Photographer based in Cairo, Egypt >> Shawn Baldwin

Saudi Arabia

Saudi traditions make courtship very difficult for many young men, as they are discouraged from contact with unrelated women. Even once a couple is engaged to be married, communication between them is taboo. March 2008.
   
Saudi men look out over the city from the top of the Kingdom Tower in Riyadh. April 2007.
   
Young Saudi men shopped for mobile phones at a store in Riyadh. With so few opportunities to meet members of the opposite sex, mobile phones and Bluetooth technology allow them the ability to safely flirt at malls, restaurants and even traffic lights. March 2008.
     
  
Nader al-Mutairi, left, 25, and his cousin Enad al-Mutairi, 20, in the desert in Al Thumamah on the outskirts of Riyadh. Nader and Enad are among several dozen Mutairi cousins who have been friends and confidants since childhood. Nader is engaged to be married to Sarah, one of Enad's sisters. March 2008.
   
Young Saudi men looked on during prayer at the Janadriya festival in Riyadh, an annual celebration of Saudi Arabian culture and traditions. March 2008.
   
Enad al-Mutairi, left, shared a light moment with family members including his cousin Yousef al-Mutairi, right, 22, at his grandfather's house in the village of Om Salem. Like many Saudi families, theirs is large and insular, and they have spent virtually all of their free time together since childhood. March 2008.
     
  
Yousef al Muteiri, 22-years-old, outside his grandfather's house 6km from the village of Najkh, Saudi Arabia. March 2008.
   
Students at King Saud University, where classes are segregated by gender. March 2008.
   
In the desert, the youths can be free of supervision from parents and religious police. Left, Enad and his friend Bandar al-Bedeiry spent an afternoon away from the city. March 2008.
     
  
At the annual national heritage festival, men and women attend on different days, in adherence with Saudi Arabia's strict code of separation between the sexes. Getting caught with an unrelated woman can mean arrest, a possible flogging and dishonor. March 2008.
   
A weekend excursion to the desert outside Riyadh for camping and driving four-wheel vehicles is a common pastime for many young Saudi men. March 2008.
   
Young men cheered at a soccer match between Al Hilal Riyadh and Al Nasr Riyadh. Women are not allowed to attend matches. December 2008.
     
  
Women stand in the women's section of a McDonalds at the Kingdom Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. April 2007.
   
Saudi Arabia's Prince Salman, left, brother of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, looks over papers during a Majlis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. April 2007.
   
Saudi boys enjoyed a day of swimming at one of Riyadh's few sports clubs. March 2008.
     
  
Thousands of young men head to the desert on the weekend. Riyadh offers them little in the way of entertainment, with no movie theaters and very few sports facilities. Single men are not even allowed to enter the malls where women shop. March 2008.