Saudi Arabia dynasty. The king is dead, long live the king

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East. And the country with the largest oil reserves. Unfortunately, ordinary people do not manage to enjoy oil money - they all end up in the pockets of members of the ruling Saudi dynasty (Al Sauds). The family is big: about 25,000 people. We invite you to find out 15 dark facts about the royal family.

459 tons of luggage for a 9 day trip

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al, the current King of Saudi Arabia, is a very wealthy man. It seems that money for him does not mean anything at all - with such ease he throws them away. For example, he recently had to go on a visit to Indonesia for 9 days, so he ordered to take 459 tons of luggage with him. That's why he needs 459 tons of luggage for 9 days? It is impossible to understand. Yes, and what was included in the luggage? A sofa, a suitcase, a bag… In fact, a lot of different equipment, including two Mercedes-Benz s600 limousines and two electric elevators. As if in Indonesia all this cannot be found.

Saudi throne game

Back in 1975, the people's favorite King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud ruled. It was under him that oil production increased incredibly and huge wealth appeared in the country. He invested in the modernization of the country, took care of the needs of the population, under him Saudi Arabia became the leader of the Muslim world and began to dictate its rules to all countries (using the oil lever).

On March 25, 1975, Faisal was shot dead by his nephew, Prince Faisal ibn Musaid, who returned to the country after studying at an American university. The prince went up to the king, bent down for a kiss, pulled out a pistol and fired three times at point-blank range. He was found guilty of regicide and his head was cut off (although the dying King Faisal asked to spare his nephew). Faisal ibn Musaid Al Saud was beheaded with a gilded sword, after which his head on a wooden stake was exposed to the crowd for 15 minutes. Such are the passions.

Hypocrisy and alcohol at parties

The consumption of alcohol in Saudi Arabia is prohibited and severely punished by law. Of course, if you belong to the royal family and you really want to, then you can do everything - including alcohol. People who worked at parties hosted by Saudi princes said that there was alcohol and drugs in use, and what not. The two-faced Al-Said are having fun at alcohol parties, and the next day they are talking frantically and zealously about the importance of observing Sharia law.

Those who know too much are dealt with quickly and quietly by the Saudis.

In the next episode of the Game of the Saudi Throne, we will see how Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd kidnaps his cousin Sultan ibn Turki because he wanted to tell the world the whole truth about the royal family. No joke, the Saudi royal family is corrupted to the limit and, one might say, rotten from the inside. However, they have a lot of money and opportunities to get rid of anyone who is stupid enough to open his mouth on this subject.

During a visit to Geneva in 2004, Prince Sultan ibn Turki announced that he was going to reveal the secret plans (or rather, evil intentions) of the Saudi government. The next day, his cousin Prince Abdul Aziz ordered the Turks to be sent back to Saudi Arabia immediately. More Sultan ibn Turki never complained about the family and did not talk about its crimes. After all, he who talks a lot does not live long.

Princess Mishaal's execution for falling in love with the wrong person

In 1977, 19-year-old Saudi princess Mishaal bint Fahd al Saud, niece of the then King Khalid, was accused of adultery and shot. At the same time, her lover - the son of the ambassador of the kingdom in Lebanon - was beheaded (moreover, they chopped off his head with a saber and this was only possible with the fifth blow). The execution was led by the princess's own grandfather. So the Saudis are very, very cruel to their own.

Unpunished cocaine smuggling

It seems that members of the royal family don’t peck money anyway, why should they try to earn more, and at the same time in an illegal way? However, in 2004, Prince Nayef ibn Fovaz Al Shelaan tried to smuggle 2 tons of cocaine from Colombia to Europe in his private Boeing. He planned to launder the money through Kanz Bank (which he owns).

In general, the plan was quite cunning, but failed, because the French police caught Nayef red-handed. But this is not the most interesting. When he was caught, the Al Saud intervened and ordered France to release the prince. They even threatened to reject several important commercial deals with France if she did not comply. Therefore, Prince Nayef's accomplices are still rotting in prison, and the prince himself is calmly walking free and enjoying the sun of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz killed his gay lover

When Prince Saud ibn Abdulaziz ibn Nasir al Saud brutally murdered his gay lover in a London luxury hotel in 2010, his biggest concern at trial was proving he was not gay. After all, homosexuality in Saudi Arabia is one of the worst crimes and can be punishable by death.

Before the fatal attack on his servant, the prince drank champagne, as well as six Sex on the Beach cocktails, according to police. It happened on February 14, when the couple celebrated Valentine's Day. Shortly before midnight, the lovers returned to the hotel, where there was a quarrel between them, which ended in murder. Everything happened in the UK and it was not possible to get out of the court. The prince was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was soon sent to Saudi Arabia in exchange for five Britons. There is no doubt that he is free.

"Cow worshiping the West" is a major crime

The people of Saudi Arabia are obliged to obey all the laws of their country, no matter how absurd or strict they may be. The main thing is to obey, pray and not try to adopt something from the rotten West. Here's a typical example: in 2013, 21-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Khayal watched a YouTube video of a man who went out into the street and began to offer random passers-by a hug - if they wanted to. Abdulrahman decided that this was a great idea and that he should try to do the same at home in Saudi Arabia. He wrote a poster "Hugs", went outside with it and began to hug passers-by. Very soon he was arrested for criminal activity. What happened to him next is unknown. I would like to hope that he was still not imprisoned, but released.

