To be given an invitation to meet with the King of Saudi Arabia is a rare gesture which must be relished to the utmost, especially when you are not a head of state of your country.
When, therefore, some of us were chosen from the multi-national media team to go to the mountain-top palace of the King, we smiled and expectedly waited for the date.
We had received telephone calls individually from the Ministry of Culture and Information staff managing us in our Movenpick Jeddah abode rooms to see a certain official on one of the floors, MI, not knowing what it was all about. One of the floors at the Movenpick Madina Road, Jeddah, was reserved for our minders, officials of the Culture and Information Ministry from Riyadh. They were responsible for our movements and welfare, something they did with dexterity.
When I took my turn and met with the official, he told me that I was one of those chosen to meet the King. He asked that I turn out in my traditional apparel and I regretted not having my Northern smock with me for the occasion. I, however, went in, something which reflected somewhat the part of West Africa I hailed from.
Awesome Palace
I had seen a winding wall on the mountain top and wondered which rich man had constructed this on a hard rock having many construction works on rather tough terrains. Little did I know that it was a wall around the Minna palace of the King of Saudi Arabia. The palace overlooked Minna, one of the important stations from where pilgrims proceed to perform one of the critical rites of the Hajj, the symbolic stoning of Satan at Jamarat. It is called a tent city because of the thousands of white roofs dotting the landscape to as far eyes could see. It is a tent city and has always been because it is a temporary place where pilgrims stay for just a few days before moving to other aspects of the Hajj rites.
Five or so buses belonging to the Saudi Public Transport Company or SAPTCO had pulled up as they always do when we had a place to visit, police escort et al to convey us to the mountain top palace.
Eye-opener
The winding route to the mountain was an eye-opener about how determination and commitment had made the Saudis tame the rocky landscape into places of comfort worth admiring. The arid landscape has been tamed as evidenced by the lush green grass at the palace grounds. I wish we in Ghana could learn about how greenness can be maintained even on harsh arid terrains with determination and commitment.
Security
We were met by multifaceted uniformed security personnel, each with their defined roles. One thing was common among them, courtesy of the highest order. Each of us was met with the traditional Arabic welcome ‘ahlanwasahlam’.
Some of the uniformed personnel I could only conclude belonged to the elite forces their US marine uniform and their smartness saying it all about the nature of their training and the association of the Saudi security system and the US.
Helicopter
A state-of-the-art helicopter pad containing five choppers beckoned us before our final stop. This is one of the palaces of the King Riyadh, the official capital, obviously having a similar but more sophisticated one.
Wild-looking Alsatian dogs were on leash controlled by uniformed handlers, police or soldiers. Our trip was expected and so we were ushered in without unnecessary delays not before the rules were read out loud and clear-no mobile phones and cameras were allowed in the bowels of the palace. We were compelled to leave the gadgets therefore in the buses regretting though the denied opportunity to capture the handshakes with one of the richest and powerful kings in the world. My consolation was that I would use my God-given retentive memory to capture as much as I could for presentation to the world.
Final Entry
The procedure preceding the boarding an aircraft was played out. An X-ray system examined us as we finally made entry into an ornate hall. We took our seat thinking the King was going to make an entry into the location. Not so as we were moved into a more complex conference hall ornate with priceless pictures depicting the Islamic nature of the location and the country.
Young men robbed in traditional Arab apparels and armed. They were more ceremonial than a fighting company ready to defend the palace. They added to the beauty of the ambience.
Heads of State
As we took our seats, a stream of very important personalities came in at varying times. I was able to identify them; one of them being the Sudanese President Al Bashir, The Gambian President Bow among, including selected envoys.
I identified my country’s envoy Sheikh TB Damba, with whom I later shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
Times for prayers are observed critically in officialdom in Saudi Arabia. It was time to pray and so all of us turned to the mosque within the palace where I beheld security personnel praying with their boots on. They were technically in the battlefield, and so could pray in that mode, it is permissible.
