A Kingdom Built on Sand, Oil, and Religion

WHICH country is as big as Western Europe, has a population of only 12 million, and is nearly all desert? Which kingdom was founded in 1932, discovered vast quantities of oil in 1938, and became the world’s third-largest crude-oil producer? Which kingdom takes the Koran as its constitution and is the location of two of Islam’s most revered cities and mosques?

The answer to all these questions is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz. With 865,000 square miles [2,240,000 sq km], it occupies most of the Arabian peninsula, with the Red Sea to the west, the Arabian Sea to the south, and the Arabian Gulf to the east.

How did I get interested in this Arab country? I saw in the newspaper an invitation to an exhibition in New York City sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government. I was intrigued to know more about this different culture and way of life. And since I would probably never get to Saudi Arabia, why not let Saudi Arabia come to me?

Saudi Arabia​—The Old and the New

As soon as I stepped into the exhibition area, I realized that everything had been designed to make the public feel good about this Arabian country. Everywhere there were U.S.-based Saudi university students acting as well-informed guides. All were dressed in the typical thobe, a long, white garment that resembles a robe and that reaches to the feet. Each also wore a red-and-white checkered ghutra, or headcloth, held in place by a double ring of black cord. All spoke good English and were more than polite in answering any question that I or anyone else cared to ask.

Following a dimly lit foyer, which had photos of the Saudi royal family as well as a multislide presentation of aspects of Saudi Arabia, I next visited the area that depicted traditional Arab and Bedouin life. A black Bedouin tent was on display with all the accoutrements of their nomadic life. However, with the advance of modern technology, the Bedouin life-style, with its legendary hospitality to strangers, is dying out.

The next sector of the tour was a reminder of the religious force that drives and controls Saudi Arabian life— Islam.a

Mecca, the Kaaba, and the Koran

Islam’s holy book, the Koran, “is considered the constitution of [Saudi Arabia] and provides ethical values and guidance,” states an official brochure. A pamphlet states: “The Kingdom frames its social, political, and economic policies in light of Islamic teachings.” While there were several handwritten copies of the Koran on display, the principal theme of this sector was the pilgrimage city of Mecca (Arabic, Makkah) with its huge mosque and the Kaaba in the center. These were portrayed by large-scale models.

The Kaaba, a huge cube-shaped building made of stone and covered by a heavy black cloth, is defined by an Islamic publication as “the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand years ago.”b Thus Islam (started by the prophet Muḥammad in the seventh century C.E.) claims to be linked with Abraham, the patriarchal forerunner of Judaism and Christianity. It is therefore one of the three major monotheistic religious systems.

In reality the Kaaba is located in the center of the huge open-air square that forms part of the great mosque of Mecca. At the annual pilgrimage (ḥajj), over a million Muslims flock there to pray and to circle the Kaaba seven times. Each able-bodied Muslim considers it an obligation to make this journey at least once in a lifetime. The exhibition also included a model of the massive mosque of Medina (Arabic, Madinah), Muḥammad’s burial place.

Especially interesting were the heavy ornate doors of the Kaaba that were on display. Normally, only Muslims ever get to see these, since only they are allowed into the mosque of Mecca. It was hard to believe they were originals until a guide explained that they were the doors that had been used from 1942 to 1982, when they were replaced by new ones. They are made of gold and silver and are decorated with gold plaques that have verses from the Koran inscribed in Arabic. Hanging from a nearby wall was a kiswah, or heavy black curtain, used to cover the Kaaba, embroidered with more Koranic quotations in gold.

Modern Life in Saudi Arabia

Further on in the tour, there were re-creations of typical street scenes, with craftsmen weaving mats and others beating ironwork into domestic utensils. Other artisans were working in leather to produce typical Arab slippers. Another was making simple wooden birdcages. Yet another was shaping pottery at a foot-operated potter’s wheel.

Eventually I came to the section that highlighted the achievements of modern Saudi Arabia. It was obvious that the discovery of oil had transformed the Saudi economy and the standard of living for the nation. ARAMCO (Arabian American Oil Company) discovered vast oil deposits in 1938. Sample bottles of the black liquid were on display. A company brochure states: “Aramco now has more than 43,000 employees, about 550 wells in production, 20,500 kilometers (12,733 miles) of flowlines and pipelines and more than 60 gas-oil separator plants.”

Little wonder that with such a solid economic foundation, information brochures can state that Saudi Arabia supports some 15,000 schools and educational centers that serve over 2.5 million students. Education is free for everybody right through to university level. And there are seven universities.

Of course, oil is not everything in Saudi Arabia. Huge irrigation projects have been completed, and agriculture has flourished to the point that the country exports fish, poultry, wheat, dates, vegetables, and dairy and other farm products.

Two Sides to Every Coin

I finished my three-hour visit to “Saudi Arabia” very impressed by the accomplishments of a relatively small nation. I wondered how different things might have been if every nation had been similarly blessed with petroleum reserves or other valuable resources in worldwide demand.

While I found the visit to be very informative, I could not help but notice the omissions in the field of religion. I learned nothing about the actual Kaaba stone, a black meteorite that is revered by Muslims who visit Mecca. Before the founding of Islam, the stone “was venerated as a fetish,” states Philip K. Hitti in his History of the Arabs. The tradition is that while Ishmael was rebuilding the Kaaba, he received the black stone from the angel Gabriel.

Another omission in the exhibition was that I found no reference to the two major divisions of Islam, the Sunni and the Shia. This split goes back all the way to Muḥammad’s successors and is based on a difference of interpretation as to who are his rightful spiritual heirs​—does the line follow in Muḥammad’s bloodline as the Shiite Muslims claim or is it based on elective office as the majority Sunni claim? The Saudis belong to the strict Wahhabi sect of the Hanbali school, the most rigid of the four schools of Sunni Muslims.

Notably absent from the exhibition were Arabian women. I assumed that this omission was due to the strict Saudi interpretation of Islamic laws on the role of women in public life.

As I left the exhibition, I was forcibly reminded of the saying that there are two sides to every coin. Outside on the street, there were Arab protesters giving out pamphlets alleging acts of cruelty and injustice in Saudi Arabia and denouncing the lack of democratic process in that country (there is no secular constitution or parliament). It made me realize that for some people sand, oil, and religion are not necessarily the whole story. But at least I had received a clearer perspective of life in Saudi Arabia and the impact of Islam on its people.​—Contributed.

[Footnotes]

[Map/​Picture on page 16]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

SAUDI ARABIA

Mecca

IRAN

IRAQ

SUDAN

Red Sea

Arabian Sea

[Pictures on page 17]

(From left) Doors of the Kaaba, Arab artisan, and embroidering Arabic script

[Credit Line]

David Patterson