Saudi Arabia's king has issued an order allowing women to drive cars for the first time.
The decree announced on September 26 on the state news agency SPA ordered the creation of a ministerial council to advise the royal palace within 30 days, and then put the order into place by next June.
"The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency said.
The country was the only one in the world where women have been explicitly banned from driving.
Activists have been pushing for the right for women to drive since the 1990s, saying it was part of a wider struggle for women's rights in the kingdom.
The United States, one of the kingdom's closest allies, called the order "a great step in the right direction."
