Page 37 - Arabian Studies (II)

Memories ami Impressions of the Arabia of I bn Sand 27

should be specially selected for Arabia, for Ibn Saud. The first
bulletin I received began something like this: ‘In spite of the War,
nursing mothers in Liverpool are being issued with a special extra
allowance of milk.* I had also asked for a special strategic map of the
Middle East and Europe. Such a map showing main roads, railways,
canals, pipelines, mountain ranges of importance, ports but not
political boundaries did not exist. All I found was a Daily Telegraph
war map and the first country to be mentioned in the news,
Finland, was not shown. However, one of the kind I asked for was
put in hand, to be published both in Arabic and English and
executed by the Royal Geographical Society. It was admirably done,
using a new projection, and the Arabic version was finished by 1944,
the English by 1941.

Desert Camp

Fortunately, that winter of 1939/40 was one with unusually good
rain; Ibn Saud went out, and I with him, to camp, at the side of a
large temporary lake at Hafr al-Ats north of Riyadh. Ibn Saud
obviously greatly enjoyed such camping, no nonsense about tables
and chairs, though of course we did have radios for the news:
London had been putting out Arabic news bulletins for about four
years, Arabic being the first foreign language broadcast.
Looking at my note books I see that I listed the subjects he spoke
about each day when I was with him, generally each morning and
evening, in camp or in Riyadh, when often he would ask me to stay
and dine. Here is an example: 1. The Jews; 2. Syria; 3. The ‘chatter’
about education; 4. The Middle Eastern countries in general;
5. Egypt; 6. The Imam of the Yemen; 7. The Imam of the Oman
hinterland; 8. The slave traffic from Hadramawt; 9. The American
Oil Company; 10. The Italians.
Of education he said that he was not going to have it in his
country, ruining everything, destroying religion and upsetting the
people. The other Arab countries were always talking about it and
publishing resolutions about it, and other people (American?) were
making suggestions to him about it. They were envious of him and
wanted to drag him into their troubles, which had come about
through it. In his country there was perfect security. The Arab and
religious bases had not been upset by western education. He had not
a hundred men in prison in the whole country. He could order a
negro to be Governor of a district and be obeyed because religion
was still the cement of their building. He would employ technicians
and experts when they were required. If he had lived longer than he