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah spoke with Qatar's emir Monday evening and urged him to give a chance to efforts that could ease tensions.

Kuwait appears to be trying to play a mediating role between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Sheikh Sabah last week.

Saudi Prince Khaled al-Faisal, who is governor of Mecca and an adviser to King Salman, arrived in Kuwait City on Monday evening carrying a message for Kuwait's ruler.

Qatar Airways has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain until further notice.

In a statement issued on its website, the carrier said the suspension of its flights will go into effect Tuesday. It is offering customers affected by the decision a refund on unused tickets.

The decision comes after major Gulf carriers, including the Middle East's largest carrier in Dubai, Emirates Airways, suspended flights to Qatar.

The route between Doha, Qatar and Dubai is popular among business travelers and both are major transit hubs for travelers between Asia and Europe.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and shut down land, sea and air links, accusing it of supporting terror groups in the region. Qatar has denied the allegations.

A senior Saudi official has arrived in Kuwait amid a crisis in relations between Gulf states and Qatar, while an Omani official traveled to Qatar at the same time.

Kuwait appears to be trying to play a neutral and potentially mediating role between Qatar and the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Qatar's ruler had visited Kuwait's ruler last week.

Kuwait and Oman have not severed ties with Qatar and have not issued statements about the political standoff.

Prince Khaled al-Faisal, adviser to the Saudi King and governor of Mecca, arrived in Kuwait Monday evening.

An Omani Foreign Ministry official arrived in Qatar Monday night. The ministry on Twitter described the visit as planned before the crisis.

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin has spoken over the phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors.

It said in a statement Monday that the two presidents urged all the countries involved to engage in dialogue to work out compromise solutions for the sake of maintaining peace and stability in the Persian Gulf region.

The Kremlin added that the two leaders underlined that the acute crisis in the Middle East requires joint work and close coordination of the international community in the fight against terror threat.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups.

Iran's foreign minister has spoken with his Qatari counterpart after Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations severed ties and moved to isolate the tiny Gulf emirate.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had earlier Monday called for dialogue to resolve the conflict in a Twitter posting, saying Neighbors are permanent; geography can't be changed. Coercion is never the solution.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Qatar of supporting regional terrorist groups, including some backed by Iran, charges denied by Qatar.

Saudi Arabia views Iran as a regional rival and has long pressed Qatar to side with Gulf Arab nations against it.

Iran reported the call between the two foreign ministers, without providing further details.

A Somali civil aviation official says at least 15 Qatar Airways flights have used Somalia's airspace since Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations moved to sever links with the Gulf nation.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, said that before the Gulf diplomatic crisis erupted Monday, just one or two Qatar Airways planes flew over Somalia each day.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and have moved to isolate the country by shutting down land, sea and air links, accusing it of supporting terror groups in the region.
The Qatari capital, Doha, is a major international transport hub.

A Turkish official says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "actively involved" in efforts to resolve the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors and has spoken by telephone with Gulf leaders.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Monday that the government hopes Erdogan's initiative will help overcome tensions.

He did not provide details on Erdogan's calls but said Turkey views the crisis as a "serious" one that needed to be solved before it escalates.

Kurtulmus said the Middle East is not at a point where it can endure a new crisis.

Both Qatar and Turkey back Islamist groups that are outlawed by other countries in the region.

The U.S. military's Central Command says it has no plans to change our posture in Qatar amid a Gulf diplomatic crisis.

Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway said in a statement Monday that U.S. military aircraft continue to fly missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria despite the rift.

The major said: We encourage all our partners in the region to reduce tensions and work towards common solutions that enable regional security.

Qatar is home to the vast Al-Udeid Air Base that holds the forward headquarters of Central Command and hosts some 10,000 American troops.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced early Monday they would sever diplomatic ties to Qatar, calling into question whether that would affect U.S. military operations.

The Kremlin has voiced hope that the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors will not hurt international anti-terror efforts.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters Monday that Russia hopes the tensions will not affect the general determination to fight terrorism, adding that the latest terror attack in London again underlined its importance..

Peskov declined to comment on the accusations leveled against Qatar.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meanwhile expressed serious concern about a new wave of tensions within the Arab world in a phone call with his Qatari counterpart.

The ministry said Lavrov called for emerging differences to be resolved at the negotiating table, through mutually respectful dialogue in the face of unprecedented challenges, primarily the threat of terrorism.

