Saudi Arabia to host the Dakar Rally 2020

Every spring, roses bloom in the western Saudi city of Taif, turning pockets of the kingdom’s vast desert landscape a vivid and fragrant pink. In April, they are harvested for the essential oil used to cleanse the outer walls of the sacred Kaaba, the cubic structure in the holy city of Mecca towards which Muslims around the world pray. This year, the harvest falls during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which observant Muslims devote to prayer and reflection.

The rivals for regional power have plenty to talk about. If they do come closer, it would have a significant impact on the Middle East's most pressing conflicts.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Sunday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Sunday.⁣⁣⁣

No foreign pilgrims will be able to attend this year's hajj. Saudi Arabia's leading religious council has decided that protecting the population is the most important goal.

The pace of reforms is picking up in the Gulf state. A pattern is emerging that seemingly sidelines religion but consolidates political power with Saudi royals.

The human rights group has used a new report to warn that Riyadh is cracking down on dissidents now that it is no longer chairing the G20 group of leading world economies.

Saudi Arabia will begin receiving requests for umrah pilgrimage from abroad for vaccinated worshipers starting August 9. The move comes 18 months after a border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Once allies, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban have been divided by war, betrayal, and 9/11. As Afghanistan changes and Middle East relations shift, the two won't rekindle ties, but another nation is looking closely at Kabul.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣

The Lebanese ambassador has been asked to leave Saudi territory within 48 hours. The move comes after Lebanon's information minister criticized the Saudi-led war against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia is offering residents and tourists a unique safari experience in the desert of its capital Riyadh, at a site now home to 700 animals native to Africa. Lions and tigers are just a few of the animals that were flown in from outside the kingdom to the 175,000 square metres stretch of land that is now a safari park, where visitors seated in a vehicle can see them, some for the very first time.

A Yemeni Houthi rebel attack on the Saudi Arabian town of Jizan resulted in two casualties and seven injured. Among the dead from the Houthi-fired projectile are a Saudi and a Yemeni national.