Page 81 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

During the drive die King and Abdulla Suliman talked politics .and
Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, who was staying in camp at Dhahran, on the
discussed the American oil company, apparently not caring in the least
Arabian coast opposite Bahrain, where a vast concourse of Arabs had
that I heard the conversation, the gist of it being whether they could
assembled to greet the King. We spent three days with the King, which is
get from the company some of the new super-sized caravans which the
the usual period for an Arab visit. I enjoyed, for the first time, the King’s
company had recently imported. Everyone was extremely surprised
lavish hospitality and saw the feudal style in which he lived. ‘Feudal’
when we arrived at the Amir’s new palace at Dammam to sec me alight­
is perhaps an unfortunate choice of a word tor it has now become a
ing from the car behind chc King. The banquet was on the usual magni­
term of abuse in the Gulf, mainly owing to its use in connection with
ficent scale; there were dozens of sheep, roasted whole, and enough other .
Arab rulers by the Left Wing Press in Europe.
dishes to feed the entire population of the town. Already the people of
One evening there was to be a dinner at Dammam, a town on the
Dammam were assembling with baskets and bags to carry away the food
coast, some distance from Dhahran. It was given by the redoubtable
which was left over after the guests and their servants and followers had
Saud ibn Abdulla Jiluwi, the Amir of Hasa, whose very name inspired
fed. This very spectacular entertainment was spoilt by the hideous
terror in the hearts of evil-doers, and among other people as well. The
fluorescent lighting which illuminated the inside of the palace, causing
Amir was a cousin of the King, and his father, in his lifetime, had been one
everybody to look slightly green.
of the King’s staunchest supporters.
When we left Saudi Arabia I was presented with the usual gift of a
The Amir’s appearance belied his character. He was a smallish, pale-
complete outfit of Arab clothes. I was amused to find that the clothes
complexioned man with a black beard, he had a quiet voice and was not
had been made for the Crown Prince, the Amir Saud; he and the King
much given to talking, but his silences were pregnant and the occasional
were the only two men of the party who were about my height. Visits
flash in his eyes indicated what he could be like when he was aroused.
of this kind were costly affairs; the Shaikh and the senior members of the
He was probably the most feared man on the eastern side of Arabia.
Khalifah family were given handsome cars as parting gifts and every
Not knowing whether I had been included in the invitation to the
servant and follower was generously treated. I had taken my police
Amir’s dinner, and not wishing to appear ‘pushing’, I stayed in my
orderly, Bilal, with me, in mufti, and he received ^15 as a tip. It was not
quarters at the guest house. After all the invited guests had started off in
surprising, when Arab potentates of the Gulf paid visits to each other,
their cars for the long drive to Dammam a messenger arrived, saying that
that there was keen competition among relations and followers to
the King wished to see me at once. I went down to the camp and found the
accompany the visiting Shaikh.
King ready to start. He had missed me when the enormous party set off
Throughout 1947 there was increasing tension in the Middle East due
and had enquired where I was. I explained that I had not known whether
to the bitter resentment which was felt by the Arabs, especially th<*
I had been invited, to which the King replied, ‘You are my guest, no
Syrians and Iraqis, about the proposal to settle the Palestine Question
invitations are required; come, we will go together to Dammam.’ The
by the partition of the country and the setting up of a Jewish state. The
King and I, accompanied by Abdulla Suliman, the then all-powerful
situation in Palestine did not materially affect Bahrain but many of the
Minister of Finance, drove together along the coast road escorted by
educated town Arabs felt very strongly on the subject. In Bahrain the
military cars. Abdulla Suliman, a small unimpressive-looking man, very
control which the Government continued to exercise over the prices of
plainly dressed, was a native of Nejd who, at one time, had been in
essential goods, which was enforced by stiff sentences in the courts on
business in a small way in Bahrain. He had served the King for many
shopkeepers who profiteered, resulted in the cost of living being much
years and eventually by sheer ability and hard work he attained the
lower than in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar where no attempts had been
position of Minister of Finance and became the most powerful man in
made to keep the prices down, but in those states wages were considerably
the Kingdom, after the King himself. His enemies, and he had many,
higher than in Bahrain. The ordinary working man did not consider the
accused him of having acquired enormous wealth and of filling many
fact that it cost him much less to live in Bahrain than it would elsewhere;
posts with his relations, but it was he who had steered the country through
all that he thought about was that labourers in neighbouring countries
the difficult financial shoals in the early years of the King’s reign before
were receiving more rupees a day than he could earn, even after the
the revenue was counted in millions.
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