The head of Germany's soccer federation says that political solutions must have priority over threats of boycotts in the five years ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

Reinhard Grindel was asked in an interview posted on the federation's website Monday if there are questions over whether the 2022 tournament can be played in the Gulf state.

He said that, independently of the current situation, the soccer community worldwide should agree in principle that big tournaments can't be played in countries that actively support terror.

Grindel said we take note very attentively and with concern of the current, serious accusations.

Grindel is a member of FIFA's ruling council.

Saudi Arabia has closed the offices of Qatar's Al-Jazeera news network after severing ties with the energy-rich Gulf nation, which it accuses of supporting terrorist groups.

In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Monday, the Culture and Media Ministry said it withdrew the famed network's license.

The ministry said the move came in response to Al-Jazeera's promotion of the terrorist organizations' plots and its alleged support for Yemen's Houthi rebels, the target of a two-year-old Saudi-led military intervention.

It also accused the network of attempting to split the Saudi ranks, without elaborating.

Egypt's aviation authorities say all flights to and from Qatar will be suspended starting Tuesday.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation decree on Monday came hours after Cairo severed relations with Qatar, accusing it of harboring terrorism.

The move led to confusion at Cairo International Airport. One Doha-bound flight was delayed for hours before it was allowed to take off.

The aviation ministry said Egyptian airspace will be closed to Qatari flights starting Tuesday at 6:00 am (0400 GMT) Cairo time.

An Iranian official says his country can export food to Qatar by sea, as Saudi Arabia and three other nations move to isolate the gas-rich nation after severing diplomatic ties and accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Reza Nourani, chairman of the union of exporters of agricultural products, said that food shipments sent from Iran can reach Qatar in 12 hours.

Qatar relies on food trucked in from Saudi Arabia across its sole land border. Al-Jazeera reported that trucks carrying food for Qatar are now lining up across the border, unable to enter the country.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals who back opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Iran says rising tensions among its Arab Gulf neighbors threaten the interests of everyone in the region and has called for political and peaceful methods to resolve the crisis.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi was quoted on the ministry's website as calling for a clear and explicit dialogue among the feuding nations.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, discussed the recent developments in a phone conversation.

Maldives has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Qatar over its alleged support for Islamist groups.

It joined Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday and began withdrawing its diplomatic staff.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that Maldives has pursued a policy of promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, and the decision was made because of its firm opposition to activities that encourage terrorism and extremism.

Diplomatic relations between Maldives and Qatar began in 1984.

Maldives, a predominantly Sunni Muslim nation with 341,000 people, also grapples with extremism. It reportedly has one of the highest per capital rates of people going to fight in foreign wars.

Egypt's foreign ministry says it has given the Qatari ambassador in Cairo 48 hours to leave the country and ordered its own envoy in Doha to return home, also within two days.

Monday's announcement came just hours after Egypt joined three of its Gulf Arab allies, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in severing ties with Qatar over its relations with Iran and support for militant Islamic groups.

An earlier statement by the Egyptian ministry said Egypt was also suspending air and sea links to Qatar and, citing national security, closing its airspace to Qatari aircraft.

Egypt's relations with Qatar have been fraught with tension since the ouster in 2013 by the military of an Islamist president allied with Doha. It also accuses the tiny but energy-rich Gulf nation of supporting militant Islamic groups and meddling in its domestic affairs.

Following suit, one of Libya's three rival governments has announced cutting diplomatic relations with Qatar, after four Arab countries severed ties.

Mohammed al-Deri, the Libyan foreign minister of the interim Libyan government, accused Qatar of harboring terrorism according to a Libyan official agency LANA.

The Interim government is affiliated with the internationally recognized House of Representatives and is based in eastern Libya.

Another internationally recognized Government of National Accord is seated in Tripoli and brokered by the United Nations. A third rival government is also based in Tripoli.

The eastern Libyan power players have always accused Qatar and Turkey of backing Islamists in Libya, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Libya sank into lawlessness after the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Turkey has voiced its sadness over the Gulf Arab states dispute with Qatar and said it was willing to work to normalize ties.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday called on all sides of the dispute to press ahead with dialogue and overcome differences in a peaceful way.

Turkey has developed close ties with both Qatar and Saudi Arabia in recent years.

Cavusoglu said: We are saddened by the existing picture. We will provide every kind of support for the situation to be normalized.

