Establishing A New Kind Of Modern

Upon landing at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, it's instantly clear that Saudi Arabia is unlike any other place on earth—though not necessarily for the reasons one would expect. Sure, luggage is thoroughly searched for contraband, and the terminal is filled with abaya-clad women and their male counterparts in flowing white robes, known as dishdashas. But there are other, unanticipated sights that immediately command attention—primarily the ultramodern airport itself, a notable landmark and masterpiece of Islamic architecture.

Initiated in the '70s, it radiates out from under a bold, futuristic geodesic dome and is connected to an enormous hexagonal mosque that can accommodate up to 5,000 worshipers, with a courtyard big enough for an additional

4,000. The budget for the entire complex exceeded $3.2 billion, and it took more than 10 years to complete. It's one of the many large-scale development projects the Saudi government has been able to undertake thanks to a gargantuan stream of oil revenue. To uninitiated visitors, the high-design structure juxtaposed with the vast traditional space where busy travelers can stop and pray may come as a surprise. But it is a fitting gateway into a country dominated by ambitious public-development projects that jostle for pride of place while embodying the tension between conservative and progressive cultural currents.

Encompassing both futuristic, sky-scraping hotels and old-fashioned date and camel farms, Saudi Arabia is far more complex than its media coverage—usually limited to negative stories about a lack of civil rights—allows. Its smaller neighbors may attract more attention; after all, an airport doesn't invite as much journalistic interest as a man-made, palm-shaped island (in Dubai) or a new outpost of the Louvre (in Abu Dhabi). But in that difference lies the crux of Saudi Arabia's approach to development—and the most convincing reason to make the journey.

Since it opened to tourists in 2004, the country has challenged travelers to confront their preconceived notions while simultaneously offering an authentic version of the Gulf that has not been artificially constructed for Western consumption. Getting there can still be difficult: non-Muslims usually need either a sponsor within the country or a well-connected travel agent or tour guide. But once in, they are welcomed. The fact is that Saudi society is highly conservative and traditional, and in some cases authoritarian—but it is also fiercely modern in its contemporary esthetic, and deeply hospitable to strangers who respect its mores.

The tension is especially pronounced in Riyadh, the capital and largest city. It is the seat of such traditional, defining elements as the royal family and the historic Masmak Fort, whose recapture by Ibn Saud led to the founding of the current ruling dynasty. Women are not allowed to drive, or to socialize with men who are not family members. Yet the city is surprisingly sophisticated, boasting a cultivated and well-informed population. Fueled by outsize bank accounts enriched by the oil economy, they have traveled widely outside the country for education, business and leisure, returning home from destinations like Mumbai, London and Paris with a taste for both the Occident and the East.