ñçñqñqñqñqññññ#ñ#wwñ?ñ? ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ samantha hawley: as a foreign correspondent, my job takes me to many countries, but stepping into this one, i'm feeling mildly unsettled. after all, this is saudi arabia, home to islam's holiest cities and governed by sharia law. women have few rights here.

we've arrived at a pivotal moment in the country's history, as it's finally opening up to tourism. i'm one of the first people in the world to get an evisa and a government offer to show us this vast and unfamiliar place. ♪♪♪ samantha: i knew this was an absolute monarchy, and the world's biggest supplier of oil, but i wasn't at all prepared for what i was about to experience. ♪♪♪

samantha: a glittering--decidedly non-alcoholic--evening headlined the importance of tourism to the country's future. ahmad bin aqil al-khatib: [speaking arabic] samantha: a multi-million-dollar publicity drive is boosting tourism, a key plank in diversifying the country's economy, a plan called vision 2030. earlier, i'd been briefed by our minder on what i couldn't ask the tourism minister when i interviewed him. samantha: okay, although kashoggi, i suppose you could argue, is or could be related to tourism.

that would--well-- samantha: i was not to ask about the journalist jamal kashoggi, whose brutal murder at the hands of saudi security caused international furor. samantha: is him by name. so you don't want me to mention kashoggi's name? samantha: i had to stick to tourism and its opportunities. ahmad: it will be very significant. this will take saudi arabia to become one of the top 5 most-visited countries globally from 22 today. we want to add 60 million visits in the next 12 years. samantha: but this is a very conservative country, isn't it? and tourists, we know, can behave badly. ahmad: we will make the rules very clear. we will make the abaya optional for women when they come to saudi arabia, and if they dress, they need to dress modest,

just to respect the culture, you know, in the street. ♪♪♪ samantha: when "foreign correspondent" last reported from saudi arabia, we were greeted with an entirely different song. male: [speaking arabic] samantha: we found a country in the grip of religious fundamentalism. five of the september 11 terrorists had been recruited from this mosque alone. saudi society was governed by a puritanical interpretation of islamic law. male: [speaking arabic] samantha: enforced by the mutawa: the feared "morality police."

samantha: so i wanted to find out how much has changed. what better way to explore than order an uber? samantha: hi, mawta. mawta buyati: hello. samantha: thank you so much for giving me a lift around riyadh. mawta: sure. samantha: in australia, where mawta buyati studied as a nurse, there was nothing remarkable in her getting a license. but back here, it's revolutionary. samantha: what was that moment like when they announced that women would be able to drive? mawta: it was like alive again. samantha: it was like being alive again? mawta: yeah, being alive again, yes. i feel like happy. having more freedom, i feel like everything was easy. yeah, so i can go out to work by myself, any time, any, like--yeah. ♪♪♪

samantha: as riyadh shimmers in the hot desert air, it's being transformed. ♪♪♪ samantha: the country that grew plump and powerful on oil is diversifying. it's sold a slice of the state-owned oil company aramco to fund other ventures, and it's touting for much more foreign investment. the main shopping mall is still busy, but the moral police are missing, and have been stripped of their powers of arrest.

boosting women into the workforce is part of the new economic vision. they can also now mix with men. samantha: you do have male customers? mawta: yes, i do. samantha: yes, so you can take women or men, doesn't matter? mawta: yeah, it doesn't matter, yes. i can do that. samantha: yeah. samantha: and she's very grateful to the crown prince. mawta: the changes you can see. he allowed us to drive. i think it was like the freedom. and we love him, yes, of course, yes. [laughing] ♪♪♪ samantha: crown prince mohammed bin salman, known as mbs, initially won other hearts, too. his father, salman, is still king, but it's mbs who effectively took over power in 2017.

