Riyadh: Near the media centre at the first King Abdul Aziz Camel festival, Um Nawaf stands behind colourful handcrafted soap packages, trying to deal with several eager customers at the same time.
Her stand selling natural soap at is among the most popular. She says being a woman has not stopped her from achieving her dream to own her own soap business.
With only 25,000 Saudi riyals, she started Soap Garden, which has turned into a lucrative business.
“People are loyal to my soap because of the quality,” she told Gulf News.
She decided to showcase her product at the festival, which attracts thousands of attendees.
But she isn’t the only woman there—in fact, most of the stands are run by women.
Despite strict traditions of Saudi society aimed at limiting interaction between men and women, the festival kiosks presented a unique opportunity for the sexes to interact as women sell products to mainly male customers.
