Knowledge Affairs – Special

The distinctive publications produced by Western travelers who visited the Arabian Peninsula before and after the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shaped a genuine image of travel literature, highlighting what they actually experienced on the land of the Kingdom and documenting the diaries, observations, and details they recorded. These accounts were written through European eyes exploring their way across this ancient land with wonder, contemplation, reflection, and unexpected perspectives in a space that had remained unknown to the West for many centuries. Thus, the sands of the Arabian Peninsula became the setting upon which these writings unfolded across historical, geographical, archaeological, and scientific contexts. These visits and journeys were not all undertaken for tourism; rather, many were driven by exploration, excavation, and a desire to discover the history, antiquities, heritage, and knowledge concealed within the Arabian Peninsula, revealing the imagined state of mystery that Europeans had constructed under their grand, dreamlike concept of the “Mystique of the East.”

The results of these visits appeared in large collections of books, particularly those produced during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the early twentieth century. The names of the figures who visited the region came from Russia, Portugal, Britain, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, and other European countries.

Historians point out that the first Western traveler to visit the cities of Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah was the Italian traveler Ludovico di Varthema (1465–1519). In his book, Varthema described the two Holy Mosques and the routes leading to them with remarkable precision. He also provided the first plan of the Holy Kaaba and described the splendor of the Hajj rituals, in what was the first European report describing the rites of Hajj and presenting them to Europeans who had little knowledge of Islam, its culture, principles, and values.

Historical Observations:

Europeans recorded various observations about the Kingdom and published what they had documented and preserved in numerous books that today shape the literary and historical image of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the mind of the Western reader. Because of the significant influence of this positive image on European thought and culture, the King Abdulaziz Public Library undertook the task of transferring these documented observations and translating them into Arabic, bringing this literature and these diaries to Saudi and Arab readers so that they could become familiar with the features and dimensions of this image as perceived by the Western other.

In the book “The Arabian Peninsula in the Writings of Western Travelers over One Hundred Years,” authored by Albrecht Zieme, the reader is presented with a panoramic view of the journeys undertaken by Western travelers. The book reviews what German travelers and others wrote about the Arabian Peninsula during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including their descriptions of geographical locations and historical events. The author devotes a substantial portion of the book to presenting the geography and history of central and northern Arabia, accompanied by commentary on the most important observations they recorded about the geography of the countries they visited, their social conditions, and the customs and traditions prevailing there. Among the books written by European Orientalists, researchers, scholars, and visitors are “In Unknown Arabia,” by R. E. Cheesman, and “Philby of Arabia,” by Elizabeth Monroe.

The book “Ibn Saud, King of the Desert,” by Yves Besson, revolves around the personality of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, whose unique character has occupied and continues to occupy the minds of Arab and foreign scholars alike, particularly in relation to his political thinking, military acumen, and insight. The author discusses every decision made by King Abdulaziz, beginning with his entry into Riyadh and ending with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1351 AH/1932. The author emphasizes that, through his civilizational achievement, King Abdulaziz was not merely a military leader whose battle ended or a phenomenon that eventually disappeared; rather, he represented a unique case in political thought and military strategy.

The First European Muslim Woman:

In the book “The Road to Mecca,” translated by Dr. Rifaat Al-Sayed Ali, the author Muhammad Asad emerges as one of the most prominent Western figures to embrace Islam during the twentieth century, leaving a major imprint on Arab, Islamic, and European culture. The book highlights his life story through his journey, as he departed from the Western world proud of his customs and traditions, having been sent by one of the Western newspapers to the lands of the East to provide journalistic reports about the region in general.

As for the book “Pilgrimage to Mecca” by Lady Evelyn Cobbold, it includes an introduction to the author’s life and Muslims in the United Kingdom, the reform movement in the Arabian Peninsula, and King Abdulaziz. It also recounts the journey of the first European Muslim woman to Makkah to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in 1934. The book possesses significant scholarly, historical, and literary value, documenting an important period in the history of the Kingdom.

Within the context of illustrated books photographed through the lens of Tomar Stensla Silvera, the book “The Unifier,” printed in Switzerland, is a documentary photographic work about the founding king. It addresses the history and rich heritage of the Kingdom and contains 232 photographs portraying contemporary history and the life of King Abdulaziz—may he rest in peace—across various situations and historical stages and from different regions of the Kingdom. The introduction discusses King Abdulaziz’s efforts to unify the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and build the country, emphasizing that the Saudi state restored the Arabian Peninsula’s civilizational role and unified its political entity.

The book “Arabia, Garden of Painters,” authored by Thierry Mauger, is also a representation of the true value of the aesthetic folkloric environment of southern Saudi Arabia and emphasizes the cultural diversity of the region. The book is filled with color photographs taken by a professional photographer who traveled throughout the Kingdom’s regions and governorates and lived among their communities, forming strong relationships and friendships with their inhabitants and residents. It highlights the remarkable decorative paintings on walls and floors created by women and children in the Asir Region, as the author devoted himself to introducing this unknown and rare art to many readers who know little about the Kingdom, particularly its distinctive wall-painting tradition known as “Al-Qatt Al-Asiri.”