Saudi royal family and human trafficking

Anything related to the world's oldest profession is naturally prohibited in Saudi Arabia. And there is nothing special about it. However, it would be nice if members of the royal family also followed this law. But, alas, this is not the case.

For example, in Saudi Arabia it is illegal to celebrate Halloween due to its "anti-Islamic" nature. But Prince Faisal Al-Thunayan threw a massive Halloween party at his residence. Approximately 150 men and women came to the party. With one single difference: the men came there of their own free will, and the women had no other choice. They were brought there for sale.

And how did the royal family react when it turned out that Prince Faisal had broken several laws at once that night? And in any way - they ignored the event. And they even threatened to deal with anyone who spoke on this topic.

Media censorship

WikiLeaks has exposed the secrets of thousands of the world's most powerful people, including members of the ruling Al Saud dynasty. Many have tried to fight WikiLeaks and somehow censor the information posted there, but no one has succeeded in this more than the Saudis. They just banned WikiLeaks in their country. You can't even pronounce the name of this organization if you don't want problems.

Yes, we are talking about one of the richest countries in the world in the 21st century. In Saudi Arabia, there is simply no such thing as freedom of speech. The royal family controls everything there. It is interesting that family members are not completely free either: before doing something, they must consult and ask permission from King Salman. He's still the boss.

Unpaid bills and inappropriate behavior

With their own money, they could probably buy up the whole world. But few of the large companies want to do business with them. Why? Yes, because it is not clear what to expect from these people. And also because they are the type of customers who don't always pay their bills. For example, Princess Maha al-Ibrahim refused to pay $1.5 million to a limousine rental company in Geneva (despite the fact that all the requirements of the princess were fully satisfied). Well, it ended up being that the representatives of the company said: "We are no longer working with this family for obvious reasons." And there are many such cases.

The Royals Get Any Job They Want

In total, the Al Saud family has 25-30 thousand people. And all the boys need to be assigned to the most prestigious job, so that they “earn” a lot of money there and maintain the honor of the family. It is clear that they are taken without any interviews to wherever they want. Their knowledge and experience is irrelevant. Last name is everything. It is a pity for worthy people who cannot get a job because of this, and it is a pity for a country in which inexperienced specialists are allowed to solve important issues.

Princes rob their people in every possible way

According to WikiLeaks, using their name, the princes receive money in various ways - for example, by borrowing from banks and not repaying loans. Learned from bitter experience, Saudi banks routinely turn down loan applications from members of the royal family unless they have a good credit history.

Another favorite method of taking money is the confiscation of land on which something is planned to be built and which can be resold at a great profit. So when the royals don't have enough money for hardcore parties, they just go and take it from banks or take it from the population.

Saudi Arabia and North Korea are twin brothers

Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive regimes in the world. There are no elections, political parties or parliament. The country belongs to King Salman and his family. They can do whatever they want with complete impunity. The rest of the world is afraid to interfere and somehow try to limit the power of the Saudis, because Saudi Arabia is control over the distribution of oil. Everyone knows that people there have a hard time, but no one can do anything about it. When it comes to civil and political freedoms, Saudi Arabia is the worst country in the world and is only matched by North Korea and a couple of African dictatorships.

Dancing can make you gay in Saudi Arabia

Everyone in Saudi Arabia is afraid of the Islamic morality police "Khayaa", which is supposedly supposed to protect the country and people from moral decay, etc. For example, the guardians of morals once invaded the house of a local resident and found dancing youths there. Just. However, by the standards of "Hayaa", these men were caught in a "compromising situation in the dance, making shameful gestures." This definition was enough for everyone to be immediately arrested. Moreover, the parents of these "criminals" were told to take better care of their children "because it could lead to immorality and even homosexuality." Well, you understand, right? Dancing means gay.

Over the weekend, with the tacit support of President Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, along with his influential son, staged an unprecedented purge within their own family. The main victims were those relatives of the king who controlled the finances, the media and the army. Among the dozens arrested were 11 princes, several current and former officials, owners of three major television channels, the head of the most important military branch and one of the richest people in the world, a major shareholder in Citibank, Twentieth Century Fox, Apple, Twitter and Lyft.

“It's like waking up one morning to find that Warren Buffett and the heads of ABC, CBS and NBC have been arrested,” a former US official told me. “There are all the signs of a coup d'état. Saudi Arabia is rapidly transforming into another country. This kingdom has never been so unstable."

As a result of this purge, a wave of fear swept through the kingdom - one of the two largest producers and exporters of oil - as well as the Middle East, global financial markets and the international community. On Monday, November 6, the arrests continued, and there is no word yet on when they will end.

