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Photos: Saudi Arabian women all revved up to hit the road come Sunday
On June 24, Saudi women will be legally able to drive on the country’s roads for the first time in the Middle Eastern kingdom’s history. A small trickling change part of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman’s larger social reforms for the deeply conservative country, the country’s women are looking forward to Sunday with hopes of realizing this long held dream. Many have already planed how they will spend the day behind the wheel –a small step towards greater recognition of their rights within society.
Updated on: Jun 20, 2018 9:38 AM IST
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View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Jun 20, 2018 9:38 AM
A driving instructor (back) teaches trainee Maria al-Faraj during a driving lesson on a 3D screen at Saudi Aramco Driving Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. On June 24, when Saudi women are allowed to drive for the first time, many women like Maria al-Faraj will be realising a lifelong dream. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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A driving instructor arrives at the Saudi Aramco Driving Center. Last September, King Salman decreed an end to the world’s only ban on women drivers, maintained for decades by a deeply conservative Muslim establishment. But it is his son, 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is the face of the wider social revolution. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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Trainees attend a lesson at Saudi Aramco’s Driving Center. Women make up about 5% of the state oil firm Aramco’s 66,000 staff, meaning that 3,000 more could eventually enrol in the driving school. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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Maria al-Faraj practices how to adjust a tire during a lesson at the Driving Center. About 200 women are taking advantage of a company offer to teach female employees and their families at its driving academy in Dhahran to support the social revolution sweeping the kingdom. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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A driving instructor (R) explains seat belts to trainees Amira Abdulgader and Maria al-Faraj (C). Abdulgader wants to be sitting at the wheel, in control on June 24. “Sitting behind the wheel (means) that you are the one controlling the trip,” said the architect, dressed in a black veil, who has just finished learning to drive. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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An instructor teaches road signs at the Saudi Aramco Driving Center. “I would like to control every single detail of my trip. I will be the one to decide when to go, what to do, and when I will come back,” Abdulgader said. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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Maria al-Faraj (C) and Amira Abdelgader check oil levels in the engine with their driving instructor (R) during a lesson. “We need the car to do our daily activities. We are working, we are mothers, we have a lot of social networking, we need to go out - so we need transport,” Abdelgader said. “It will change my life.” (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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Amira Abdulgader practices on a simulator car. Many young Saudis regard Mohammed bin Salman’s ascent to power as proof that their generation is finally getting a share of control over a country whose patriarchal traditions have for decades made power the province of old men. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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An instructor goes over road signs with Amira Abdulgader. June 24 will be for many women a celebration of a trickling cultural change, and most have special plans of how they want to celebrate this long awaited day. (Ahmed Jadallah / REUTERS)
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