I have lived through the reigns of seven Kings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to this day: Abdulaziz, Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd, Abdullah, and Salman. Beyond merely “living through” their eras, I also had the opportunity to meet, greet, and sit in the presence of some of them—indeed, even dine with them.
(The latter category includes King Khalid, King Fahd, and King Salman.)
By Dr. Ibrahim Abbas Natto
King Saud bin Abdulaziz (1953–1964)
Our connection as citizens with King Saud, and our knowledge of his decisions and public affairs, relied primarily on print media (newspapers) and radio broadcasts, particularly Radio Makkah. My father subscribed to Umm Al‑Qura, the official government newspaper, issued weekly. It contained the full record of government decrees, royal orders, judicial rulings, and official announcements regarding commercial registrations and agencies. In essence, Umm Al‑Qura served as the national gazette.
Radio, however, was the daily medium through which we followed government affairs and the King’s messages. We listened to the main news bulletin at 2:00 p.m., followed by the evening broadcast. Through the radio, King Saud became known for addressing the public with the phrase “My beloved people”, often in speeches preceding or following the issuance of decrees or royal orders.
A distinction existed between royal decrees and royal orders:
- Decrees were based on decisions of the Council of Ministers, after discussion within the council—this was the norm.
- Royal orders, however, could be issued directly without prior discussion.
(For most of King Saud’s reign, the Council of Ministers was chaired by Crown Prince Faisal.)
Seeing King Saud in Person
I saw King Saud with my own eyes on several occasions. One memorable instance was during my intermediate school years, when my school—Al‑Falah School—participated in a sports festival held in his honor by the Education Directorate (under the late Abdullah Baghdadi). The event took place at the Makkah Sports Track, before the German word “stadium” entered our vocabulary.
The program included marching formations, general sports displays, and performances by older students—such as hurdle jumping and vaulting. Younger children performed playful routines, like walking races and crawling on their knees “like rabbits,” accompanied by rhythmic music that would suddenly stop, prompting them to rush into cage‑like structures at the sound of a whistle.
I vividly remember the King’s joyful reaction—laughing, applauding, and delighting in the children’s performance.
A Story from the Eastern Province
My friend Faisal Abdulhamid Anbar (a fellow scholarship student in the U.S. after high school) told me that King Saud—when he was Crown Prince—visited his school, Dammam Primary School. The program included a poem written by the literary figure Abdulhamid Anbar, recited by his son Faisal, then a first‑grade student. One of its lines read:
“O Crown Prince, O man of noble deeds,
O best of those who call to glory.”
After the visit, the Crown Prince ordered 30 silver riyals to be given to every student, and an additional 100 riyals to the young poet. Thus, Faisal became the “wealthy boy” among his peers—this was around 1952.
The Expansion of the Holy Mosque
During my childhood at Al‑Falah Primary School, King Saud initiated the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The foundation stone was laid on the southern side of the Haram, near the Hamidiyah buildings and the Egyptian Takiyyah, close to the Ji’ad district.
I recall that during the ceremony, a collection of Saudi coins was placed inside a metal box—silver riyals inscribed with “Struck in Makkah”, gold Saudi guineas valued at 40 silver riyals, and perhaps other precious items. The King himself placed the box into the wall, after which it was sealed with cement and covered with a large Italian marble plaque engraved with the details of the historic event, bearing the name of King Saud.
As a child, I remember feeling deep regret that such valuable coins were being buried inside a wall, wondering whether they would deteriorate over time. (My daily school allowance was two qirsh!)
The main gate of the Haram on that side was named “Bab Saud”, and remained so until his removal from the throne on November 2, 1964. It is the same gate now known as “King Abdulaziz Gate.”
Restoration of the Kaaba
I also remember the restoration of the Kaaba itself—its walls were reinforced, and the stones were re‑grouted with special plaster. Wooden scaffolding (“al‑Rahmaniyyat”) surrounded the Kaaba, allowing workers to reach all sides while pilgrims continued to circumambulate beneath them.
During this restoration:
- A new gold‑and‑silver door for the Kaaba was cast.
- A new key was made.
- A new silver‑based frame for the Black Stone was crafted by the master goldsmith Ibrahim Badr, whose shop was in the gold market near Souq Al‑Layl and Al‑Qashashiyyah.
King Saud insisted on carrying the new frame of the Black Stone himself, lifting it from the floor of the Mataf all the way up to its place in the Kaaba’s eastern corner. Before lifting it, he said the famous word “Kabbūh”—meaning “leave it to me.”
The crowd was astonished by his strength and moved by the moment.
Royal Visits to Makkah
During my high school years in the early 1960s, the King toured several cities, including Jeddah and Makkah. The city adorned itself with decorations and arches of triumph along the streets and alleyways.
I saw the King three times near our home and shop, in the districts of Al‑Shubaika, Al‑Hajla, and Al‑Misfalah.
A large reception tent was erected in Barhat Al‑Rashidi in Al‑Shubaika, near the old “Presidency of the Judiciary” (later the Ministry of Justice), and close to Qahwat Al‑Hammara, whose owner, Hamza Alam, later became the district’s mayor. The tent stood directly across from Al‑Haram Printing Press, owned by Ibrahim Suleiman Nouri.
