The oldest copy of Saudi Aramco World in my collection is the May-June 1983 issue. It shows US President Reagan welcoming Sultan Qaboos of Oman to the United States in colorful ceremonies on the White House lawn. That issue was Volume 34 Number 3. The latest issue of the magazine is Volume 56 Number 3.
Saudi Aramco’s popular magazine has gone from strength to strength over the years. In 2000, the magazine went through a redesign in which its name was changed from Aramco World to Saudi Aramco World. At that time the editors pointed out that even though the name had changed, inside the magazine the readers would still “find the same wide-ranging and informative mix of writing, photography and illustration that has made (the magazine) unique for the past 51 years.”
Now the magazine has changed even more. It can be found online at www.saudiaramcoworld.com so there’s no need to wait for the print edition to arrive in the post. The reason for putting the magazine online of course, is to increase opportunities for cross-cultural understanding even further.
According to the website, the “bimonthly magazine’s goal is to broaden knowledge of the cultures, history and geography of the Arab and Muslim worlds and their connections with the West.”
The website is so beautiful and functional that it won the Web Marketing Association’s 2004 Web Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Website Development” for a magazine. Saudi Aramco World is published in Houston, Texas by Aramco Services Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. You can subscribe to the print edition free through the website and back copies of the magazine are also available. The website is updated following each issue of the print edition.