Government | Wednesday 19 August, 2015 2:02 am |

Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has issued directives to all regional governors in the province to hold urgent meetings with tribal elders to finalize a document fixing a ceiling for dowry and discuss ways to end extravagant weddings, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

In a cable sent to the governors, Prince Khaled said he had noticed some families had been demanding high dowries for their daughters, eventually leading to an increase in spinsterhood in the country.

He said the situation required the intervention of the governors, who shall prepare a document specifying the maximum amount of dowry to be paid to different categories of brides after consultations with the tribal leaders and sheikhs.

Prince Khaled suggested that the dowry for a virgin must be fixed at a maximum of SR50,000 and for a divorcee at SR30,000.

A recent study indicated that the number of spinsters in the Kingdom nearly tripled to 4 million in 2015 from less than 1.5 million in 2010. Sociologists have attributed the rise in spinsterhood in the Kingdom to demands of high dowries and rising marriage expenses.