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seemed like yesterday. The world is changing rapidly,
but not to the better, unfortunately. Regional disputes
dispel confidence and cause perpetual anxiety. Each time
the annual vacation comes to an end I used to feel two
conflicting desires within myself: to stay at home and
protect my family against the invisible danger, or travel
quickly back to Saudi Arabia where we can reach the
safest place on earth, provided I could take with me the
dearest persons who are nearest to my heart.
Here in Saudi Arabia, we did have our own home,
many friends, a lovely job (I have now started painting)
and life here was interesting and active. My husband
and I have been nearly all around the country and met
many wise persons. We have heard first hand accounts
and stories that are almost figments of imagination. I
was aware that I was now able to talk of so many things
that had accumulated in my memory. Thus I cannot help
conveying to my compatriots what I have felt and seen of
this unique country. Thus I started writing, prompted by
the occasion of the Centenary Celebration.
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse
The State Foundation Centenary
In January 1999, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
celebrated the first centenary of its foundation according
to the Hegira Calendar. Is this a short or a small period?
On the scale of the evolution of the human community, it
is a very minute phase of time. But when we consider the
colossal changes that have taken place during such a short
period, it seems very long indeed. Obviously, the oil wealth
that was discovered, which is the greatest in the world, has
played a crucial role in this accelerating process. But there
is no doubt, also, that the wise administration of its first
King, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and his sons,
has determined, in many respects, the happy destiny of this
state, given the many examples of rich countries that were
not able to properly manage their available potentials.
The first known ancestor of Al Saud family, after whose
name the country was called, was Imam Muhammad bin
Saud, who ruled during the twenties of the Eighteenth
Century and was able to hold both the secular and
religious authority, which is still preserved. Subsequently,
as a result of the many inter-clan wars ignited by the
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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competing powers – the Ottoman and British Empires –
these lands were taken over by representatives of either one
or the other of such ruling families. The currently ruling
branch of the Saudi genealogical tree stems from King
Abdulaziz, who was able, in 1902, through his rule which
was based on Islamic law, to unify the dispersed lands that
were inhabited by various tribes that had practically led
a medieval type of life for many decades. He weaved an
exquisite tapestry of a unified state and kept, until his last
days, spreading it under the feet of his people as a carpet
of magic colors and craftsmanship.
On a bright morning in the year 1902, a small group,
comprising forty persons, marched from Kuwait through
the central Arab desert sands towards their objective, facing
the ruthless desert in its endlessness and monotony, which
seemed to have no ending, amidst sand, stones and salty
marshes, swamps and the balls of plants on which camels
feed and ruminate. These balls resemble living plants that
have been plagued by dryness. The lips of the group were
festered with dryness that was occasioned by the northern
sandy wind that hit semi-closed eyes that had turgid
eyelids, looking exhaustedly to the far off horizon that had
no end. Occasionally, the monotony of the sand dunes and
swamps would be broken by a frightened rabbit running
for its life, or by an intruding fox, or an eagle gliding in
the vast firmament, swimming in the air, spreading its
wings, looking sharply with its piercing eyes on its prey,
and flying low in order to dive on its prey at an amazing
speed, particularly during night hours. For their part, the
group would seek to protect themselves from the terrible
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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cold of the night that pierced their bones to the marrow by
sitting close to one another and to the camels, seeking the
warmth of their hair and blood, opening their eyes widely
and turning them towards the vast sky that was punctuated
by stars that glittered like pearls in the wide expanse of
the night. The silence of the night would be disturbed by
the anxious and alerted howling hyenas. In this manner,
the caravan proceeded day after day, avoiding the usual
Bedouin tracks, rare oases and the wells of potable water,
through tortuous enemy terrain wherein saline swamps
abounded amidst unknown locations. The camels, that
had become lean, were carrying on their backs heavy gear
and the necessary reserves of water, food and weapons.
From the very outset, the group moved about with great
energy and enthusiasm, confident of their legal cause, full
of certainty of achieving swift victory, heading towards
their remote target. However, after being exhausted by
difficulties, persistent tension and expectation of enemy
assaults, they at first began to lose their enthusiasm and
alertness, although the majority of them were of local
origin. But things were different for their youthful and
energetic leader, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, the
grandchild of Imam Faisal, who had spent the early years
of his youth in the palaces of Kuwait under the persistent
lovable care of his father’s companion, Sheikh Mubarak
Al-Sabah. Here, amidst games, banquets and conversation
with wise elderly companions, he had obtained his training,
acquired experience and cultivated the pre-requisites of
leadership. This is the future monarch of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. For Abdulaziz, the desert was not a place
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