daily life in saudi arabia is dominated by islamic observance. five times each day, muslims are called to prayer from the minarets of mosques scattered throughout the country. because friday is the holiest day for muslims, the weekend begins on thursday. in accordance with salafi doctrine, only two religious holidays are publicly recognized, "eid al-fitr" and "eid al-adha". celebration of other islamic holidays, such as the prophet’s birthday and day of ashura are tolerated only when celebrated locally and on a small scale. public observance of non-islamic religious holidays is prohibited, with the exception of 23 september, which commemorates the unification of the kingdom. conformity of behavior is highly valued as part of religion, apparent in sameness of dress. almost all women wear a loose-fitting black abaya cloak covering all but their eyes and hands, almost all men wear a white thawb with a red and white checkered headdress.