Hajwala
Short answer: Hajwala is a Gulf term for reckless, show-off street driving. Its best-known form, high-speed drifting, is called tafheet in Saudi Arabia.
In 'Joyriding in Riyadh' (Cambridge University Press, 2014), based on four years of fieldwork, the scholar Pascal Menoret traces it to Riyadh. It emerged after the city was planned around wide roads and oil reshaped the economy, and young men, many of them rural migrants, took it up as a way to claim urban space. Drivers spin and slide cars, sometimes rented or stolen, on public avenues and highways in front of crowds. Gulf News dates the culture to the 1970s. It's illegal. Saudi traffic authorities treat drifting as a serious offense. Penalties announced in 2016 rose from SR20,000 and impoundment for a first offense up to SR60,000, possible jail and permanent confiscation for repeat offenses. Riyadh traffic police said in 2025 that fines reach SR60,000, with impoundment and referral to court. The footage includes a car tipped up on two wheels on a highway, a stunt that's part of the same culture.
What should you know about Hajwala?
Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.
In Saudi Arabia, high-speed drifting is called tafheet.
Saudi drifting fines can reach SR60,000.
Video transcript: Hajwala: A Drift Culture the Law Bans
DID YOU KNOW? Hajwala is a high-energy street driving style that began in Saudi Arabia and spread across the Middle East, where drivers guide ordinary cars into long sliding drifts across wide desert highways. Unlike formal motor sports, Hajwala developed as a spontaneous form of expression with drivers showcasing their control, timing, and flare in front of crowds of spectators. NOW YOU KNOW!
Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 21.0s Reel ·
The write-up
A drift culture the law bans. Saudi traffic law treats drifting as a serious offense.
- Exhibit A
Name and roots
Saudis call high-speed drifting tafheet. Menoret traces the culture to Riyadh after the city was planned around wide roads and oil reshaped the economy.
- Exhibit B
Who drives
Menoret's fieldwork describes young men, many of them rural migrants, who used joyriding to claim urban space for themselves.
- Exhibit C
On public roads
Drifting is staged on public avenues and highways in front of crowds, sometimes in rented or stolen cars.
- Exhibit D
The 2016 crackdown
Penalties announced in 2016 rose from SR20,000 and impoundment for a first offense up to SR60,000, possible jail and confiscation for repeat offenses.
- Exhibit E
Still enforced
In 2025, Riyadh traffic police called drifting a serious offense, with fines up to SR60,000, impoundment and referral to court.
Questions people ask about Hajwala
What is high-speed drifting called in Saudi Arabia?
Tafheet.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Name and roots) · Pascal Menoret (2014), Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt, Cambridge University Press (preview); Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Which city does Menoret's book focus on?
Riyadh.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Name and roots) · Pascal Menoret (2014), Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt, Cambridge University Press (preview); Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Is drifting legal on Saudi public roads?
It's illegal.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The 2016 crackdown) · Al Arabiya English (Aug 10, 2016): The new Saudi war on car drifting; Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
What was the fine for a first offense under the 2016 rules?
SR20,000, plus impoundment.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The 2016 crackdown) · Al Arabiya English (Aug 10, 2016): The new Saudi war on car drifting; Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Up to how much can Saudi drifting fines reach?
SR60,000.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Still enforced) · Sabq (2025): Riyadh traffic police catch a drifter (Arabic)
Test Your Knowledge
All quizzes →5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.
What is high-speed drifting called in Saudi Arabia?
- Tafheet
- Dabke
- Majlis
- Souq
Show the answer
Answer: A. Tafheet Tafheet. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Name and roots) · Pascal Menoret (2014), Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt, Cambridge University Press (preview); Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Which city does Menoret's book focus on?
- Riyadh
- Dubai
- Kuwait City
- Doha
Show the answer
Answer: A. Riyadh Riyadh. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Name and roots) · Pascal Menoret (2014), Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt, Cambridge University Press (preview); Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Is drifting legal on Saudi public roads?
- No, it's a serious traffic offense
- Yes, with a permit
- Only at night
- Only in the desert
Show the answer
Answer: A. No, it's a serious traffic offense It's illegal. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The 2016 crackdown) · Al Arabiya English (Aug 10, 2016): The new Saudi war on car drifting; Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
What was the fine for a first offense under the 2016 rules?
- SR20,000
- SR200
- SR2,000,000
- Nothing
Show the answer
Answer: A. SR20,000 SR20,000, plus impoundment. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The 2016 crackdown) · Al Arabiya English (Aug 10, 2016): The new Saudi war on car drifting; Gulf News: Saudi authorities crack down on 'tafheet'
Up to how much can Saudi drifting fines reach?
- SR60,000
- SR600
- SR6,000,000
- SR6
Show the answer
Answer: A. SR60,000 SR60,000. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Still enforced) · Sabq (2025): Riyadh traffic police catch a drifter (Arabic)
Cite this case file
Easterling, Marcus. "Hajwala." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-656, last updated Oct 1, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hajwala/
Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hajwala/ · Last updated
Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-656-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hajwala/#DD-656-F01
