RIYADH, 25 August 2005 — The famous photo of then Crown Prince Abdullah entering a poor man’s home in Al-Sibala district of Riyadh 35 months ago to look at the conditions of citizens living in poverty in the Kingdom is still engraved in the minds of many Saudis.

Today, many citizens there who received financial help from the government have moved out to better areas. Those remaining live in conditions that would shock many, particularly in the capital where soaring skyscrapers, wide streets and fancy malls are located many kilometers away north of the city.

In the slums, many streets are not asphalted and the homes are in appalling condition, mostly built decades ago and made of clay and cheap bricks. Children wear dirty clothes and play in the street without shoes or sandals. Many citizens say that they cannot afford an electricity bill with an air-conditioner working, forcing them to bear the searing heat of the Kingdom’s summer.

The district is among the oldest in the capital and some 7,000 families live there. Al-Sibala also lacks many other public services, such as a sewerage system.

We learned that the richest in this poor district was earning SR1,500 per month and was supporting an entire family.

The imam of the district’s mosque Sheikh Saad Al-Hooti told us how citizens were overjoyed with the royal visit three years ago. He said that after the crown prince had ordered that money be given to many of the families there, some moved out to better places.

“King Abdullah’s generous gesture to raise government employees’ salaries came from a humane father and a generous leader,” Al-Hooti said.

Arab News toured in the poor district with the imam and began with a visit to Ahmed Hadadi, a Saudi who has been living in a dilapidated house with his family for the past 20 years.

“I am sorry, but this is all I can offer you,” he told us, giving us a glass of water. He mentioned how the district lacks many public facilities and needs to change drastically. Ahmed said that he had not been able to repair the roof of his house, which leaks when it rains, for 20 years.

Residents there do not have the luxury of a phone service. It was his dream to have a phone line and log on to the Internet so he could benefit from research and study.

He recalled that when Abdullah visited the neighborhood he went from house to house, checking on the conditions of citizens there. He also recalled the crown prince’s words: “Today I am among my family and people. We are responsible before God Almighty for the welfare of every citizen in this country.”

Asked about the fate of the old man who welcomed Crown Prince Abdullah in his rundown home three years ago, the sheikh said that he moved out of it to another district after receiving financial help.

Hassan Ibrahim, another poor citizen who welcomed us in his house as he opened the door half naked, apologized for receiving us in such a state, saying that he could not afford to buy an air-conditioner. He thanked Abdullah for his visit to the district.

“We thank God that the king visited us and is looking after us. I am 52 years old and have been living in the district for 10 years. My living conditions have improved after Abdullah ordered that SR7,000 be given to me and my family.”

Muhammad Al-Sufyani, who works as a messenger for the Ministry of Information, told us: “Most of my food is rice and wheat. I wish I could enjoy eating other food like meat and fish, but I have not tasted such things in over a year.”

Al-Sufyani said that he has been living in a house that consists of one room, one kitchen, and one bathroom for more than 10 years now along with five members of his family. He asked the leaders of the country to look into his condition so he could move to a bigger house.

Ahmed Al-Khabrani, another citizen whose living conditions were no different than his neighbors, said that he was happy with the royal decree increasing the wages of government employees and pensioners. He said that he served the military for 26 years and is now living on a pension of SR1,500.

He also said that many of the poor people living in the district depended heavily on the charity money given to them by generous people and that the poor there came from different parts of the Kingdom.