Critics and supporters alike believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is behind the purge, whose influence skyrocketed when his father appointed him defense minister in 2015 when the crown prince was 29. He vowed to modernize the ultra-conservative society. And to do so, he has seized control of critical economic, political, judicial, and security projects and programs. In June, he removed former crown prince Prince Nayef, the most staunch US ally within the royal family, from his path and became crown prince. Nayef is still under house arrest, according to Human Rights Watch. In September, Crown Prince Muhammad organized the arrests of prominent intellectuals and spiritual leaders.

On Saturday, November 4, King Salman created a new Anti-Corruption Commission and appointed Crown Prince MBS - that's what Muhammad is commonly called - as its head. Immediately after that, the arrests began.

“There is an interesting form of dictatorship taking shape in Saudi Arabia at the moment,” Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known Saudi columnist and former editor and adviser to Saudi diplomats who are currently in exile, told me. “MBS becomes supreme leader.” The only country where such a title now exists is Iran, a sworn enemy of Saudi Arabia.

According to experts, these arrests represent an attempt to consolidate power in the hands of the crown prince in anticipation of the possible departure of the aged and ailing king. This father-son duo has already created a whole new royal family that has managed to beat hundreds of other princes. “The House of Saud and the world now know that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is ready to use any means to take the throne following the death or abdication of his 81-year-old father, King Salman,” wrote David Ottaway, Research Fellow, in an email. Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC. “Never before in the history of Saudi Arabia has anything like this happened, and it seems that the kingdom is now entering uncharted territory with unclear prospects.”

The Crown Prince also has the power to seize assets and impose visa bans. The Times reported that all members of the numerous Saudi royal family were banned from leaving the country. Ibn Saud, the founding king of modern Saudi Arabia, had over 40 sons and even more daughters. Today, the number of his descendants, according to various estimates, ranges from 6 to 15 thousand people.

After the death of Ibn Saud in 1953, the first generation of sons passed on the kingship from older to younger - with the consent of other brothers. They ruled by consensus. But now everything is different. Now the young prince from among the grandchildren was ahead of all the other applicants.

“It is striking that all this was done methodically. He gradually took action to silence all dissenters, step aside or withdraw, said Robert Malley, vice president of the International Crisis Group and a former member of the Obama administration's National Security Council. “No one could stop him. He got the better of his opponents."

The Trump administration is backing this sweeping change, which has seen the kingdom — and the royal family — radically transformed over the past two years. En route to Asia, just hours before the start of the purge on Saturday, Nov. 4, President Trump spoke to the King by phone from aboard the presidential plane and praised him and the Crown Prince for their statements about "the need to create a moderate, peaceful and tolerant region." , which is "necessary to guarantee a prosperous future for the people of Saudi Arabia, to stop the financing of terrorist activities and to defeat radical ideology - once and for all - so that the world is finally freed from its evil," according to an official statement from the White House.

Trump also said he is personally trying to convince the kingdom to list state oil company Aramco, one of the largest in the world, on the New York Stock Exchange, or NASDAQ. “This will probably be the largest public offering ever,” Trump told reporters who were on the plane with him. “Now they are not considering this possibility due to litigation and other risks, which is very sad.”

Trump did not mention the risks associated with listing shares in the US, but one such risk is that any Saudi assets in the US could be seized under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which was passed by Congress in 2016. This law allows families of victims of the 9/11 attacks to file a civil suit in Lower Manhattan court against Saudi Arabia for alleged involvement in those attacks. If the court reaches a verdict against the kingdom, the law would allow the judge to freeze the kingdom's assets in the US to pay fines ordered by the court.

“This means that Saudi Arabia will be in a very vulnerable position by listing shares on the New York Stock Exchange,” said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA, Pentagon and former member of the National Security Council. “And they know it.”

Ironically, Trump supported the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act and condemned President Obama for vetoing it. "Obama's veto on the law
'Justice against sponsors of terrorism' is a shameful move that will be one of the lowest points of his presidency," Trump said on the campaign trail. Congress overturned Obama's veto - shortly before his resignation and the only time Congress overturned it Solution: Now Trump is criticizing the law.

As part of its lobbying campaign against the bill, Saudi Arabia has spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on Trump's new Washington hotel, the Wall Street Journal reported in June. As part of this campaign, several military veterans spoke before Congress to criticize the bill.

The Trump administration has actively sought the favor of the House of Saud. Trump's first overseas trip as president was to Saudi Arabia. In late October, without any prior announcement, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the kingdom for the third time this year. According to the official story, during his trip, the Middle East peace process was discussed, but Kushner managed to forge friendly relations with the Saudi crown prince, both in their early 30s. The close ties of the royal family with the Trump administration apparently gave the king and his son an opportunity to calm down relate to the harsh measures that they take against their own people.

The string of purges is a reflection of both the crown prince's weaknesses and his growing influence, in part because his plans to rebuild the ultra-conservative kingdom and increase Saudi Arabia's presence in the region are now in jeopardy. His ambitious plans to rebuild the kingdom are reflected in Vision 2030, a grand program to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. However, not all members of the royal family support the crown prince - a relatively young man in a system known for its elderly leaders.

“This is an attempt to impose a line of succession on a royal family that has serious doubts about the wisdom of appointing a young general, as he is called, as leader,” said Riedel, author of the new book Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and America since Roosevelt (Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and America since FDR) - And these doubts are well founded.

