Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula, a sea of sand (95% of the country is desert) that holds 17% of the world’s petroleum reserves.

Its cities encapsulate the country’s contradictions: ancient souks and ultra-modern skyscrapers, women veiled in abayas but also entering the workforce, petroleum refineries, and sparkling beach resorts.

Cards on the table: Saudi Arabia has an abysmal track record on human rights, with women, LGBTQ+ communities, and journalists the target of discrimination and violence. Women are still legally classified as minors, with male relatives making significant decisions on their behalf. But in the last few years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — known as MBS — passed laws that lessened some restrictions with Saudi Arabia. And he’s invited the world in: His Vision 2030 plan opened Saudi Arabia to tourism. Road signs and menus now appear in English, Western credit cards are widely accepted, and you can even catch an Uber. 

In this episode, we dive into the changing norms in Saudi Arabia, talk about some of the amazing sights that are now open to the Western world, and discuss the ambitious Neom project: a ‘city of the future’ in the desert.

Then we recommend five books that took us to Saudi Arabia on the page:

• City Of Veils by Zoë Ferraris


• MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman by Ben Hubbard


• Cardamom and Lime: Recipes from the Arabian Gulf by Sarah Al-Hamad


• The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al Mansour


• Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.

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Transcript of Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?)

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