whether Saudi Arabia’s state oil company floats,it will be the biggest producer in the world by a factor of 10. Or so experts believe – but the secrecy that surrounds it makes it impossible to know for sureAlong the King Fahd highway in downtown Riyadh, signs of the country’s wealth glitter and dazzle. Monuments include the massive Kingdom Centre – instantly recognisable by the giant bottle-opener feature formed by its two wings – and the beautiful and futuristic Faisaliyah building. New ones are still rising, or like the King Abdullah financial district,still under construction: a reminder of the chunky years of high oil revenues under the preceding monarch.
On nearby Tahliya Street, lined with young Saudi men watching black-robed, or headscarfed women saunter past,crowds throng into American-style shopping malls flaunting the worlds priciest and most luxurious brands.
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Source: theguardian.com