The Saudi Vision 2030 is increasingly failing economically. It has more and more characteristics of the Pozni scheme. In the new city of Neom in the Gulf of Aqaba, which will have to attract $500 billion in investment and will not operate in the usual norms of Saudi society "That is, women there will be able to do whatever they want - there will be more robots than people. All this is not serious. It's more like a ploy that should distract people from real problems," Riedel added.

So far, the Crown Prince's strategy in the region has brought mostly negative results. “His main foreign policy project was the war in Yemen, which turned out to be a serious problem for Riyadh,” said Riedel, who is now at the Brookings Institution. “His blockade of Qatar was a failure. He wants Qatar to become like Bahrain, that is, a kind of appendage. But Qatar did not give up.

Apparently, Saudi Arabia is involved in the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, which became part of the struggle for influence in the region. Hariri made a statement on a Saudi TV channel while in Riyadh. He mentioned the threat to his life and the interference of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanese politics. His father, who also served as prime minister, made his fortune building facilities in Saudi Arabia. In 2005 he was killed.

“Saudi Arabia called him out and forced him to resign,” said Molly of the International Crisis Group. “It was the Saudis who made the decision on how to deal with Iran and Hezbollah. Everything is very transparent. What MBS has done inside the kingdom and in the region is attempts to clear the place, make themselves and the king more aggressive players in the region and eliminate all its competitors in the domestic arena.

The official explanation for the purges within the large royal family was the fight against corruption, but critics dispute this version.

“Corruption has been eating away at Saudi Arabia for 40-50 years,” Khashoggi said. The new branch of the House of Saud builds exactly the same kind of business that it calls corrupt in cases where other members of the royal family are at the head of it. “They say: ‘What you do is corruption, and what I do is not corruption,’” he added.

Among those arrested was Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, an investor and billionaire who, in the process of doing business, communicated with Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch, and Bill Gates. Al-Waleed owned prime real estate around the world, as well as luxury hotels, including the Savoy in London and the George V in Paris. In 2005, he provided $20 million to Georgetown University to fund the Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding, which was named after him. He even promised to eventually give most of his fortune to charity.

Prince al-Walid did not hold any positions in the government and was never considered a politician. However, in 2012, he wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “If there is one lesson we should learn from the events of the Arab Spring, it is the realization that the winds of change that are now sweeping through the Middle East will reach all Arab states sooner or later. Now is an opportune moment - especially for the Arab monarchical regimes, which still enjoy popular acceptance and legitimacy - to start taking measures that will allow their citizens to take a more active part in political life.

He was sympathetic to a young Tunisian fruit vendor who set himself on fire to protest police corruption that robbed him of his income and thus launched the Arab Spring.

“Tragic as it was, Bouazizi's self-immolation summarized the collective sense of hopelessness and despair felt by many Arabs,” he wrote. “To put it simply, they couldn't take it anymore. Their calls to the leaders were short and to the point: 'enough' and 'leave'."

However, Prince al-Walid had a conflict with Donald Trump. He was one of the investors who bought the Plaza in New York from the then real estate mogul. He also bought a yacht from the future president. However, al-Walid has been critical of Trump's policies. In December 2015, he tweeted: “Donald Trump, you are a disgrace not only to the Republican Party, but to all of America. Leave the race because you will never win."

Eight hours later, Trump replied: “Stupid Prince al-Waleed bin Talal wants to control our American politicians with daddy’s money. He won't be able to do that when I'm elected." But the prince got almost twice as many retweets. It should be noted that Trump also received significant financial support from his father.

The most influential person arrested over the weekend was Miteb bin Abdullah, head of the National Guard and son of the late King Abdullah, who died in 2015. Prince Miteb, who is more than 40 years older than the current crown prince, was considered a potential king in the past. He led the most powerful military branch in the country, whose duty was to protect the royal family.

"Prince Miteb's arrest is a signal that the kingdom is facing a dictatorship by an overconfident 32-year-old prince of unclear ability, as well as serious tensions and discontent within the royal family that could threaten the stability of the House of Saud for years to come," Ottaway wrote in an email. from the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Many experts are convinced that more arrests will occur in the near future. “This is a reckless game of thrones,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa chapter of Human Rights Watch. - If I were in the place of the representatives of the Saudi elite, I would not sit and wait. Many of them have long known that they are on the verge of disaster. Arrests are another signal.”

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Saudi dynasty. Where do they come from and what is their real origin?

Part one

Excerpt from Saudhouse.com, researched and provided by Muhammad Saher, who was assassinated on the orders of the Saudi regime for the following research:

1. The belonging of the members of the Saudi family to the Anza bin Wayel tribe, as they claim?

2. Is Islam their real religion?

3. Are they really of Arab origin? ©

The following facts call into question all the claims of the Saudi family and refute all the false claims made by the hypocrites who sold themselves to this family and distorted the real history of the Saudi family. I mean journalists and historians who, due to large funding, have a false and altered genealogy of this family, and that supposedly our greatest Prophet Muhammad (DBAR) said that the Saudis are evidence of the power of Allah on Earth. And it is quite clear that this flattery is meant to justify that crime and autocracy of the Saudis and that it guarantees the stability of their rule and is the basis of their despotic regime, which is a dictatorship of the extreme form and completely compromises our great religion Islam.

