Saudi citizens have become the most powerful marketing campaign for the success of the new system. Smashing the black dress code is an act of rebellion—erasing symbols of fundamentalism and dismantling markers of oppression against women. Saudi Arabia is no longer merely a land of oil and desert, but a society transforming rapidly and asserting itself as a rising power Since the dawn of history, humanity has not immortalised the names of those who built towers or engineered the wonders of the world. Instead, the names that endure are those of the thinkers, visionaries, and leaders who changed the lives of people. We all know Plato and Aristotle and still live today under the influence of their philosophy, but we can hardly name the builders of the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the designer of the Eiffel Tower, despite these landmarks being globally recognised. The difference is clear: architecture, no matter how grand, remains silent. It is ideas that liberate the human spirit and transform daily life that truly shape civilisations and give history its meaning. Those who dared to rebel against rigid orthodoxy and opened new horizons for people were the ones who launched great renaissances. Every major leader remembered in history is revered not for laying stone upon stone, but for changing the conditions of human existence – making life more open, more dignified, and freer. When human beings change at the core of everyday life, acceleration happens—the kind that alters the course of an entire nation. But when individuals remain shackled while towers and master plans rise around them, no one feels the renaissance, and it quickly rings hollow. Today, in the heart of an Arab region weighed down by wars and crises, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a beacon of light under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The secret lies in the fact that the beginning was not with stone and concrete, but with people themselves. When people inhaled a new freedom, when they broke free from the suffocating grip of orthodoxy, a surge of joy was born that turned the citizens themselves into the greatest marketing campaign for the success of this new system. Mohammed bin Salman dared to confront a heavy legacy of religious fundamentalism that had dominated Saudi society for decades. This mindset not only controlled politics but also permeated daily life, imposing suffocating restrictions on women and transforming religion from a message of peace and mercy into a system of domination and rigidity. Decisive measures began dismantling this order: allowing women to drive, enabling them to work, granting them the right to travel without guardianship, and ultimately liberating them from the compulsory black abaya. These were not superficial reforms, but a bold declaration of rebellion against an era of stagnation and severity—and the beginning of a more humane, more balanced stage. When Saudi Arabia opened its doors to entertainment and culture, when women sat behind the wheel for the first time, and when young people felt they were part of the global community, the very spirit of society changed. The people themselves became the country's strongest advocates—not because of concerts or festivals, but because, for the first time, they felt they could truly breathe freely. Amid states drowning in chaos and conflict, Saudi Arabia presented a new image: a nation reconciling modernity with faith, tradition with openness. The conversation was no longer limited to oil or desert, but about a society transforming rapidly and asserting itself as a rising force. The world saw it in the faces of the people themselves: freer women, more confident youth, a more open society. This human image was more powerful than any advertising campaign, turning Saudi Arabia into a luminous presence in the darkness of the region. The decision to free women from mandatory black attire was not a minor regulatory change but a profound symbolic strike against fundamentalism. For decades, the black abaya stood as a symbol of rigidity and repression. When that symbol was lifted, the spirit was liberated before the body. The weight of this decision is magnified by the fact that Saudi Arabia is home to the Kaaba and the Prophet's Mosque—global symbols of peace and light. Thus, the liberation of women's image becomes a reconnection of religion with its true essence: a faith of mercy, not oppression; of light, not darkness.
