JEDDAH, 21 September 2004 — If your iqama, passport, driving license or any such document is lost, don’t worry. There is a time-tested way to get them back, provided you pay through the nose.

Abdul Majeed, an expatriate, had recently lost his wallet that contained his iqama, driving license and certain other vital documents. He went to the police station to lodge a written complaint where he was asked to advertise the loss in an Arabic newspaper. He should also obtain a letter from his employer announcing the loss. And after a month of the announcement he should go to the Passport Department and apply for new documents which would entail a fee of SR5,000 as well as an agonizing period of wait.

As luck would have it, one person present at the station directed Majeed to Souk Al-Somal (the Somali souk) in Bab Makkah district, saying it was a place (in)famous for finding lost things — anything and everything, especially official documents such as iqama.

Majeed went straight to Souk Al-Somal where someone accosted him, asking “have you lost your iqama?” He said yes.

“You will find it here,” said the man who told him to go into the souk with a copy of his iqama.

An African approached Majeed and asked where he had lost his documents. In order to verify the truth of his claim, he asked Majeed about the validity of his documents and the name of his sponsor. Then the man told him that he could have his wallet back but it would cost him SR2,500. Once the amount was agreed he took down Majeed’s mobile number and promised to call the next day.

The next day prompt came the call saying the wallet had been found and Majeed should meet him at the Al-Mahmal Center’s parking lot at 5 p.m. When they met Majeed was handed the iqama but not the rest of the contents of the wallet. So Majeed paid out only SR1,200.

Mohammad Khan is a Pakistani living in Jeddah. He had lost his iqama and driving license in Madinah where he had gone to meet his son who came from London on a visit. I looked everywhere for the lost document but in vain.

One of the shopkeepers asked Khan where he lived. When he replied “Jeddah”, he too was told to go to Bab Makkah where he would certainly find his documents. He informed Khan that the place was well known in the Kingdom for finding lost documents.

Khan returned to Jeddah and went to Bab Makkah’s Souk Al-Somal to ask about his wallet that contained SR2,000 cash, driving license, car documents and bank cards. Once he entered the area he was approached by a man who asked whether he had lost anything and if so where. He took down his mobile number.

Two days later Khan got a call informing him that his wallet had been found and that he should meet him with SR2,500 toward his expenses. When they met at the appointed time and place he was handed over the wallet with all the documents but minus the SR2,000 cash. Khan took the wallet and left, wondering if SR2,500 was not the cost of applying for new official documents.

On being told these first-hand accounts, this reporter was driven by curiosity to visit the area on his own to find out what was going on there.

At Souk Al-Somal, I presented myself dressed in non-Saudi clothes. I too carried copies of my legal documents and was also approached and asked the same questions. The man who met me also asked whether my iqama was new or old because the expenses would differ accordingly. Furthermore, was my family included in the iqama? That would make a difference in cost as well.

Inquisitively, I asked what would happen if the owner of the iqama they had did not show up.

He said: “Easy, we simply change the details and picture and sell it to another person. There are many who come for Haj and stay back without a legal iqama ... and our iqama doesn’t cost them as much as a legal iqama.”