The very concept of monarchy is unacceptable in our religion of Islam, in the Holy Quran, because it contains power in one person and in his family members, overwhelming the people and drowning out the voices of any "opposition" that opposes royal despotism and dictatorial rules. And the kings are condemned in the following verse of the Holy Quran: “Kings, entering a (foreign) country, destroy it and ruin it, and deprive the noblest of its inhabitants of respect and honor, so do (all) kings” (Sura an-Naml, 27 Meccan , ayat 34. Quran Translation of Meanings and Commentary by Imam Valery Porokhov).

Despite this, the Saudi family ignores the Qur'anic verses and falsely claims that they are the strictest adherents of the Holy Qur'an: under their strict supervision, radio and television programs are aired where they use the Qur'anic verses to protect their system. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to publish other verses in the press, because printing and reading them may affect their throne!

Who are the Saudis? Where are they from? What is their ultimate goal?

Members of the Ibn Saud family are well aware that Muslims around the world know their Jewish origin. Muslims know all their bloody deeds in the past and ruthless, despotic cruelty in the present. At present, they are trying in every possible way to hide their Jewish origin and, hiding behind the religion of Islam, they begin to invent their genealogy, trying to bring it to our most precious Prophet Muhammad (DBAR)

They completely forget or ignore in every possible way the fact that Islam has never attached importance to genealogy or the "Family Tree"; here respect and honor are paid to all people without exception, if their actions comply with the principles proclaimed in the following verse of the Holy Quran: “O people! We created you from (a couple): a man and a wife, and created from you (family) clans and (different) peoples, so that you could know each other. Indeed, before Allah, the most honored is the one who becomes the most righteous of all of you. Indeed, Allah is all-knowing and knows everything and everything! (Sura al-Khujurat, 49, Medina, ayat 13).

Anyone who is unjust and greedy cannot be close to our Prophet Muhammad (DBAR), even if he is a close relative of him. Bilal, an Abyssinian slave who was a true Muslim, has much more respect in Islam than the pagan Abu Lahab, who was a blood relative (uncle) of our Prophet (DBAR). There is no preference for people in Islam. Allah gives the degrees of comparison in Islam according to the piety of a person, and not his origin or belonging to any dynasty.

Who is the real founder of the Saudi dynasty?

In the year 851 AH, a group of people from the al-Masalih clan, which is a clan of the Anza tribe, equip a caravan to purchase grain (wheat) and other food products from Iraq and transport them to Nejd. The leader of the caravan was a man named Sahmi bin Haslul. The caravan arrived in Basra, where the caravaners went to a grain merchant, a Jew named Mordachai bin Ibrahim bin Moshe. During the negotiations, the Jew asked them: "Where are you from?" They replied: "From the tribe of Anza from the clan of al-Masaleh." Hearing this, the Jew began to warmly hug each of those who came, saying that he was also from the al-Masaleh clan, but he lives in Basra because of his father's quarrel with some members of the Anza tribe.

After he told the story he had made up, he ordered his servants to load the camels with food in a much larger volume; this act seemed so generous that the representatives of the al-Masaleh family were very surprised and they were overcome with pride for their relative, who managed to become a successful merchant in Iraq; they believed his every word and agreed with him, because he was a very rich grain merchant, which they needed so much (so the Jew began to call himself a representative of the Arab family al-Masaleh).

When the caravan was ready to depart, the Jew asked to take it with him, because he really wants to visit his homeland Nejd. Hearing his request, the caravaners gladly agreed to take him with them.

Thus the Jew reached Nejd in secret. In Najd, through his supporters, whom he passed off as his relatives, he began to diligently propagate himself. But, unexpectedly, he faced opposition from supporters of the Muslim preacher of the locality al-Qasim, Sheikh Salih Salman Abdullah at-Tamimi. A Jew (the true ancestor of the ibn Saud family) preached in the territories of Najd, Yemen and Hijaz, having gone from al-Qasim to al-Isha, on the way to al-Qatif he changed his name from Mordakhai to Marwan bin Diriyah and began to invent stories about the shield of our Prophet Muhammad (DBAR), that it was obtained as a trophy from an Arab pagan during the battle of Uhud between Arab pagans and Muslims. He said that "this shield was sold by an Arab pagan to the Jewish tribe of Banu Kunayka, who kept it as a treasure." Gradually, by telling such stories to the Bedouins, he raised the authority of the Jewish tribes as very influential. He decided to permanently settle in the town of Diriyah in the area of ​​al-Katif, which he considered as the basis, a springboard for the creation of a Jewish state in Arabia.

To achieve such ambitious plans, he became very close to the Bedouins and in the end he declared himself their ruler!

At the same time, the Azhaman tribe, in alliance with the Banu Khalid tribe, having understood its essence and that the insidious plan drawn up by this Jew was beginning to give results, decided to destroy it. They attacked his city and captured it, but could not seize the Jew who had taken refuge from the enemies...

