JEDDAH: While not an event in itself, the lifting on Sunday of the ban on women driving in the Kingdom has unfolded this week like a celebration of the Saudi sisterhood.

Billboards and bumper stickers welcomed them to the road, police officers gave them flowers, car companies fought for their attention through promotions.
After driving an F1 racing car in France on June 24, Aseel Al-Hamad returned home to drive a Jaguar F-Type. “I was so privileged to drive finally in my home country,” she said.
“It’s our moment,” said businesswoman Hind Al-Zahid as she drove for the first time in Alkhobar. “We will make history…Saudi Arabia will be seen as a modern country that supports women’s rights.”
Journalists from around the world came to the Kingdom to document it all. And of course, many moments were captured and shared on social media, with drivers and their passengers marking their first drives, cars and destinations.