In the conservative Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where women may not drive, must cover up in public and sexual segregation is the norm, women are carving out a niche in a business world which has traditionally been an all male domain.

Despite often frustrating cultural and legal restraints, Saudi women own more than 15,000 companies, or about 4.3 per cent of registered businesses, ranging from retail to heavy industry.

Some 2,400 of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce's 35,000 members are women, four times the number 10 years ago. Jeddah's Chamber counts 2,000 women among its 27,000 members, and the Eastern Province Chamber has 1,100 women among 14,000.

``Therehave been lots of problems for women... But the number of businesswomen is increasing at an incredible rate,'' Edrisi said. ``There are certain restrictions, but if you want to get things done, you can.''

Despite some upbeat voices and promising statistics, many wary Saudis say the situation for businesswomen is still dire.

All the women who criticised the system were so worried about a negative backlash that they begged repeatedly for assurances that they would remain anonymous.

Some said the official figures were misleading and the number of true businesswomen was much lower. They said many businesses registered in women's names were actually run by men, with females merely holding the title.

Others complained that women were sidelined from traditionally male business spheres like construction and industry, and relegated to ``softer'' sectors like retail and education.

Women said they faced a mass of hurdles, from conservative family values to restrictions on interaction between thesexes.

According to local custom, women are expected to make the home their top priority and working women are often frowned upon. In public, women and unrelated men are segregated, making business contacts difficult.

But hiring men or winning male sponsorship for various activities remained the biggest obstacle, women said.

``To issue a commercial licence, the businesswoman should have a Saudi male manager. He is needed to follow up on paperwork at governmental institutes where women are not allowed in,'' said Lina Bangash, a Saudi woman who works for the US Commercial service in Jeddah.

One female entrepreneur said she ran into problems every time her work required her to meet officials.

``Interfacing with the government always has to be done by man. I can't go to the passport office and get visas for my employees. I can't do anything in a court or contractual dealings,'' she said. ``It's very inconvenient.''

Women said they had to tread carefully to avoid upsetting local authorities, especiallythe religious police.

``The fundamentalists didn't leave us alone,'' said a woman, who opened a firm in the male-dominated computer sector. After a decade of struggling with the authorities, the company closed last year.

Women are quick to point out that the restrictions on their ventures are cultural, not religious. They say Islam -- revealed to the Prophet Mohammad 1,400 years ago at what is today Saudi Arabia -- supports women's rights, both at home and at work.

Islam assures women sole control of their inheritance and grants them property rights. Muslims say their holy book, the Koran, ensured women economic and social rights long before they were attained by women in the west.

``Saudi traditions are the problem, not Islam,'' one woman said. ``In early Islam, it was common for women to be active in business. Prophet Mohammad's first wife, Khadija, was a trader.''

Saudi women said they faced particular problems because many foreign business executives did not take them seriously.

Earlier thisyear, the US Commercial Service in Saudi Arabia arranged a trip for Saudi businesswomen to New York and Chicago to provide them with exposure to US firms that had export potential. Some of the women said they were appalled by the ignorance they encountered. ``It's a global problem that women are not taken seriously,'' said one women.

Edrisi said a lot of women on the trip were offended by the attitudes they encountered, but she conceded that foreigners have little chance to learn what Saudi citizens are really like.

``Some women had never been abroad, but they ventured into the New York subway and outside the city to find businesses. They were quite aggressive and I was pleasantly surprised.''