This Jewish ancestor of the Saudi dynasty, Mordachai, hid on a farm that was then called al-Malibed-Usayba near al-Arid, the current name of this area is ar-Riyad

He asked for asylum from the owner of this land. The host was a very hospitable person and allowed the Jew to stay. Less than a month later, the Jew killed all the members of the farm owner's family, hiding the traces of his crimes and showing as if the thieves who had entered here had destroyed the family. He then announced that he bought these lands before the death of the former owner and remained there to live. He renamed the area, giving it the name - ad-Diriya, as well as the area that he had lost.

This Jewish ancestor (Mordakhai) of the Ibn Saud dynasty built a guest house called "Madafa" on the lands of his victims and gathered around him a group of his henchmen, the most hypocritical people who began to stubbornly say that he was a prominent Arab leader. The Jew himself began to weave conspiracies against Sheikh Salih Salman Abdullah at-Tamimi, his true enemy, who was later killed in the mosque of the city of al-Zalafi.

After that, he felt safe and made ad-Diriya his permanent place of residence. He had a lot of wives who gave him a huge number of children. He gave all his children Arabic names.

Since that time, the number of his descendants has increased, which made it possible to create a large Saudi clan, following his path, controlling the Arab tribes and clans. They ruthlessly took away agricultural land, and physically eliminated the recalcitrant. They used all kinds of deception, deceit to achieve their goals, they offered their women, money, in order to attract as many people as possible to their side. They were especially zealous with historians and writers to forever obscure their Jewish origin and connect it with the original Arab tribes of Rabia, Anza and al-Masaleh.

One of the most famous hypocrites of our time - Muhammad Amin al-Tamimi - Director of the modern Library of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia compiled a genealogical tree for the Jewish family of the Saudis and connected them with the Greatest Prophet Muhammad (DBAR). For this fictitious work, he received a reward of 35 thousand Egyptian pounds from the KSA ambassador in Cairo, Egypt, in 1362 AH - 1943. The name of the ambassador is Ibrahim al-Fadel.

As mentioned above, the Jewish ancestor of the Saudis (Mordachai) practiced polygamy, marrying a huge number of Arab women and having as a result of this a large number of children; his descendants are now repeating the actions of their ancestor to a tee, increasing their power - taking in quantity.

One of the sons of Mordakhai, whose name was al-Marakan, an Arabized form of the Hebrew name Makren, the eldest son was named Muhammad, and the other was called Saud, whose name is now the Saudi dynasty.

The descendants of Saud (the Saudi dynasty) began to kill prominent Arab figures, under the pretext that they had departed from Islam, violated the Qur'anic prescriptions, and thereby aroused the wrath of the Saudis.

In the Book of History of the Saudi Dynasty on pages 98-101, their family historian claims that the Saudis considered all the inhabitants of Najd to be apostates, so they were allowed to shed their blood, seize property, and the Saudis could turn their women into concubines, like captives. Muslims who did not share the views of the ideologist of the Saudis - Muhammad ibn Abdulvahhab (also has Jewish roots from Turkey) were subject to complete destruction. Under the guise of this, the Saudis killed men, stabbed children, cut open the wombs of pregnant women, raped, robbed and massacred entire villages. And they took the teachings of the Wahhabis sect as the basis of their cruel program, which allowed them to destroy dissidents.

This disgusting Jewish dynasty in every way patronizes the Wahhabis sect, who allow violence in cities and villages under the guise of Islam. This Jewish dynasty has been doing lawlessness since 1163 AH, since they named the Arabian Peninsula after themselves (Saudi Arabia) and consider the entire region their property, and its population are servants and slaves of the dynasty, who must work for the benefit of their owners (the dynasty Saudis).

They completely appropriated natural resources and consider them their property. If someone asks questions that are uncomfortable for the dynasty or begins to protest against the despotism of the Jewish dynasty, he is publicly cut off his head in the square. The Saudi princess once visited Florida, USA with her courtiers, she rented 90 suites at the Grand Hotel with a total cost of about 1 million US dollars per day. Can the subjects ask what kind of extravagant trick this is? If anyone asks such a question, then he will immediately be overtaken by the punishment of the Saudi sword in the execution square !!!

Witnesses to the Jewish origin of the Saudi dynasty

In the 1960s, the South al-Arab radio station in Cairo, Egypt and the Yemeni radio station in Sana'a confirmed the Jewish origin of the Saudi dynasty on the air.

King Faisal al-Saud at that time could not deny his family's close relationship with the Jews when he stated in an interview with The Washington Post on September 17, 1969: "We, the Saudi dynasty, are relatives (cousins) of the Jews: we do not share the point of view of the Arabs or Muslims in general on the Jewish question... we must live in peace and harmony. Our country (Arabia) is the ancestral home of the first Jew and it was from here that they spread throughout the world.” This was the statement of King Faisal al-Saud bin Abdulaziz!!!

