“The Arabian Peninsula Is My Homeland… and My Country Extends from Hadramawt to Baghdad”
In the early years of the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the founding monarch, King Abdulaziz Al Saud—may God rest his soul—surrounded himself with a distinguished group of intellectuals, strivers, and specialists from across the Arab world. Among them were Egyptians such as Hafiz Wahbah; Syrians such as Yusuf Yassin, Rashad Pharaon, Khalid Al‑Hakim, and Medhat Sheikh Al‑Ard; Iraqis such as Abdullah Al‑Damluji, Muwafaq Al‑Alusi, and Rashid Ali Al‑Kilani; Lebanese such as Fouad Hamza; Palestinians such as Rushdi Malhas; and Libyans such as Bashir Al‑Sadaawi and Khalid Al‑Qarqani.
At the same time, he also relied on a number of his own countrymen who had been fortunate enough to study in Kuwait, Al‑Zubair, Bahrain, and India, accumulating experience and mastering correspondence and foreign languages. Among this latter group emerged a prominent figure of Hijazi upbringing and education, of Hadrami origin: the late Abdullah bin Omar Bal‑Khair, who made a remarkable impact in politics, translation, media, poetry, and literature. He earned several titles—such as “The Sheikh of Politics and Journalism” and “The Poet of the Nation and Youth”—and received numerous decorations. Above all, he enjoyed the trust of the founding King and later of Kings Saud and Faisal.
Bal‑Khair was born in the village of Ghayl Bal‑Khair in Hadramawt in 1902, where he learned reading, writing, arithmetic, Arabic calligraphy, and memorized the Qur’an and Hadith. There he also developed a passion for poetry. Around 1914, he migrated with his father to the Hijaz, like many Hadramis, settling in the Al‑Shubaikah district of Mecca.
In Mecca, Bal‑Khair studied at the local school, then joined Al‑Falah School, founded in 1911 by Haj Muhammad Ali Zainal. He was later selected for a scholarship to the American University of Beirut. Upon returning, he first joined the Ministry of Finance, but soon left it to join the Political Bureau of the Royal Court as a translator in the Listening Section. The Political Bureau, established in 1930 alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mecca, served as the King’s political arm within the Court and was headed for many years by Yusuf Yassin and later Rushdi Malhas.
Bal‑Khair’s work in the Listening Section—established in 1934—suited his qualifications, especially his command of English and his translation skills. The section monitored international radio broadcasts three times a day, preparing reports of the latest news and submitting them to King Abdulaziz. Through this role, Bal‑Khair grew close to the King, who appointed him as his private secretary and translator.
In this capacity, Bal‑Khair accompanied the King as translator during his historic 1945 meetings with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Great Bitter Lake and with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Fayoum. The King also entrusted him with accompanying his sons, Princes Faisal and Khalid, on their extended visit to Europe and the United States near the end of World War II. Prince (later King) Faisal admired Bal‑Khair’s knowledge and intellect, frequently consulting him, and later took him to the Bandung Conference of Afro‑Asian nations in 1955.
During the reign of King Saud, Bal‑Khair’s prominence grew even further. The new monarch appointed him head of the Royal Court, impressed by his diverse talents and trusting his judgment. In 1954, the King tasked him with establishing a national media apparatus—something that did not previously exist—to present the Kingdom’s image, cover its activities and delegations in regional and international forums, and issue informational publications. It is said that the King’s decision stemmed from dissatisfaction with the weak media coverage of Saudi participation abroad compared to other nations.
Thus, Bal‑Khair founded the General Directorate of Broadcasting, Press, and Publication in 1954, headquartered near the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in Jeddah. He focused primarily on external media, organizing visits for Arab and foreign journalists and sending Saudi press delegations abroad to introduce the world to the Kingdom’s development and progress.
During his tenure—1954 to 1962—Bal‑Khair recognized the importance of radio and the press as powerful tools, especially as hostile regimes used them to spread misinformation about Saudi Arabia and its leadership. These years saw the establishment of the Radio Library in 1957, the relocation of Mecca Radio to Jeddah, the creation of “Voice of Islam Radio,” the launch of “Radio Magazine,” the emergence of around twelve daily newspapers, and the rise of numerous official and private magazines. He also attracted distinguished Arab and Saudi media professionals.
Bal‑Khair used his poetic talent to compose 15 national anthems, promoting them through available media to strengthen national unity and patriotism at a time when conspiracies aimed at dividing Saudi society were intensifying. He submitted these anthems to the Ministry of Education’s competitions committee, which approved and distributed thirteen of them to schools.
Among these anthems was one whose meaning conveys a call to Arab youth to move from words to action, embrace a new era of effort and progress, and revive the legacy of their forefathers.