Alcohol returns to Saudi Arabia after 70 years, but not everyone can have a drink

Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning its first liquor store in Riyadh exclusively for non-Muslim diplomats, introducing a regulated process to counter illicit alcohol trade.

Riyadh's first alcohol shop only for diplomats is set to open soon. Source: Getty / Fayez Nureldine/AFP

Key Points

• Saudi Arabia is set to open its first-ever liquor store, in its capital of Riyadh.
• Led by Mohammed bin Salman, the move aligns with Saudi Arabia's strategy to open up to tourism.
• Saudi Arabia has strict laws against drinking alcohol, punishable by deportation, fines, imprisonment or lashes.

Saudi Arabia is set to open its first-ever liquor store in the capital, Riyadh, international media reported.

The alcohol store will reportedly serve only non-Muslim diplomats, according to Reuters.

Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry and abide by monthly quotas, the report added.

The state-run Centre of International Communication (CIC) said the move aims to "counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods" in Saudi Arabia.

Quoting the CIC, CNN reported that a "new process will focus on allocating specific quantities of alcohol goods when entering the Kingdom to put an end to the previous unregulated process that caused an uncontrolled exchange of such goods in the Kingdom".

In accordance with Sharia (Islamic law), the sale and consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Mecca and Medina — the two holiest sites for Muslims around the world.

Those found in violation of this law can face punishment such as deportation, fines, imprisonment, and even lashes.

Alcohol was banned in Saudi Arabia in the 1950s following an incident where a British diplomat was shot dead by one of former Saudi king Abdulaziz’s sons, who was drunk at that time.

The new move is a milestone in the Kingdom's efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open the ultra-conservative Muslim country up to tourism and business.

Salman is believed to be making efforts to project a modern image of his country to the world.

In 2017, he gave women in Saudi Arabia the right to drive by lifting a decades-old ban that prevented them from doing so.

A year later, Saudi Arabians witnessed the reopening of cinema halls, which had been banned more than three decades earlier.