King Saud Exhibit: A Slice of the Kingdom’s History

JEDDAH, 31 March 2007 — An exhibition of exquisitely restored black-and-white photographs, short films and historic memorabilia chronicling the life and times of Saudi Arabia’s second king, Saud ibn Abdul Aziz, is providing every visitor a unique window to the Kingdom’s rich past.

Designed and executed by the Al-Hoshan Group, the exhibition at Jeddah’s majestic Abrug Al-Rugama Center on King Abdullah Street is now open to the public with all the exhibits captioned in both Arabic and English. “Anyone, man, woman or child of whatever nationality, who wishes to attend is welcome,” said the organizers. “Expatriates are particularly welcome.”

The exhibition’s first venue was in Riyadh last year. “This traveling exhibition comes as part of an effort to document and re-emphasize the role that King Saud played in the service of this country,” said Princess Fahda bint Saud, the daughter of the late king and the driving force behind the beautiful and neatly done exhibition. “The exhibition’s presence in the Makkah Region and Jeddah is of particular relevance due to the special place that both held in the late King Saud’s esteem and the affection for him that their inhabitants nurtured in their hearts.”

Indeed, it was in the holy city of Makkah that the Royal Decree appointing King Saud as crown prince was issued by King Abdul Aziz on Sept. 18, 1932. The oath of allegiance was then administered to him in the Grand Mosque by family and dignitaries as well as the advisory council, which had been established in Makkah earlier that year.

But the story begins even earlier, when King Abdul Aziz heard his wife had given birth to a son, and the delighted monarch promptly named the new member of his clan Saud — a name that occurs often in the Al-Saud family and which means “auspicious luck.” It was Jan. 15, 1902, when Saud was born in Kuwait at a house known as “Bait Al-Aamir” in an area inhabited by members of the Anazah tribe. He was born on the very day his father was laying the foundation of his new Kingdom by recapturing his ancestral capital of Riyadh following a series of adventurous and daring exploits.

The young Saud witnessed the development of what became Saudi Arabia from the very beginning, and during his life was able to take part in both politics and war. He was his father’s second son, the first being Turki (1900-1919), who died in the worldwide influenza epidemic after World War I. Saud’s mother was Wadha, the daughter of Muhammad Hussain Al-Urair of the House of Hameed, the traditional chiefs of the Bani Khalid that once ruled an area of vast tracts in Eastern Arabia. Wadha gave birth to five children, of whom only Saud and a sister, Muneerah, were destined to live to old age.

Throughout his time as crown prince, King Saud demonstrated a resolve to modernize the country, giving people better cities, better homes and better lives, the legacy we enjoy today and that you don’t have to travel far to see.

As crown prince, in 1947 Saud inaugurated the Aziziya Spring Water Supply Project, long considered one of the most significant of the Kingdom’s early infrastructure projects as it involved the transportation of potable water over a distance of 90 km from Wadi Fatima to Jeddah; this was followed by the addition of Al-Jadeedah Spring and Al-Zaafraan Spring during his reign as king in response to the need of Makkah and Jeddah for drinking water. He left evidence of his love for Makkah and Madinah by expanding the two holy mosques and thus enabling millions of Muslims to perform their pilgrimage in ease and comfort.

The short films in the exhibit record King Saud’s order to alter the course of flash floods in Makkah in order to protect the Grand Mosque from flooding. This was done after incorporating the area of the “masa’a” into the mosque and adding a floor to it. The squares and streets around the Grand Mosque were also expanded; lighting was provided, and the roads between Madinah and Makkah, Arafat and Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah and other sites of religious importance were all paved.

The pictures also reveal a number of projects implemented by King Saud in the service of the holy sites and the expansion of the tent city of Mina. He ordered the repair of the Holy Kaaba’s ceiling, changed the silver band around the Black Stone and, in 1961, set up a factory for the manufacture of the “kiswa,” the Kaaba’s black cloth covering. He also opened three new doors to the Grand Mosque and paved its floor with white marble.

At the beginning of his reign, colonialism dominated the Arab and Islamic world. Communism was rampant in several Arab countries and there was war between the Arabs and Israelis. King Saud made sure that a strong military force was built to face these challenges. That force remains formidable today. He was the first Arab leader to host a broader Islamic conference in Makkah during the 1955 Haj. The Muslim World League was to spring from its endeavors in 1962.

“If we call King Abdul Aziz, may God have mercy on his soul, the founder of the Kingdom, we can call his eldest son, King Saud, the builder of its modern-day boom,” said Princess Fahda. “He laid the foundation for the Kingdom’s stability and progress, which was handed over to his brothers, who proved to be worthy rulers of the nation. He devoted his life to the service of the country, and thus was called Abul Khairain (Father of Double Good).”

There are brilliant photographs of a smiling king with US President John F. Kennedy, Wafd Party President Sad Pasha Al-Zagloul of Egypt, Indian Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and with Jordan’s King Hussein. He is also shown at the Taj Mahal and with the Nizam of Hyderabad during his visit to India in the 1950s.

“One particular picture that caught my eye is the one in which the king is leading a congregation of 150,000 faithful in Pakistan,” said Saleem Abdul Qader, a Pakistani visitor. “There are even pictures that tell us about the king’s decision to abolish slavery in 1962. That, I think, is very significant.”

Regrettably, thus far only a few expatriates have visited the exhibition. “I have been in the United States, and if this exhibition were organized there, it would be flooded with curious visitors,” said Faheem Abdul Hameed, a business administration student at King Abdul Aziz University. “Perhaps it is not in the Muslim culture to understand the importance of such exhibitions.”

Some of the historic photographs have been restored, framed and retouched by the famous Brazilian photographer Humberto da Silveira. “The exhibition will enable everybody to learn more about one of the important phases in the Kingdom’s history that served as a springboard to greater progress and prosperity,” Abdul Hameed said, and anecdotal evidence seems to support his estimate.

“These pictures are significant because they highlight the contributions made by King Saud toward building the state and developing its agencies and institutions,” said Abu ibn Atheel, an elderly visitor to the exhibition. “I have come all the way from Taif, along with my family, just for this exhibition. Our family’s association with the late king was built on solid foundations. I have brought my children with me here so that they can learn about our glorious history.”

The exhibition, to continue for the next seven weeks, is open from Saturday to Thursday from 9 a.m. till noon and from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Fridays, opening hours are from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. International schools are encouraged to organize visits to the exhibition. The contact person is Sami Nawar, General Director of Tourism at Jeddah Municipality who may be contacted through telephone (02) 647-2280 or e-mail: jedsam@yahoo.com. Or just dial 940 for Jeddah Municipality Tourism Department’s 24-hour hot line.