http://www1.american.edu/TED/hpages/protocol/middle~1.htm
SAUDI ARABIA
Greetings are highly formalistic
Shaking of hand is often accompanied by touching the arm or the shoulder
Men who are familiar with one another may often embrace at greeting
Relish lavish gifts
Have a strict sense of religion and diet
Men may bring wives to the United States, however, in Saudi Arabia, they remain unseen
Cherish long, close business friendships
Harbor a disdain for the US business custom of changing sales/marketing representatives
Dogs are not commonly household pets
Good topics: history, culture, and respect fore the Islamic faith
Bad topics: any blasphemy, Israel, and the role of women
http://www.ehow.com/how_2089399_practice-proper-business-etiquette-saudi.html
Use your hands carefully. Use your right hand when doing anything in public to practice proper business etiquette in Saudi Arabia (e.g., handshaking). Keep from gesturing with your hands a lot or pointing at anything, especially to the soles of people’s shoes or feet. This is considered very rude behavior. Get used to people being in your personal space and refrain from pulling or jerking back when someone touches you. It is customary to touch and stand close to one another.
http://www.the-saudi.net/business-center/business-etiquette.htm
Saudi custom regarding greetings is rather ritualized. When entering a meeting full of people, a Saudi will greet each person individually with a handshake while standing. The same is expected of visitors. Learning some appropriate Arabic phrases for such occasions is appreciated.
Thanks for the info. Kim, I appreciate it... It’s good to get some independent verification for what we thought we were seeing... This bow really IS a HUGE deal. Another person mentioned this on another thread, but it’s been rolling around in my head now... Isn’t this a little like TREASON?
Thank you so much for all of this.