Saudi Arabia
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Desert bloom: How the AlUla Arts Festival blends history with the here and now
Amid shifting sands punctuated by palm-fringed oases, the AlUla Arts Festival brings the long history of Saudi Arabia’s desert landscape to the kingdom’s bid for contemporary relevance in art and design.
Back to reality: Why Saudi Arabia is downsizing its Vision 2030 plans
There’s something refreshing about a country admitting that it has overdone it. Of course, Saudi Arabia has not phrased it in so many words but the scaling back of its Giga-Projects – most conspicuously…
‘Give the people the choice’: The separatist Southern Transitional Council wants Yemenis to decide their future
The south Yemen group abruptly dissolved in January after escalations in tension between separatist factions and Saudi-backed forces. But despite its apparent collapse, the movement’s supporters insist that the cause remains alive.
A look inside Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter: A community of political transients
Embassy staff are used to postings around the world but in Riyadh, they live alongside government ministers in the Diplomatic Quarter district. We pass the security checkpoints to meet its residents.
Gulf states project an image of unity but a proxy media war tells a different story
Under normal circumstances, the Gulf monarchies are at pains to project an image of calm, cohesion and predictability. Disputes are managed quietly and disagreements smoothed over with summitry and ritual declarations of unity. But…
The Gulf’s best mediators are not immune to conflict – even with each other
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have presented themselves as the twin pillars of Gulf power for much of the past decade. Aligned on security, broadly synchronised on diplomacy and increasingly influential beyond the region,…
Beyond the Giga-Projects, a new generation of Saudi Arabian architects is getting introspective
As Saudi Arabia builds at breakneck speed, young architects returning from abroad are slowing down to ask what kind of places people want to live in, with a focus on landscape, life and memory.
Saudi Arabia’s latest alcohol policy shift lowers the bar for raising a glass
Riyadh looks set to loosen alcohol prohibitions for select foreign residents in the kingdom. The discreet change widens access to booze in the country’s only liquor store amid suggestions that additional outlets will soon…
Can Trump get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords? Not just yet
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) landed in Washington yesterday and president Trump needs the prince’s visit to be a success. The Epstein drama and the attendant battle with former Maga ally Marjorie…
Saudi Arabia is high-techifying the Hajj – but does modernisation taint its sanctity?
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is undergoing a state-of-the-art transformation this year. But will tech spoil the spiritual experience for attending pilgrims?
