By Saud Al‑Mutairi
Aside from the visits he made while accompanying his father—when he was still Crown Prince—King Saud bin Abdulaziz made three official visits to the city of Buraidah. The first was on 1 Jumada Al‑Akhirah 1373 AH, only three months after assuming the throne; the second in Jumada Al‑Ula 1377 AH; and the third on Tuesday, 25 Rabi‘ Al‑Thani 1379 AH, during which he remained until Friday, when he led the congregational prayer at the Grand Mosque of Buraidah.
During this visit, several strategic projects were inaugurated, including the Grand Mosque, which had been damaged by the devastating floods of Sannat Al‑Haddam (1376 AH) and rebuilt using stone instead of mud by a Palestinian craftsman. Also inaugurated were the public library east of the mosque, the central hospital replacing the old mud‑brick hospital on Al‑Khubayb Street, the public high school, the scientific institute, and the large Daghmaniyyat agricultural project, which employed the latest German agricultural technologies under German management.
According to the writer, historian, and novelist Musa Al‑Niqaidan, who was only ten years old at the time, the King’s schedule included many formal invitations, but also spontaneous ones that arose along the way. For example, an elderly man standing by the roadside would raise his dallah and cup, prompting the King to stop, open the car window, drink the offered coffee, and continue. Sometimes an elderly woman would signal with her cup, and the King would stop, drink, and ask about her well‑being. These spontaneous gestures reflected sincere affection from the people, free of ceremony or pretense.
Al‑Niqaidan recounts a humorous incident during the King’s trip to Al‑Wus‘ah to accept an invitation from a local notable. The King traveled in a single car, without a motorcade or security detail, confident in the protection and love of the people. The driver, a man from Buraidah known as Al‑Dheeb, attempted to drive through a narrow alley despite the King advising him to park and continue on foot. Disaster struck when the car became wedged tightly between two walls. The situation embarrassed everyone—the hosts panicked, and the driver was mortified. The crowd, however, acted decisively: some climbed onto the car to push from the front, others pulled from behind, and together they freed the vehicle.
King Saud stepped out, visibly upset, and raised his hand to adjust his shatfah (a headband similar to an ‘iqal), seemingly preparing to reprimand the driver. But he reconsidered, lowered his hand, and instead saluted the cheering crowd, who chanted joyfully, “Abu Al‑Sha‘b!” (“Father of the People”).
One of the most memorable events for the people of Buraidah was the grand celebration organized by a group of skilled craftsmen known as “Al‑Samam”, during which the entire city sang:
Hala bil‑‘āhil illi jeetah mithl al‑ḥiyā al‑ma’mūr
Rabī‘ al‑dār midrār ‘alā al‑dīrah wa‑ahālīhā
Lafā Sulṭān Najd w‑zādat al‑dunyā faraḥ w‑surūr
Rabī‘ al‑mamlakah shūfat Saud w‑‘āsh ḥāmīhā
Al‑Niqaidan describes the atmosphere leading up to the visit: a week of unusual activity in the market—whispers, hurried movements, new cloaks being worn, quiet bargaining, and merchants selling goods at any price. A mysterious box circulated discreetly, collecting small donations. Men exchanged shy glances, signaling financial strain.
A week later, everything changed. The market transformed:
- Walls were draped in green silk fabric
- Shop doors covered in dark green cloth
- The dusty ground carpeted with bright Iranian rugs
- Entrances hung with white curtains
- A large coffee and tea station built at the northern entrance
- Rows of gleaming Baghdadi and Ruslani dallahs, ornate teapots, and tall milk kettles
- Men donned war belts, ‘iqals, and carried Indian swords, while the poorer ones carried axes and traditional knives
The market’s usual calls were replaced by the cries of warriors preparing for battle. They recited desert war poetry as they lined the streets, eagerly awaiting the King.
When King Saud arrived, excitement surged. He stepped out of his car and was pulled toward the coffee station, where poems—some familiar to him, others new—were recited. Then he moved to the center of the market for the ‘Ardah. The men, armed with swords and blades, surrounded him. Drums thundered, horses neighed, and the entire district shook with the intensity of the celebration. The warriors swayed rhythmically, their chants growing more fervent, pushing toward the King until the heads of the blind among them accidentally collided with his several times. Even the crowds of men, women, and children filling the surrounding streets were swept up in the feverish energy.
Al‑Riyadh Newspaper