Humans have lived in the vast desert land we now know as Saudi Arabia for at estimated twenty thousand years--hardy, persistent humans, most of whom were nomadic traders who found some way to survive the brutal climate of the Arabian peninsula by moving and moving across the endless stretches of sands.

Some nomads did stop for just long enough to form small fixed settlements like Mecca and Medina, but for centuries upon centuries, most just kept on keepin' on. Saudi Arabia was one of the world's poorest countries until the discovery of oil within its borders in 1938. Since then many Saudis have found wealth beyond their wildest dreams and the nation has become one of the key players in the world economy and global politics. At the same time it's also the birthplace of the Muslims' Prophet Mohammad, Islam's spiritual home, and one of the few nations whose legal system runs on traditional Islamic laws. 

Being a musician in Saudi Arabia is tricky business. Because Islam is so elemental to public culture in Saudi Arabia, and because some of the more fundamentalist (and outspoken) Muslim clerics consider music to be “haraam” (forbidden/sacred) the Saudi state has historically adopted a firm stance against all but the most traditional or devotional music.