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Hackerspaces aren’t new to the region, but they are new to Saudi Arabia.

Two years ago we highlighted a number of hackerspaces in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Tunisia, and Morocco but Saudi Arabia was missing from the list.

Fast forward a few years and hackerspaces are making small waves in the Saudi Arabian oasis and even universities and other entities are now stepping up to promote this culture, such as the Badir Program for Technology Incubators and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

But the makerspace ‘industry’ in Saudi Arabia is still being driven by individuals. Jeddah-based Mohammad Tayeb and Taher Alblowe are two of the founders of the maker culture in the country, and believe their role is to spread the word throughout the region.