When Ali Alireza left Jeddah to study in the United States, his family worried that he would forget his religion and his country’s traditions. None of these fears materialized but his decision to marry Marianne, a fellow student, required the king’s approval and the family’s blessings.
As for Marianne, living in Saudi Arabia in the late 1940s meant she would no longer enjoy the social life she had in the United States: No mixed parties, no movies, no walking in the streets. Moreover, the water supply would be scarce, the city was not yet electrified, there were flies and diseases, mosquitoes and malaria, as well as inadequate sanitary measures.
This fascinating autobiography reflects the remarkable qualities of its author. Marianne was patient, exceptionally resilient, truly generous, and always ready to help. From the moment she arrived in Saudi Arabia, she did her utmost to deal intelligently and wisely with the complete change of life she was going through.
Most of the time was spent at home, and the fear of boredom and routine “looking forward to another morrow which would be just like today” could be overwhelming. In those trying moments, feelings of tension and frustration had to be released. There were very few distractions available and one of the best ways to relax, was simply to enjoy nature:
“Some nights in the desert... we let the very serenity soak our tensions out, and then it was a lonely peace. Everywhere we looked it was like looking at forever and the bigness of problems disappeared in the magnitude of desert stretches and the panoplies of sky and sea... a full moon above and more stars than anywhere cleared our hearts and our minds and made us forget that our lives had fences around them,” writes Marianne.
These memoirs are filled with interesting anecdotes and colorful descriptions. Marianne’s husband, Ali Alireza, was appointed at the age of 23, the youngest delegate to the San Francisco Peace Conference, scheduled to begin on April 25, 1945. She felt privileged to meet Prince Faisal Al-Saud who headed the Arabian delegation. His fine face and gentle manners impressed her and the encounter was hailed as a “memorable one.”
Marianne also regales us with the description of a visit to King Ibn Saud’s camp in Hawiyah, a place where he used to stay every year before the beginning of the pilgrimage season. This meeting, which took place very soon after her arrival in Saudi Arabia, touched her in many ways:
“If the unfamiliar land and tongue, the bewildering customs, and living with kind but nonetheless unfamiliar people in unfamiliar lodgings left me groping in unreality, the visit to the king’s camp in Hawiyah transported me to pure fantasy in a storybook setting.”
Since Marianne Alireza published the story of her life in Saudi Arabia, a number of women have presented, more often than not, false accounts about their life in the Kingdom. “At the Drop of a Veil” remains in a league of its own. This truthful autobiography describes on one hand a way of life which has died out and on the other hand, it highlights the nobleness of mind, the generosity and the graciousness that have not disappeared:
“... the women’s special qualities are still there, sustained by faith, as well as by centuries of acceptance and survival,” explains Marianne.
Marianne Alireza is especially grateful toward her family in law. Members of her extended Saudi family helped her deal with the problems caused by a confined life but they also shared with her many happy moments. These happy times happened more often when she realized that the way Saudi women lived, suited them and was in complete harmony with their beliefs and traditions. Even after her husband divorced her, Marianne’s family in law always stood by her, continuing to consider her one of them.
“At the Drop of a Veil” offers a sincere and intelligent look at life in Saudi Arabia before the petrodollars transformed the Kingdom into a modern nation. In a lively and humorous style, Marianne remembers the days when life seemed suspended in time.
Despite the dearth of modern amenities and the lack of entertainment, she soon discovered the inestimable value of friendship and love in the company of people who, despite their totally different backgrounds, were not only understanding and sensitive but also fundamentally tolerant.
