Saudi houses tend to be large with numerous rooms and dark with few windows. Many of the rooms are elaborately decorated. Every room is air-conditioned, a definite necessity. A broken down air conditioner is one of the few emergencies an appliance man will attend to on weekends. In the hospital, I knew one frail elderly lady was well enough to be sent home when she pulled her mattress and covers off the bed so she could sleep more comfortably on the floor.
Hospitality is an art in Saudi Arabia.
Everyone shakes hands - several times, in fact. Male friends frequently kiss and hold hands. Women are not to be noticed and cover up. In the hospital, women keeping relatives company would disappear under covers and not reappear until male doctors had departed. When the work is finished it is necessary to visit.