Saudi Streets

On a mission to show what the streets of Saudi Arabia are really like, electrician Zuhair Ahmad set himself a challenge to visit 20 cities. Ahmad’s images of everyday life reveal a Saudi Arabia that he says many don’t know exist. “People think everyone here is rich and have what they need,” he says, referring to a vision of Saudis perpetuated by a wealthy minority who “spend their time in Europe in expensive hotels with expensive cars.” “Each city I visit, I discover new things. This is a big country and much of it is unknown and hasn’t been photographed,” he says. “It’s changed my perspective and made me want to see more and to photograph as much as I can.” “A lot of photographers from the gulf countries aren’t interested in this kind of photography. They are more into studio portraits, landscape, still life or fashion.”   Street photography is only beginning to gain popularity in Saudi Arabia, and Ahmad says his work is partly “a call to my fellow photographers to photograph the real streets.”