The head of Iran's influential parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy says the differences between Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the result of U.S. President Donald Trump's recent visit to the region

The official IRNA news agency on Monday cited Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying that because of the signing of a major arms deal between the Saudis and the U.S. during Trump's trip: It is not unlikely that we would witness more negative incidents in the region.

Boroujerdi says Washington has always made it a policy to establish a rift among Muslim countries. He says:Intervention of foreign countries, especially the United States, cannot be the solution to regional problems.

Al-Jazeera is reporting that trucks carrying food for Qatar are now lining up across the border in Saudi Arabia, unable to enter the country amid a diplomatic row between it and Arab nations.

That could mean significant trouble for Qatar, which relies on food trucked in from Saudi Arabia.

Doha News, a local news website in Qatar, reported some citizens and residents of the energy rich country already had begun swarming grocery stores.

It said some stores had begun seeing their shelves empty over fears that the crisis could see groceries run out of products.

International soccer's governing body says it remains in regular contact with Qatar amid a growing diplomatic crisis between it and other Arab countries.

FIFA issued a short statement Monday saying it spoke with the Qatar 2022 Local Organizing Committee and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy handling matters relating to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It said: We have no further comments for the time being.

A low-cost airline based in the United Arab Emirates says it is suspending flights to Qatar along with other Emirati airlines over a growing diplomatic crisis.

Air Arabia says it flights will be suspended from Tuesday until further notice.

It is joining Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai in halting flights to the Qatari capital of Doha. Saudi Arabian Airlines also stopped its flights to Qatar.

Saudi Arabian Airlines says it is suspending flights to Qatar, joining other airlines stopping service amid a growing diplomatic rift.

The airline, also known as Saudia, posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon that it would be halting flights, without elaborating.

It is joining Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai in halting flights to the Qatari capital of Doha.

Dubai's budget carrier FlyDubai says it has canceled its flights to Qatar amid a diplomatic dispute between it and other Arab countries.

The carrier said Monday that all flights starting Tuesday would be suspended. It offered no other details.

FlyDubai's decision follows that of Emirates and Etihad in canceling flights to Doha.

Yemen's internationally recognized government has cut relations with Qatar and says it supports the decision by the Saudi-led coalition to end Qatar's participation in the war on the Houthis there.

Four Arab nations cut diplomatic ties to Qatar early Monday morning over its support for Islamist groups and its relations with Iran.

Qatar had participated in the coalition since March 2015.

The government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi says it severed ties with Qatar in part over its support of extremist groups in Yemen in contradiction with the goals announced by the countries supporting the legitimate government.

The Dubai-based airline Emirates says it is suspending flights to Qatar amid a growing diplomatic rift.

Emirates said on its website Monday flights would be suspended until further notice starting Tuesday.

Qatar says there is no legitimate justification for four Arab nations cutting diplomatic ties to it.

Qatar also says the decision is a violation of its sovereignty, vowing to its citizens it won't affect them.

Qatar's Foreign Affairs Ministry made the statement Monday, hours after Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced it would be cutting ties to the peninsular nation.

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries started over a purported hack of Qatar's state run news agency. It has spiraled since.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad says it is suspending flights to Qatar amid a growing diplomatic rift.

Etihad said on its website Monday its last flights until further notice would leave early Tuesday morning.

Etihad gave no reason for the decision. It is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

The airline's decision comes as Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all cut diplomatic ties Monday to Qatar over its support of Islamist groups and its relations with Iran.

Qatar has yet to comment on the growing crisis.

The United Arab Emirates and Egypt have cut diplomatic ties to Qatar.

The two countries have joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in cutting ties to Qatar amid a growing Arab diplomatic dispute with the small, gas-rich nation.

Both the UAE and Egypt made the announcement on their state-run news agencies within minutes of each other.

Qatari officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries started over a purported hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiraled since.

Saudi Arabia says it is cutting diplomatic ties to Qatar and it has pulled all Qatari troops from the ongoing war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early Monday. It appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain similarly cutting ties.

Qatar had no immediate comment.

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries started over a purported hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiraled since.

Bahrain says it is cutting diplomatic ties to Qatar amid a deepening rift between Gulf Arab nations.

Bahrain's Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement early Monday saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital of Doha within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

The ministry's statement said Qatari citizens needed to leave Bahrain within two weeks and that air and sea traffic between the two countries would be halted. It wasn't immediately clear how that would affect Qatar Airways, one of the region's major long-haul carriers.