the world embraced this fresh-faced leader and his reform agenda. mohammed bin salman: [speaking arabic] turki bin faisal al saud: the enthusiasm about the vision is not confined only to the young people. the--even older generations like myself are excited by what saudi arabia hopes to become in the future, because we come from a very ancient land and ancient history with lots of tradition and practices, and almost--if i can say--a staid outlook

on life. samantha: in washington, hatice cengiz, the turkish fiancée of murdered journalist jamal kashoggi, is not buying saudi's new face of reform. she's pushing for justice for kashoggi, and raises serious doubts about mbs and his agenda. hatice cengiz: [speaking arabic]

samantha: the endless sands of arabia have held a stark fascination for centuries. ♪♪♪ samantha: we headed north in a caravan--including our official minders--into areas now being opened to the world for the first time in living memory. ♪♪♪ samantha: mysterious and majestic, this unforgiving land was known to t.e. lawrence during the first world war. in biblical times, camel trains travelled through here,

carrying priceless frankincense, myrrh, and gold destined for the mediterranean. and here, in this vast emptiness, are the awesome traces of what was once one of the wealthiest cities in the world. they built the tombs of hegra. ♪♪♪ samantha: two thousand years ago, this was a vibrant commercial hub, the southern capital of the nabataean kingdom, which stretched north up to petra in jordan. now riches are expected to flow here once more from tourism. mashail makki: these excavations, these studies showed us how the nabataeans used these tombs.

samantha: mashail makki is one of hundreds of locals being job-trained for the expected flood of visitors. with steps to heaven, and many guarded by stone eagles and lions, there are 131 burial tombs here. mashail: so the difference between them and the egyptians, the nabataea and the egyptians, the nabataeans keep the organs inside. so that's they how-- samantha: they keep the organs inside. mashail: yeah, they keep the organs inside, yeah. that's different, yeah. samantha: well, let's go and have a look at it. mashail: yeah, this is another tomb that show us how that-- samantha: inside, the embalmed dead from one family carefully laid here over many generations. mashail: yeah, so, this one is different. it's like rooms here. samantha: and the bodies are wrapped? mashail: yeah, yeah, it's wrapped in the middle. yes, i will show you the picture of it. samantha: i'd love to see. mashail: yeah, so they keep the bodies naked, and they only wear the necklace.

samantha: oh, wow, that's amazing. and what does this area mean to you? because you-- mashail: yeah, this is what we have as history, we have to show the world, we have to tell them the stories that comes behind this civilization. that's why we drop barrier, we are here to send these stories to others. that's why i love this, my country. ♪♪♪ samantha: in the qur'an, this is "the rocky place": al-hijr, its people cursed for disobeying allah, but this topic is apparently off-limits. samantha: and it's mentioned in the qur'an, isn't it? mashail: yes, yes. samantha: so what's the connotation in the qur'an? what does it mean? mashail: actually, i can't answer this question.

so, yeah, the media told me not to answer that question. samantha: oh, not to answer that question, okay, okay, okay, that's fine. ♪♪♪ samantha: evidence of civilizations going back to the dawn of mankind are hidden in the landscape. this tomb of a princess has rested on this mountaintop for at least 4,000 years. her full story is still a mystery. many sites around the country were off-limits to research for over a century, and much was destroyed by zealots for being a heresy against islam. the work of archaeologists has really just begun. tahani almahmoud: the site includes a lot of very important inscriptions-- samantha: tahani almahmoud is taking us to

the site they call "the library." many civilizations etched their marks here. the dadans were especially prolific. tahani: most of the inscriptions here, talking about loyalty and some rules in dadanic community. and also, it has some of names for important kings of the dadanian kingdom. samantha: and you also think there's some music up there, which means that they had music. tahani: yes, actually, one of the interesting rock arts here, it's for some of music instruments, which is--which that mean they have time to do some music. samantha: the oasis that attracted life is still here, and it supports a modern city of al-ula, which is expecting a sudden influx of tourists. we were told that saudi people are intensely private

and wary of cameras, but that wasn't our experience. samantha: thank you so much. male: welcome, welcome. welcome, welcome, habibi, habibi, welcome, welcome. man 2: where are you from, where are you from? male: good morning, hi, hi-- samantha: in fact, we were quite a sensation in al-ula. samantha: australia. abdullah altaihi alanazi: i am general abdullah altaihi alanazi. i am from al-ula, and you know this village, it's a--good history in the qur'an. do you read the qur'an? samantha: yes. abdullah: this area, it's history for the muslim, it's the history for the jewish, and history for the jesus--follow jesus--the christian people. and here in this country we see all the people--friends. okay, come with me, you in your car-- samantha: general abdullah then extended a warm invitation for us to visit his farm.

