Saudi-Arabien. Roadtrip durch ein Land voller Kontraste

In the organizer's words:

Lecture by Lutz Jäkel

Saudi Arabia - for decades an almost inaccessible country - has been gradually opening up to tourism and the global public since 2019. The award-winning photojournalist, author and Islamic scholar Lutz Jäkel documents this change with a clear view, empathy and journalistic precision in his captivating live reportage.

He traveled around 8,000 kilometers by car, train and bus across the vast country. His routes took him from the lively capital Riyadh to the Persian-Arabian Gulf, along the Rub al-Khali, the largest sand desert in the world, into the lush green mountains of Abha, along the Caribbean-like coast of the Red Sea to the metropolis of Jeddah, past Mecca to Medina and on to the oasis city of al-Ula. He portrays the first female DJ at a techno concert in Riyadh, meets Amina, who manages a modern café, cruises through Khobar with Harley riders, listens to the muezzin in Medina, has breakfast with the two Shiites Ali and Hussain on the Yemeni border and has Mariam, a tour guide, explain historical sites to him. Saudi Arabia is a country undergoing social change - but behind the glittering facades, freedom of expression, human rights and political opposition remain severely restricted.

This live reportage is more than just a travelogue - it is an intimate story about a country that is reinventing itself.

His illustrated book of the same name, "Saudi Arabia. A land of contrasts" won two International Travelbook Awards in 2025 in the categories "Best illustrated travel book" and "Current regional studies".

Price information:

Globetrotter Club 10.00 EUR normal price 15.00 EUR