Handshake With King
When the King finally took his seat, the proceedings commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran. Speeches were made by the head of the worldwide Islamic association. The King welcomed his guests and expressed satisfaction with the conduct of Hajj 2017, into which we all acknowledged so much resources had been put in among other things. The issue of so-called Muslims engaged in terrorist activities across the world got space in the speeches delivered at the venue.
Every guest, including me, had the opportunity to shake hands with the King. There was no pictorial evidence of the rare opportunity because of the denial by the security arrangement to enter with their cameras and mobile phones. That was understandable given the parlous nature of the world today.
Dinner
The conference hall had opening into the dining hall where we all retired for lunch befitting of kings. An assortment of meals was lined up in front of us. We feasted and left the palace with lasting memories about the engagement with the King of Saudi Arabia.
Historical Sites
Pilgrims do not have the opportunity of visiting important historical sites such as the museum of the two Holy Mosques where old stuff such as the staircase of the Kaaba and others are kept.
The sense of history of the custodians of the two holy mosques is enormous. The place where the clothing for the Kaaba is manufactured including the embroidery is done is a place in Makkah. It is a whole factory devoted to the production of the clothing known as Kiswa.
It takes seven months by two hundred persons to produce the clothing which is replaced after every hajj season. With Hajj 2017 now over, the replacement for next year’s will soon be ready having taken eight months to produce. It cost $4.5 million to produce one kiswa. It used to be produced in Egypt.
Museum
At the museum of the Prophet’s mosque in Madina we saw important correspondences sent to the King of Abysinnia, today’s Ethiopia. The Holy Prophet who could not write himself dictated his thoughts and revelations to scribes who wrote them down. Some documents bespoke of the links between Saudi Arabia and the Ottoman Empire who ruled most of the world at one time.
Press House
We also visited the printing house where copies of the Islamic scripture, the Holy Quran, are printed in major languages of the world for distribution gratis. It is a sophisticated printing house with the latest technology in the printing industry. Saudi Arabia is a country devoted to the enhancement of the word of Allah evidence of which is not difficult to fathom.
Modernity and Tradition
Saudi Arabia is a country hosting modernity and tradition. Even the two holy cities of Makka and Madina host modern structures and tradition styles contrast which give the country a rare uniqueness.
The Prophet’s Mosque
This mosque like other structures pertaining to Islam is constantly in a flux witnessing an annual upgrade architecturally.
The air-conditioning system and other facilities here is enough to satisfy the energy requirements of some countries.
The foldable minaret at this location is another evidence of the application of modern trends in what should ordinarily be traditional in nature.
To control the sometimes unbearable temperature when close to 170,000 assemble at this location there is a constant flow of a cold mist. During the Ramadan and pilgrimage about a million worshippers assemble here.
The two holy sites are served by fire stations, modern policing and health systems to respond to emergencies.
Ten thousand carpets serve the Madina mosque, with hundreds of workers permanently cleaning the place. With constant supply of water, the state of sanitation is impeccable.
High Turnout
With an expansion project the Saudis were able to contain 800,000 more pilgrims this year with no shortage of facilities observed anywhere in the rituals.
Heroin Haul
The security system is so good that 2993 grams of heroin was seized in the early days of the arrival of pilgrims at the very busy King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
Ministry Of Interior
This ministry is one of the most critical in managing Hajj operations. We met a Lt. Col who is responsible for coordinating the Makkah operations during the Hajj and Ummrah or lesser Hajj.
With the latest technology at their disposal, he said they receive between 30,000 to 40,000 calls daily regarding security situations. These, he stated, are received by a staff of 120 on shift basis. With 15,000 channels open for such complaints, he explained that responses are done within seconds and the appropriate agencies such as fire service, police, air ambulance alerted for action.
There is still more to write about our trip to Saudi Arabia but with just two editions at my disposal, I can proceed beyond this. So long and shukran as the Arabs would say for thank you.
By A.R. Gomda