abdullah: you like, yes? samantha: we could go and film maybe at the farm. male: sure. samantha: but we have to have all approval through-- samantha: going off-plan suddenly like this upset our minder, who monitored our every move. traditionally, the bedu are extremely hospitable. abdullah: take a look. samantha: oh, i'd love to have a look! abdullah: you relax. you take your time. samantha: thank you very much. abdullah: here you're in family, you know. no difference, okay? samantha: oh, that's so kind of you. samantha: watered by the ancient oasis, his family have 3,000 date palms here. much of the crop is destined for europe. samantha: oh, wow. abdullah: take, take, take. samantha: i can take one? are you sure? can i eat it? abdullah: yes! samantha: oh, i can taste it? okay. abdullah: yeah, you eat it, very nice. samantha: oh, delicious. samantha: it turns out general abdullah studied for a time in america, but these are the historic lands for the alanazi tribe. abdullah: two hundred years ago, the people come here from

british, from france, from europe, and no different. some people understand the qur'an, you know, another way. we understand the qur'an in the real way. no difference between all of us, all of us brothers. abdullah: [speaking arabic] samantha: oh, wow. now, tell me-- samantha: i was so welcome, i was sort of adopted. with a shemagh and agal, i became an alanazi for a day. abdullah: you say it: i am an aussie. samantha: i'm an aussie. [laughing] ♪♪♪ samantha: projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars are slated for hotels and tourism along the red sea coastline, promising tens of thousands of new jobs.

the red sea is already famous for brilliant sea life, and at a resort at the edge of jeddah, yasmin basha can't get enough. she's been diving for ten years, and every day finds something new. yasmin basha: i'm flying underwater. really, this is my life. it's relaxing, and all fishes are my friends. i can't live without them. i'm very happy because i love diving. my life, it's underwater, so i want everyone, woman or man, underwater. samantha: being a diving instructor is hardly a job you'd expect for a saudi woman. samantha: what did your family think when you started to dive? yasmin: oh, [laughing] at the beginning my family hates me. my mother, she is very scared from the water. so she told me, "why you choose this job?

it's very dangerous." but now she's okay with it. now i think it's more than 300 women are diving. samantha: and how many have you taught to dive? yasmin: maybe more than 100, 150. samantha: wow, how is it for women here now that things are starting to change? yasmin: yeah, it's changing a lot now. now, it's very easy for every woman to do it, so it's very fast. i don't know what will happen in 2030 also. we are just two years, so it's a lot, completely different now for us. so in 2030, it will be amazing, i think. samantha: there is a broad optimism here which is infectious, but it doesn't sit comfortably with widespread reports of a harsh crackdown on dissent, like in the weeks

before women could drive, campaigner loujain al-hathloul and others were rounded up and jailed. and while cinemas and concerts are now allowed, the woman dancing in this phone video was reportedly arrested in october on a public disorder charge. so what gives? hatice: [speaking in arabic] shakir al-sharif: [speaking in arabic]

samantha: at the kingdom's first comedy venue, shakir al-sharif knows he treads a fine line. samantha: but you don't have full freedom yet. you can't say whatever you want to say on stage, or can you? shakir: yeah, we can't. samantha: you can't? shakir: yeah, we can't. we can't go to the red lines. look, even if you go to it, people won't be comfortable, you get me? even if one day the government says, "it's okay to talk about this and that. okay, go talk about sex, religion, whatever." if you speak about it, people won't feel comfortable. so i'd rather--me as a comedian, career-wise, i'll stay away from that. shakir: this is the audience, now, you're all mixed. samantha: this theatre is another vision 2030 idea: bringing some "fun" to the kingdom. but when shakir started, he faced a massive conservative backlash.

