Inside the Gates: Life in Saudi Arabia's Expat Compounds

Step through the steel gate, past the uniformed guard booth, and something shifts. The call to prayer still echoes in the distance — but ahead, children ride bicycles freely, neighbours chat over garden fences in a dozen languages, and the scent of a weekend barbecue drifts through streets lined with bougainvillea. Welcome to the compound: Saudi Arabia's most peculiar and enduring social institution.