Saudi Arabia opened its first liquor store since 1952

Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s most conservative laws

Guided by Wahhabism, a school of Islamic thought developed in Saudi Arabia, the country preaches strict adherence to the Quran, Islam’s central religious text

Islamic law (Sharia) is enforced through the country’s religious police, courts, and more

In 1951, the son of Saudi Arabia’s founding leader got drunk and fatally shot a British official

The following year, the kingdom banned alcohol as haram (“forbidden”)

The country closed all liquor stores and forbade citizens from consuming liquor in any form

Saudi Arabia has since permitted foreign diplomats to bring alcohol into the country so long as it is consumed on embassy grounds

Yet officials have accused diplomats of selling liquor on the Saudi black market

38-year-old Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has been liberalizing the kingdom’s strict laws to modernize the country and attract foreign investment and tourism

Among other reforms, he has allowed women to drive and permitted movie theaters and concerts

Saudi Arabia has now opened its first liquor store since the 1950s

The store, located in the diplomatic quarter of its capital, Riyadh, reportedly only serves non-Muslim foreign diplomats

Customers must be at least 21 years old, deposit their cell phones in a “pouch” upon entry, and have their purchase validated through an app

An outlet with ties to Saudi Arabia’s government called the store part of an effort “to curb the uncontrolled importing of these special goods and liquors within the diplomatic consignments”

You can read more stories like this in our appRoca makes staying informed actually fun. Read more stories, solidify your learning with quizzes, play minigames, earn XP, level up, and climb leaderboards