shakir: the most fearful thing, after death, is being on stage. shakir: they started, you know, correcting me, like, "you shouldn't talk about your mother, you shouldn't talk about your father. you should stop doing this, you look ugly." you know, you know, "the bullying." shakir: [speaking in arabic] samantha: two thirds of saudi's population is under the age of 30. many are unsure what the new rules are. [singing call to prayer] samantha: calls to prayer have echoed through the streets of jeddah for 1,400 years, since the time of muhammad. it's the gateway to mecca, the birthplace of islam. [calls to prayer echoing]

samantha: abir abusulayman works as a guide in the old city, and has a direct connection between the old arabia and the new. [calls to prayer echoing] samantha: what was marked for demolition here is now being preserved. and after all these centuries, frankincense is still for sale. abir took me to one of the exotic restored houses. abir abusulayman: and go to the right here-- abir: i love it, i feel that it's the most beautiful part on earth, not in only in my country, and i am never bored coming here explaining to the tourists the history of the area.

i like to call myself a storyteller more than a tourist guide. samantha: while the country's on a moderate religious path under mbs, there are dangers for those who step out of line. samantha: there was a number of women in this country who fought for women's rights and for freedom for women, that paid a quite heavy price for that, were jailed, and--what do you, you know, feel about those women that tried very hard to-- abir: well, i wasn't among these ladies. i think these ladies took a step in advance without waiting what the government is going to do. they did not ask for what is happening now, they asked for less. and as you said, the price was not easy. we are a young country, we are just 89 years old, so we had the burden of these late 20 years that are changing now

within two years. so--and i promise you in your next visit you will see more changes. it's coming, but--and when you slow in these changes, they will be genuine instead of being lost in what to do and not what to do. so things are excellent for now. ♪♪♪ samantha: the house of saud has ruled by the sword for several centuries, and while the young crown prince modernizes and liberates, he's also silenced critics. social reformers and dissident clerics alike have been jailed, and this square holds a special fear for critics and criminals. samantha: well, it's quite amazing to be here. the square is used for all sorts of things, events on weekends, but it's also, of course, dubbed "chop chop square,"

and they still execute people here in public. ♪♪♪ samantha: reportedly, 184 people lost their heads last year. human rights watchers say numbers are up since mbs became de facto ruler. inside the country, people are afraid to speak about repression. outside, the country's reputation has dived. the murder of jamal kashoggi and failure to convict the top hitmen, and the costly and disastrous war in yemen, are both seen to be the crown prince's responsibility. i arranged to meet someone who has felt this very personally.

prince khaled bin farhan al-saud lives in exile in germany. khaled bin farhan al-saud: in saudi arabia there is not any people free there. the free are only the king and the crown prince and the government that work with this regime. samantha: khaled is a distant relative of mbs, and a long-term critic of the regime. he has police protection, and claims he's been spied on. his flat's been ransacked, and he thinks he may have been poisoned, and he believes saudi intelligence tried to kidnap him by offering five and a half million dollars u.s., but only if he came to the saudi embassy in egypt to claim it. khaled: [speaking in arabic]

male: [speaking in arabic] samantha: some exiles speak out, like this small group in berlin protesting against the executions. male: [shouting in arabic] boy: [speaking in arabic] samantha: they know they are under surveillance, and most exiles hide, fearing the government's reach. they've seen others go missing, including three other princes who sought refuge in europe. prince khaled believes saudi arabia can't modernize until there's fundamental reform. khaled: [speaking in arabic]

turki: there is a lot of criticism. what is important for a saudi like myself is that if we see a criticism that is justified, and we look upon oursees and figure that yes, that criticism is true, then we will take it and we will try to improve ourselves to meet that criticism. female: hey guys, do i need to change the gears or something? ♪♪♪ samantha: bedouin culture was forged in the desert. it's warm and welcoming, but can also be fiercely tribal. ♪♪♪ samantha: for saudi arabia to career headlong into the modern world, it can charm outsiders with its