Today, as Egypt celebrates its great guest and blesses this noble occasion—an occasion that reaffirms the sincere affection and strong bonds between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula…
Today, as Egypt sees in the person of the Arab monarch a radiant image of that beloved Peninsula—toward which our eyes gaze, our souls yearn, and our hearts cling; a land we face from afar at sunrise, at noon, at afternoon, at sunset, and at night before we sleep…
Today, as Egypt glimpses in the procession of the Arab monarch a grand pageant of glorious visions and noble memories—visions in which the Peninsula appears as it once was, when from its western horizon burst forth a beam of the purest light, heralding a true dawn that dispelled the darkness of night. A voice rose from beside the Ancient House—the voice of the Arab Messenger, peace be upon him:
“God is the Greatest.”
The idols crumbled before his call, their fragments scattered across the sands of the Peninsula beneath the feet of the herald of monotheism. Then came an awakening—clear, conscious, astonishing the world—casting the reins of global destiny into the land of miracles, the land destined fourteen centuries ago to change, through Islam, the course of human history, shaping the fate of nations, peoples, thrones, crowns, civilizations, and religions.
Today, as Egypt recalls the great battle waged by the late monarch, Abdulaziz Al‑Saud, against fearful reactionism, dead stagnation, and the isolation that had built walls around the desert and placed harsh guards upon them—Egypt remembers how that battle ended only when the wave of new life surged from Najd, sweeping away the rubble of reaction and the ruins of those walls. Thus was the Peninsula prepared for the tremendous transformation that followed the flow of black gold and the discovery of the precious spring the desert had concealed in its depths for centuries, buried beneath gravel and sand.
Today, Egypt glorifies the memory of the departed monarch, speaks of his arduous and triumphant struggle for revival, and then turns to his lion cub—with confidence, hope, and pride.
Today, Al‑Ahram Library presents to its readers two new books, published on this happy occasion and released shortly before the visit of His Majesty King Saud to Egypt—the Mother of the World and the cradle of civilization.
At this time last year, the Lion Cub of the Peninsula traveled to Lebanon and Syria on an official visit aimed at strengthening the deep bonds among Arabs, uniting the peoples of the greater Arab East—our greater homeland—so that they might face their common enemy united, supportive, and steadfast. A single rank, a solid structure, its cracks sealed and its gaps closed, leaving no opening for the enemy and no path toward division.
The noble visit stirred the emotions of our brothers in Syria and Lebanon. It became a rich literary season that filled newspapers and clubs with the writings of authors, the poems of poets, and the speeches of statesmen and leaders. When the blessed procession returned to the Peninsula, its powerful echo continued to fill the horizons of the East—calling for solidarity, heralding unity, and urging struggle.
Here is Professor Fahd Al‑Mark, recording “The Echo of the Lion Cub’s Visit to Lebanon and Syria” in two books published by Al‑Hashimiyyah Press in Damascus, which he dedicated “to those devoted to the unity of Arabism and Islam.”