Page 237 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

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Economically, YVoslun and Kaseem arc probably the most prosperous
districts in all Nejd. They are at least self-supporting, raising enough
wheat and dates tor local consumption and some for export as well.
l)ihn and sheep are also exported, and piece-goods, enamel ware and
aoine rice imported in return.
Anciza is hemmed in by a ridge of stony hills on one side and the
Ncfud on the other half. Because of its limited territory it is very
densely populated and has houses three and four stories in height. It
dilTers also in other respects, in that its gardens are in or on the edge
Ul the town and not distant from it. And Aneiza has the hnest gardens
I have seen in Arabia; in fact in every respect Aneiza is in a class by
itself. The houses are better, the people are more intelligent, better
informed and more humane and friendly, and the gardens are superior.
The merchants from Aneiza are famous over all the Arabic-speaking
wurld. They own property and carry on extensive business in Mecca,
Jidda, Damascus, Basrah, Baghdad, Egypt and Bombay as well as other
places in India. But they always come back to Aneiza. It is the only
Arab town I know of possessing a civic pride. This might be illus­
trated by an incident occurring in our Bahrein school a few years ago.
The teacher was giving a geography lesson on Arabia. Aneiza, among
other places, was pointed out on the map. After the lesson a small boy.
a son of one of the Aneiza merchants in business here, came to the
teacher and asked to be shown Aneiza again. After looking at the spot
on the map reverently a moment he bent his head and kissed it saying,
"Thai is my homeland." Since my relurn I have met a number ul*
AneUu l>cuplc here and the first question they ask is, "How did you
like our country ?" They take a personal pride in the artistically painted
doors and little tables of which I brought home some samples.
• la government, too, Aneiza is different. Although in Kaseem, it is
in independent state, and as such, is not ruled by Bin Saud's governor
0f Kaseem who resides in Boreida, but by a member of the Saleem
family, a nephew of the great Zamil who protected Doughty during his
,uy in Aneiza in the eighties. The taxes from Aneiza and half a dozen
outlying villages are collected by the local Ameer and do not go to
llic treasury of the Sultan. This arrangement was no doubt made in
rc.qn'Ct to the ancient independence of Aneiza.
vjowhere were we treated as royally as at Aneiza. Frequently we
»crc the guests of some of the leading families for meals, and every
c\cning we made two or three social visits and were obliged to turn
down as many more. Our evenings were usually booked a week ahead.
Kdigious discussions were of course sometimes entered upon, but not
ui such bigoted, hateful, sneering manner as was usually the case in
Riadh and Shugra. The Moslem here was, however, as unrelenting as
^ is in any other part of Arabia. Here, too. we were extremely busy,
but nowhere else was there such an appreciation of our- work. The
Ameer visited us several times, as did most of the leading men of the
luwii. Everywhere we were greeted and treated cordially and here as
p every place the streets leading to our house were always lined with ,s
fre blind, crippled, and the sick who were seeking relief. We remained
gi Aneiza 'twenty-two days, and in seventeen working days treated 1,306