Given how numerous royal families are in the Gulf, companies may also struggle to gain access to business opportunities without working with individuals or companies that are in some way connected to a royal family.
Saudi Arabia is emerging as the largest market for Islamic assets, according to a new report by Ernst & Young.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated $207 billion of Islamic assets in 2011, was ranked first in the world.
The brightest lights, apart from those on the old Riyadh Airbase, follow the commercial districts along King Abdullah Road and King Fahd Branch Road. Many of the darker patches within the built area are city parks.
