Photography is strictly prohibited in the store, and mobile phones must be kept in secure pouches to prevent their use while in the venue.

Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh, two sources told CNBC.

The news, which has not been officially confirmed by the Saudi government, marks a major breakthrough for the highly conservative Muslim theocracy where alcohol has been banned since 1952.

According to a list of store rules seen by CNBC, the venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats, and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo.

No guests or people under the age of 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store, photography is strictly prohibited and mobile phones need to be kept in secure “mobile pouches” so as not to be used while in the store. Purchases are also subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual.

  • Haagel@lemmings.worldEnglish
    65·
    5 months ago

    Last time I shared this I was downvoted to hell but I’ll say it again because it’s the truth:

    My good friend in Saudi works for a firm that frequently works for the Prince. He claims that the Prince is trying to progress a more inclusive and tolerant culture in modern Saudi Arabia.

    Obviously there’s a ton of issues with the way they conduct government right now. But at least it’s worth noting that there is talk of positive change. It has to start somewhere.

    • answersplease77@lemmy.worldEnglish
      51·
      5 months ago

      Off course he’s saying that. You think a forigner working there is going to say the truth or criticize their government?? Do you know what they did to all their human right activists?

    • jochem@lemmy.mlEnglish
      52·
      5 months ago

      Peter Santinello is a guy on YouTube who does very genuine interviews with people from all walks of life. He has a short series in Saudi Arabia where he talks with all kinds of people, including women. They talk about how women driving became a thing and you can see how modern some cities are. Women are not even wearing a headscarf everywhere.

      Definitely recommended to watch if you want to get a different view on the country than the perspective you get from most western media.

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.caEnglish
        41·
        5 months ago

        MBS still murdered Khashoggi on foreign soil tho.

        No amount of positive media will erase that.

        • jochem@lemmy.mlEnglish
          12·
          5 months ago

          And Obama murdered hundreds of civilians with drones, yet we’re still able to acknowledge the freedoms that American people have.

    • spongebue@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      MBS is a piece of shit, but he also knows he can’t isolate your average person from the rest of the world, and that people will want some of the things we have. Your average person can see that the rest of the world has movie theaters, and they want that. They can see that the rest of the world has women driving, and they’ll want that too. Alcohol? At least this gives the optics, even if it’s still inaccessible to most.

      Even a piece of shit knows when they have to loosen the leash a little, especially when it doesn’t really affect the piece of shit. If they don’t, it’s a matter of time before it comes back to haunt them.