Saudi Arabia : pictures
Saudi Arabia : Discover
A land closed to foreign tourists until 2019, Saudi Arabia is showing a face far removed from the clichés that cling to it. The accession to power of the young Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman in 2017 seems to mark a clear break in the country's history. His "Vision 2030" plan to modernize the kingdom aims to initiate the post-oil shift, reduce unemployment and social inequalities, diversify the economy and set a course for Saudi youth. The country of 36.4 million inhabitants, whose average age is 32, developed rapidly from the 1950s onwards, bringing roads, towns and dams to life between sand dunes and desert mountains. The ancestral semi-nomadic way of life was abandoned in favor of glittering comforts, for which the Saudis went into massive debt. Between the winds of modernity and deep-rooted traditions, the country finds itself at a crossroads.