Hafez Wahbi, the Saudi legal adviser, mentioned in his book entitled "The Arabian Peninsula" that King Abdul Aziz al-Saud, who died in 1953, said: "Our activities (Saudi propaganda) came across opposition from all the Arab tribes. My grandfather is Saud al-Awwal once imprisoned several sheikhs of the Maziir tribe, and when another group of the same tribe came to intercede for the prisoners, with a request for release, as Saud al-Awwal ordered his people to cut off the heads of all the prisoners, and invited those who came to taste dishes from the Boiled meat of his victims, whose severed heads he set on the dishes!The petitioners were very frightened and refused to eat the flesh of their relatives, and because of their refusal to eat, he ordered his people to cut off their heads.This heinous crime was committed by order of the Saudi ruler against to people whose only fault was the condemnation of his cruel methods and extreme despotism.

Hafez Wahbi says further that King Abdul Aziz Al Saud told a bloody story that the sheikhs of the Mazeer tribe who visited his grandfather to intercede for their prominent leader of the time, Faisal Al Darwish, who was imprisoned in the king's prison. He told the story with them in order to prevent them from asking for their leader's release, otherwise they would suffer the same fate. He killed the sheikh and used his blood as a ablution before praying (not forbidden by the doctrine of the Wahhabi sect). Faisal Darwish's fault was that he criticized King Abdulaziz al-Saud when the king signed a document prepared by the British authorities in 1922, in which the British authorities declare the granting of the lands of Palestine to the Jews, his signature was put at a conference in Al Aqir in 1922

This was and remains the basis of this regime of the Jewish family (the Saudi dynasty). The main purpose of which is: plundering the wealth of the country, robbery, falsification, all kinds of atrocities, lawlessness and blasphemy. Everything is done in accordance with their religious belief - a fictional Wahhabi sect that legalizes all these atrocities and has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

On January 23, 2015, in Riyadh, the oldest acting monarch in the world at that time, the king of Saudi Arabia, who ruled since 2005, Abdullah ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, died of a lung infection from a lung infection.

The approximate age of the king was 91 years old, he had three dozen wives and more than forty children.

United State

The very name of this largest state comes from the ruling dynasty in the country. The ancestors of the Saudis have been known since the 15th century, and from the middle of the 18th they began to fight for the creation of a single state. In this struggle, they relied on various currents of Islam, including Wahhabism. The Saudis, in order to achieve victory, entered into agreements with foreign states, including Great Britain and the United States, as was already the case in the 20th century.

Before Saudi Arabia acquired the current state and political structure, there were two unsuccessful attempts to form the kingdom of the Saudis: in 1744 under the leadership of Mohammad ibn Saud and in 1818, when Turki ibn Adallah ibn Muhammad ibn Saud became the ruler of the Arabian lands, and later - his Faisal's son. But by the end of the 19th century, the Saudis were expelled from Riyadh to Kuwait by representatives of another powerful family - Rashidi.

Founder of the royal dynasty

At the beginning of the new - twentieth - century, among the Saudis, who wanted to create a single Arabian state under their rule, a young man appeared who was attracted to weapons and military sciences more than religious treatises or the subtleties of Eastern philosophy. His name was Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdu-Rahman ibn Faisal Al Saud or simply Ibn Saud - the first king of Saudi Arabia.

Starting with one of the provinces - Nejd - relying on the teachings of "pure" Islam, making the basis of his army the Bedouins, whom he taught to settle down, relying on English support at the right time, using the technical and scientific achievements of the new century - radio, cars, aviation, telephone communication - Abdul Aziz in 1932 became the head of the mighty Islamic state founded by him. Since then, representatives of the same family have been at the head of Saudi Arabia in turn: Ibn Saud and his six sons.

Islamic World Center

Among the magnificent epithets that are awarded to the autocratic ruler of the Saudi kingdom, there is one of the most significant names in the Muslim world - "Keeper of the two shrines." The King of Saudi Arabia owns the two main cities for devout Muslims - Mecca and Medina, which are the main shrines of Islam.

It is towards Mecca that Muslims turn their eyes during daily prayers. In the center of Mecca is the Main, Protected, Great Mosque - Al-Haram, in the courtyard of which is the Kaaba - the "sacred house" - a cubic building with a Black stone built into one of its corners, which was sent by Allah to the prophet Adam, and which the prophet touched Mohammed. These shrines are the main goal to which the pilgrim performing the Hajj aspires.

Medina is the city in which the second most important mosque for Muslims is located - Masjid an-Nabawi - the Mosque of the Prophet, under the green dome of which is the burial place of Mohammed.

The King of Saudi Arabia, among other things, is a person who is responsible for the safety of Muslim shrines, for the life and safety of huge masses of people - those who perform the Hajj.

Son of the eighth wife

The founder of Saudi Arabia - Abdulaziz ibn Saud - was a true eastern ruler: numerous wives, of whom there were several dozen, bore him 45 sons-heirs. The eighth wife of Ibn Saud was Fahda bint Aziz Ashura, whom he took as his wife after the Saudis killed her first husband - the worst enemy of Abdul Aziz - the ruler of one of the Arabian emirates named Saud Rashidi. It was she who was born King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who died in January 2015 and left a noticeable mark on the history of the monarchy.