Bahrain blamed Qatar's media incitement, support for armed terrorist activities and funding linked to Iranian groups to carry out sabotage and spreading chaos in Bahrain for its decision.

USA: Trump Starts Saudi Tour As Problems Mount At Home

US President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia Saturday for the start of an eight-day foreign tour, taking his first steps on the world stage as scandals mount at home.

Trump can expect a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia where he is to meet King Salman and other senior royals -- in sharp contrast to Washington where pressure is building over his team's alleged links to Moscow.

Air Force One had barely taken off when it was announced that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, had agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the US elections.

Reports also emerged that Trump had called Comey "a nut job" and that the FBI had identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe of Russian meddling.

A red carpet was rolled out and staircase rolled up to Air Force One after it landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh shortly before 9:50 am (0650 GMT).

Trump and his wife Melania, who dressed conservatively in black but did not cover her hair, walked side-by-side to the tarmac where they both shook hands with Saudi King Salman.

Trump is to hold talks with King Salman and the kingdom's two powerful crown princes later on Saturday, before giving a speech on Islam to leaders of Muslim countries on Sunday.

For Riyadh the visit is an opportunity to rebuild ties with a key ally, which were strained under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama who Sunni Arab Gulf states suspected of a tilt towards their Shiite regional rival Iran.

That, together with a more muted focus on human rights and the likely announcement of new arms deals, should please Washington's traditional Sunni Gulf allies.

He's going to be tougher on Iran, said Philip Gordon, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "He's not going to lecture them on democracy and human rights."

Sunday's speech to dozens of Muslim leaders has been touted as a major event -- along the lines of a landmark address to the Islamic world given by Obama in Cairo in 2009.

The speech will be especially sensitive given tensions sparked by the Trump administration's attempted travel ban targeting several Muslim majority nations and accusations of anti-Islamic rhetoric on the campaign trail.

I'll speak with Muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism, and embrace a peaceful future for their faith, Trump said ahead of his visit.

Trump wants Gulf states in particular to do more to tackle extremists such as the Islamic State jihadist group.

He will encourage our Arab and Muslim partners to take bold, new steps to promote peace and to confront those, from ISIS to Al-Qaeda... who perpetuate chaos and violence that has inflicted so much suffering throughout the Muslim world and beyond,said Trump's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Before departing, the president tweeted he would be "strongly protecting American interests" on his marathon eight-day trip to the Middle East and Europe.

After Saudi Arabia, Trump will head to Israel and the Palestinian Territories where he hopes to revive the moribund peace process.

He then travels to Europe where he will hold face-to-face meetings including with Pope Francis and France's new leader, Emmanuel Macron.

It is a trip fraught with peril for the real estate magnate, who is known to dislike lengthy travel.

The avalanche of revelations in the run-up to his departure have eroded Trump's standing at home where the parallels with Richard Nixon's ill-fated presidency are now being openly drawn.

On Friday, the probe into his campaign's Russia ties had identified a "significant person of interest" in the White House undercut Trump's insistence his election bid had nothing to do with the Kremlin.

The White House was rocked by another bombshell when reports emerged that Trump said his firing of "nut job" Comey had relieved "great pressure" on him due to the investigation.

The scandals have revived questions about his ability to strike a presidential tone with his foreign counterparts, with Trump declaring himself the victim of the "greatest witch hunt" in American political history.

Arms contracts

His visit to the Gulf is expected to bring lucrative arms contracts for US firms.

"The big question mark that you should bear in mind is if Saudi Arabia signs up for a $100 billion arms deal with oil prices where they are today, how are they actually going to pay that in the future?" said Bruce Riedel, former CIA analyst and counterterrorism expert now with the Brookings Institution.

In Israel, Trump will meet his "friend" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Bethlehem.

The Israeli leg of his trip is already awash in controversy -- from a row over Trump's visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews, to his alleged disclosure of Israeli intelligence to Russian officials.

Trump's meeting with Pope Francis -- two men at odds on everything from climate change to refugee policy remains highly unpredictable, although the pontiff says he will give America's bullish leader an open-minded hearing.

The president will also meet members of NATO in Brussels and attend a G7 summit in the picturesque Sicilian town of Taormina overlooking the Mediterranean.