The struggle for Saudi Arabia’s buried past

Engelsberg Ideas Podcast

Jul 20, 202619:27Government & Organizations

Saudi Arabia’s expensive investment in its future has come with a concurrent focus on its archaeological past but its ambitions risk eradicating the remnants of pre-Islamic history. Read by Leighton Pugh. Read the essay...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Engelsberg Ideas Podcast.

Reinventing Disraeli

Sep 17, 2026 - 59:09

What did Benjamin Disraeli believe and why is he still invoked as a prophet of modern conservatism? Emily...

The scramble for the Middle East

Sep 10, 2026 - 48:07

Simon Sebag Montefiore speaks to Jack Dickens about his new book, ‘The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern...

The novel in Britain: from cover to cover

Sep 3, 2026 - 68:09

Philip Hensher speaks to Alastair Benn about his new book, ‘A History of the Novel in Britain’, a stylish...

Journeys in Europe’s grey zone

Aug 27, 2026 - 37:29

Hannah Lucinda Smith speaks to Caitlin Allen about her new book, ‘Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s...

Machiavelli still matters

Aug 20, 2026 - 37:07

Stephen Bowd speaks to Paul Lay about why, 500 years after his death, Niccolò Machiavelli remains one of...

The entire history of cinema in one shot

Aug 13, 2026 - 47:30

Film critic David Thomson speaks to Paul Lay about his new book, ‘A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionis...

America’s universal document: a curious history

Aug 6, 2026 - 49:02

Marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Michael Auslin speaks to Paul Lay about the docu...

The alien world of Homer’s Odyssey

Jul 30, 2026 - 69:03

What does Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of ‘The Odyssey’ have in common with Homer’s poem? Classicist an...