Saudi Arabia, between tradition and modernity

9 September 2024Photos and text: Fred Marie24 images

Arabie saoudite, entre tradition et modernité

01 / 24 · 9 September 2024

In the scorching sands of Arabia, a kingdom is awakening. Saudi Arabia, land of prophets and oil, is embarking on a bold dance with the modern world. Through the prism of three of its most important cities, Riyadh, Madinah and Jeddah, emerges the face of a nation in the midst of metamorphosis.

The official opening to tourism in 2019 is a revolution for the kingdom, and its leader, Mohammed bin Salman (nicknamed MBS), is thinking big with the “Neom” project (an urban development project worth 1,000 billion dollars, which is expected to rise from the ground by 2030). In the meantime, Riyadh, a capital built on the desert, pulses to the rhythm of a flamboyant modernity. Its towers of steel and glass, sprung from the sands, defy the skies.

Madinah, until recently closed to non-Muslims, offers a striking contrast. Here, time seems suspended around the Masjid an-Nabawi mosque, where the Prophet Muhammad rests. The faithful, who come from the four corners of the world for the Umrah (the pilgrimage that is one of the five pillars of Islam), tread its sacred ground before heading to Mecca.

On the road between the two cities stands the port city of Jeddah. Its picturesque alleys of Al-Balad and its lively waterfront make it a reflection of a Saudi society between tradition and modernity.

However, in the shadow of these aspirations remains a bastion of traditions where individual freedoms, particularly those of women, seem frozen in time. Women’s rights, restricted by sharia, and the wearing of the niqab are the visible symbols of a society moving at two speeds. The quest for a balance between progress and tradition runs up against the reality of a country torn between the desire for openness and the weight of a thousand-year-old heritage.

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