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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse Elvira Arasli All Rights Reserved for Publisher Ghainaa Publications Fax:+966 (1) 2295019 [email protected] Second Edition, 2008 In the Name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse TABLE OF CONTENTS Arrival in the country... First Years ................................. 7 The State Foundation Centenary ....................................... 26 Physical Characteristics .................................................................. 50 The Bedouins .................................................................................................. 65 Riyadh, the Capital of the Kingdom.............................. 77 The Fauna ............................................................................................................ 108 The Gold Market and a Tour in the Desert ........ 138 A Wedding Ceremony ....................................................................... 147 The First Saudi State ............................................................................. 160 Customs and Traditions .................................................................. 176 Hajj (Pilgrimage) ...................................................................................... 196 The Story of Two Families ...................................................... 206 The Governorate of Hijaz ............................................................ 221 The Eastern Province ......................................................................... 250 Diplomatic Life ........................................................................................... 261 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 281 5 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse Arrival in the Country... Tirst Years In the Spring of 1994 we arrived in the Arabian Peninsula. My husband Elman Arasli was appointed extraordinary plenipotentiary ambassador representing the Azerbaijan Republic at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We had to establish the first embassy for our newly independent state in this country. To tell the truth, I was not at all willing to travel to any place, as this meant parting again with the children and leaving home. After living abroad for a long time one would prefer to finally settle down at home. At this time, my husband had spent about twenty years in the diplomatic service in the Arab countries. However, I realized that we had to travel for many reasons, or at least for two main reasons. On the one hand, my husband could not imagine himself isolated from active work under the uncertain conditions of that period of time. He was always ready to serve the state that was being born before all to see. On the other hand, and I say this without affected modesty, the new State was in need of specialists of this 7 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse high-ranking level. The month of April at Baku was exceedingly beautiful that year. I roamed through the narrow streets of the old city and inhaled the spring odors that had dwindled into oblivion, enjoyed the pleasure of warmth under the rays of the sun which had not yet become too hot, in an attempt to record this impression on the pages of my memory. I visualized the spectacle of the yet invisible phase of our life. I was not keen on foretelling the future and predicting what is in store for us, as I knew that this matter is not warranted nowadays. Surrounded by a gathering of friends and relatives who came to bid us farewell and who wished us happiness and safe landing, we climbed up the aircraft steps and seated ourselves in the parlor of a Turkish airline plane. The noise of the engine, together with the fretting associated with the initial phase of travel, have triggered a series of ideas in my mind. I could not but think that this new embassy beyond our borders is radically and amazingly different from all previous ones, not only in respect of the country of destination, but also because my husband’s activities this time will have a different significance. It is as it were a pioneering one and would be directly linked with the history of our state. Whether we like it or not, it is going to be a distinctive phase, albeit not a big one, of this history. At this juncture, it dawned on me that I must prepare a diary book which could serve as the basis of a book in the future. Who else could do this if not myself, a living witness of such events. For us, the Middle East region was not a remote and 8 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse obscure place. Moreover, as I have already said, we had lived for a large part of our active life in the Arab countries and were able, particularly my husband, to properly understand its problems. The two years Elman Arasli had spent in Egypt as a beginner orientalist, working there as an interpreter; and subsequently as a senior economist, at the Commercial Representation of the Soviet Union in Cairo; the seven exciting years that were fraught with events in Iraq during what I consider to be the most prosperous days in the life of this country, indeed in our private life as well, in his capacity as the Director General of the Soviet Cultural Center and Advisor to the Soviet Union Embassy; and the five years, in the same capacity, in splendid and unforgettable Jordan; the four years in difficult Yemen, but which in any case remains stored in our memory – all these years have given us in-depth knowledge not only of the characteristics of this part of the world, but also knowledge and concern for the interests of these peoples. However, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is another matter. We have of course consulted a few books which we found in our country on Saudi Arabia, from which we gathered scanty and partly obsolete, and in many cases, biased information. It is only natural that Saudi Arabia should be associated in people’s minds with great wealth, and I was no exception in that respect. I had known that it ranked first in the world in respect of oil, its extraction and export, that its citizens have one of the highest standards of living, and that, being the cradle of Islam, and the location of revelation, it plays a prominent role in the spiritual life of all Muslims throughout the world. Finally, its unique 9 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse geographic position, at the cross-roads of Asia, Africa and Europe, has enabled it to control the most important sector of the world communications between East and West. It was obvious that this was not enough or adequate. Theoretical knowledge is never a substitute at all for actual, living impressions, which none of those around us possessed. Until the time of the embarking on change, which came to be known as the reconstruction process, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not have diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. No Soviet individual had access to this place, although many years ago a wise person, who is an old friend of the family, the Academician Ghafourove was somehow and mysteriously able to visit the Arabian Peninsula, even met King Faisal bin Abdulaziz and told us a great many interesting and cute things about Saudi Arabia. After a four-hour flight, during which the monotonous noise of the engine filled our ears, we began to feel drowsy, particularly as it was past midnight. Every now and then I would look through the window and could see nothing but thick darkness. Three or four of the first-class passengers were fast asleep, and one passenger drew near to my husband and they had a refreshing conversation. It transpired that this fellow traveler was a Turkish businessman on a business trip to Saudi Arabia. This young man has later on given us precious assistance that was quite necessary for us during the first stages of the establishment of our embassy. Then came the announcement of our being close to landing. I looked again through the window, and lo! What 10 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Seen by a Diplomat’s Spouse a miracle! All the land below revealed many intersecting and intercrossing lighted lines that reflected streets, alleys and public squares. This was such a pleasant surprise after many hours of the utter bleak and dreary darkness that surrounded the plane and lasted many hours. This made us realize that the city of Riyadh is a modern city that does not bother to conserve electric power. The large and widely-spaced airport welcomed us with a refreshing and pleasant cool breath of air, and with unexpected luxury. Its ceiling and many cupolas rose high above. The passages and glass-lined corridors were hanging over mosaic, water groupings of waterfalls, while the murmuring water flowed crystal clear over the steps wherein live, ever green, tress had been planted, their fresh leaves indicating that they were in perfect condition within the closed and roofed space. The walls were beautifully decorated and adorned with Islamic symbols. There were also specially designated places for prayer whose floors were covered with carpets and rugs. Although it was very late at night, the representatives of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs were there to receive us and accompany us to the reception hall that is reserved for guests of honor. After exchanging traditional phrases of greetings, the men became absorbed in a warm and heated conversation. I, personally, occupied myself with observing the place, which was the entry to a hall that was akin to the parlor of
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