A large fabric banner was hung at the entrance of Al‑Shubaika, between the second floor of the Al‑Zawawi House (above my father’s shop) and the house of Ismail Agha, deputy chief of the eunuchs. The banner bore a poetic verse by Ali Abu Al‑‘Ala, beautifully written:
“Al‑Shubaika’s greetings are like roses,
Welcoming Saud, the pride of the nation.”
After the arrival of His Majesty the King’s motorcade, he sat to enjoy a cup of Arabic coffee and listen to a brief welcoming speech; then he rose and boarded his car to proceed to the next reception.
The following stop was at the reception of the Aghawat of the Holy Mosque in Makkah, held in a decorated pavilion set up directly in front of a building beneath which stood the shop of the well‑known Meccan barber and circumcision specialist, Uncle Muhammad Qamlo. His Majesty was received by the Chief of the Aghawat, Sheikh Ibrahim, his deputy Sheikh Ismail, and a number of senior Aghawat—the custodians and attendants of the Haram.
As in the previous stop, the program consisted of His Majesty taking a cup of Arabic coffee, listening to a short welcoming address, and allowing for the necessary media coverage. I observed—and assumed from the way His Majesty sipped the cup—that he drank from the upper rim, and I felt at the time that the cup was not full, perhaps even empty. I sensed that this might have been for security precautions. I also recall my surprise at His Majesty wearing dark sunglasses at night, but I later learned that he needed them to protect his eyes from bright lights and camera flashes, as he suffered from eye pain.
The King’s motorcade then proceeded directly to the pavilion of the Al‑Misfalah district, located opposite the Aghawat’s reception tent and in front of Al‑Fath Hotel, about 70–100 meters away. There, once again, His Majesty took a cup of coffee, listened to the speech, and then continued in his motorcade to the next district celebration, that of Harat Ji’ad.
His Majesty would arrive in a procession preceded by a group of security motorcycles, their sirens blaring. The King sat in the back seat of a red Cadillac with the roof raised (open‑top). Whenever he noticed groups of citizens cheering and applauding, he would stand—while the car was still moving—holding with his left hand a metal bar fixed to the back of the front seat, and waving to the crowd with his right hand. He would then sit again between gatherings.
I remember from those cherished days the complete absence of tension or heavy security presence. The only “tension”—if the word can even be used—was the joyful anticipation and excitement at the arrival of the King’s motorcade into the neighborhoods, streets, and open squares.
Achievements of King Saud Witnessed by My Generation
Among the many historic accomplishments of King Saud—those we lived through—were:
1. Expansion of Higher Islamic Education in Makkah
The expansion of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in Makkah, which became the nucleus of higher education in the Kingdom and the foundation of what later became Umm Al‑Qura University—the first true higher‑education institution in Saudi history. Among its graduates was Sheikh Hassan bin Abdullah Al‑Sheikh, later Minister of Education.
2. Establishment of King Saud University (1958)
In Riyadh, the first university was founded in 1958 under the name King Saud University—originally called King Saud the First University, perhaps inspired by Egypt’s King Fuad I University (later Cairo University).
Its first president was Dr. Abdulwahhab Azzam of Egypt, a scholar of ancient literature with a focus on Persian studies.
The first Saudi vice‑president was Dr. Abdulaziz Al‑Khuwaiter, a history graduate of King Fuad I University who later completed his postgraduate studies in Britain.
3. Establishment of the College of Petroleum and Minerals (1963)
Founded in September 1963, later becoming the world‑renowned King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
4. Abolition of Slavery (1962)
One of the most significant reforms of King Saud’s reign was the abolition of slavery in 1962—during the early years of U.S. President Kennedy and the global rise of civil‑rights movements, as many nations around the world gained independence from colonial rule.
5. Creation of Health Centers
The establishment of health centers across cities, introducing the term “mustoṣfā” (clinic) during the tenure of Minister of Health Dr. Hassan Naseef.
6. Introduction of Girls’ Education
Girls’ education was formally approved and implemented for the first time during King Saud’s reign.
Before this government decision, girls’ schooling existed only through private initiatives in major cities—such as the pioneering efforts of educator Omar Abduljabbar in Makkah.
7. Expansion of Media and Introduction of Television
The media sector expanded significantly, including the establishment of Saudi television (Channels 1 and 2).
In the early 1960s, television broadcast King Saud’s speech announcing the decision to introduce girls’ education.
My Personal Experience with Overseas Scholarships
I conclude by mentioning not only what I witnessed, but what I personally took part in: the overseas scholarship program.
Scholarships expanded steadily to Egypt, Lebanon, and later to Europe and the United States.
The first group sent to the U.S. for higher education was in 1953, via Beirut, consisting of nine students who were then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin.
Soon after, the government signed a comprehensive agreement with the university, and five consecutive scholarship cohorts were sent beginning in 1958–1959.
I was part of the fifth cohort, consisting of 83 students from across the Kingdom—from Al‑Ahsa and Qatif in the east to the Hijaz in the west, and from Arar in the north to Asir and Jizan in the south. We arrived in September 1963.
After that, scholarship destinations diversified beyond the University of Texas. Preparatory programs expanded, and regional offices were established in various Saudi cultural missions across the U.S. The scholarship program continued beyond the first five cohorts until it reached dozens of waves.
This major educational project began during the reign of the late King Saud—one of the most significant achievements of his era.
By Dr. Ibrahim Abbas Natto
Former Dean, University of Petroleum
Source: http://www.an7a.com/2018/02/28//