WHAT DO YOU THINK OF when you think about Saudi Arabia? It is somewhere I have always wanted to go, having been raised on books like Arabian Sands – Wilfred Thesiger’s epic about crossing the Empty Quarter. I was put off by the difficulty of getting a visitor visa, the thought of not being able to drive or travel without a male companion from my family and an impression of paternalistic authority.
Whilst it’s true that Saudi Arabia remains politically and socially ‘complicated’ (an absolute monarchy rather than a democracy), the country has been engaged in cultural reform in recent years and many traditional restrictions have been relaxed. I got my visa online, booked a flight and set off. If I am honest, I still felt a little apprehensive about how I would be received.
Those apprehensions were put to rest by the time I left the airport. I arrived in Riyadh at around 2am and was met by a cohort of smiling customs officials immaculately and red and white checked . I launched forth with my Arabic, and smiles quickly widened: “You are very welcome to Saudi Arabia.” I noticed two things in the queue: there were female Saudi officials at the desks, and some of the foreign women had uncovered heads. One visiting male was even wearing shorts. Saudi society does appear to be changing.
