The ancient city of Jeddah is being bulldozed

No wonder saudis call Muhammad bin Salman, their crown prince and de facto ruler, the Bulldozer. Fly into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second and most charming city, and vast empty patches scar the landscape. Most of its southern districts and much of its centre have gone. Herds of mechanical diggers paw at the remnants of mosques, schools, factories and blocks of flats. Bustling neighbourhoods are turning into ghost towns as the authorities, without warning, scrawl “Ikhla”, Arabic for evacuate, in red paint on the walls, then switch off the electricity and water. “It looks like a war zone,” says a Saudi writer.