Meet Wazna: Saudi elderly woman who drives a truck

She does not own a driver’s license, but that is no obstacle for Wazna, who has been driving her truck in the open desert of al-Dahna ever since she was a child.

She has been driving for such a long time that she knows the entry and exit points of al-Dahna desert more than her male counterparts.

But Wazna is not alone.

Despite popular beliefs, many women in Saudi Arabia drive their cars in order to run errands and get from place to place.

WATCH WAZNA DRIVER HER TRUCK ACROSS THE DESERT

One woman whom AlArabiya.net spoke to, but refused to have her photograph taken, said: “I drive a pick-up truck not for any specific reasons but simply helps me get my daily chores done, like getting water tanks delivered from their source to our home.”

In Saudi Arabia, no penal code exists that explicitly states that women are forbidden from driving. The government simply does not issue any licenses to women, who mostly rely on personal male drivers or relatives to get around.

For Wazna, the decision to drive is clear.

“I have to drive as my family depends on me to help them around the desert,” she told AlArabiya.net.

*A version of this article was originally published on AlArabiya.net.