Adorned in the standard outfit for Saudi men: a long white gown with snaps down the front, known as a thobe; a red-and-white-checkered headdress held in place with a black cord; and black sandals with a scruffy beard that climbed high up his cheeks. Flanked by aides and trailed by photographers and television cameras, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ascended the stage and sank into a white armchair, ready for a rare interview. He did not waste time to throw more light on yet another hyper-ambitious project: NEOM, a city that would rise from an isolated plot of desert near the Red Sea, where businessmen would write the laws and entice the world’s top minds to innovate on Saudi soil.