When in 1982 Abdullah was to be declared crown prince by right of seniority, his half-brother Fahd, who ascended the throne, thought for a long time: all the Al Sauds who ascended the throne were born to one, beloved wife of Ibn Saud - Hussa from the Sudeiri family. Nevertheless, Abdallah, who belongs to a different family on his mother - Shamar - became king, and he became the de facto ruler long before the official coronation (2005): he became prime minister in 1995, when Fahd retired, becoming disabled after a stroke.

If I were a sultan...

Life in at all levels looks unusual for a European. It is difficult to imagine the head of a European country who would be married 30 times, like King Abdullah.

Saudi Arabia is a country that lives on and in the house of a man cannot live more than 4 wives, this is how the family life of the king of the Saudis was organized. Abdulla is a father of many children, in total he had about four dozen children, of which 15 were sons.

Abdullah's childhood passed among the Bedouins, which influenced the monarch's hobbies - until recently he spent a lot of time in Morocco, where he was engaged in falconry, and his stable of racehorses was known throughout the world.

Welfare basis

Anyone who today sees the capital of the SA - Riyadh - or at least photos showing the inside of the plane of the king of Saudi Arabia, it will be difficult to imagine that at the time of its formation in 1932, Saudi Arabia belonged to the poorest countries in the world. In the late 1930s, colossal reserves of oil and gas were discovered on the Arabian Peninsula. The development and development of the fields were given to American oil companies, who at first took most of the profits for themselves. Gradually, control over oil production passed to the state, that is, petrodollars became the basis of the wealth of the Saudi kingdom.

The Saudis play a major role in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which controls about two-thirds of the world's oil reserves. The influence of the Saudi monarchs on the formation of prices for hydrocarbons determines their importance in world politics. It has changed throughout the 20th century, but has steadily increased.

King - reformer

It is impossible to imagine the possibility of drastic changes in the foreign policy and internal structure of a country where an autocratic monarch is in power, where you can pay with your head for criticizing government decisions, where there is no legislative body: laws are royal decrees. All the more curious is the glory of the king-reformer, which was awarded to King Abdullah. Saudi Arabia experienced some relaxations under him - both in the severity of Eastern etiquette and in the traditional Islamic harsh attitude towards women.

One of the first decrees of the 6th king of the Saudis canceled the ceremony of kissing the royal hand, replacing it with a more democratic handshake. The most important decision for Abdullah was the ban on members of the royal family from using state treasury funds for personal needs.

A real revolution was the establishment of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology near the city of Jeddah, where girls and boys are allowed to study together. The appointment of a woman to a public post was no less a sensation: Nora bint (bint is an analogy for a male bin - “son”) Abdullah bin Musaid Al-Faiz became deputy minister for girls. The admission of women to some sports has made the image of the Saudi king even more attractive to supporters of democratic reforms. The allocation of funds for study abroad significant funds has made the CA even more open to the world.

The daughter of King Abdullah - Princess Adilla - became the face of a conservative system of government. The Minister of Education's wife, a beautiful, self-confident woman, is perceived by many as a symbol of renewal, although there is no talk of a radical revision of the female role in Islam.

Traditions are unshakable

Still, the main thing for the ruling family in the kingdom is the holiness and immutability of traditions based on the observance of Sharia norms.

Women for "improper behavior" or frivolity in dress, amputation of a hand for theft, severe punishment for fortune-telling as "witchcraft", etc. - this is a common practice in the life of Saudi society.

Such traditions include the ostentatious luxury that surrounds the royal throne of the Saudis. From a technical point of view, the private plane of the King of Saudi Arabia is the most reliable aircraft of the late 20th century, but in terms of interior decoration it looks like a fairy-tale palace of the Sultan from the tales of the Thousand and One Nights.

And this applies to the numerous villas, yachts and cars owned by the royal family.

One of the richest monarchs

It is almost impossible to accurately calculate the personal wealth of a monarch, especially in a country as closed to foreigners as Saudi Arabia. Figures from 30 to 65 billion dollars are called. In any case, this is not a poor person, even if you take into account the number of members of the royal family. There is someone to spend petrodollars there - the wives of the king of Saudi Arabia make up an impressive harem, although formally the Koran forbids having more than four. We have to actively use the institution of divorce, which in the East is devoid of unnecessary formalism.

Family matters

Today's world is a continuous process of information exchange, carried out at various levels. At the end of 2013, an interview appeared in British newspapers, which was made by the daughter of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Princess Sahara. It claimed that she and her three sisters had been under house arrest for 13 years by their father.

Newspapers and news portals published stories about the manners of the royal harems. The mother of the Sahara, the ex-wife of the king of Saudi Arabia, was also involved in them. The photo of Al-Anud Daham Al-Bakhit Al-Faiz, who at the age of 15 became the wife of Abdullah, and ten years later was deprived of her daughters and expelled after a divorce, added drama.

This scandal forced to pay special attention to the problem of discrimination against women in the Muslim world. Articles about the terrible inequality between men and women in Saudi society flooded the print and electronic media. Photographs of the king of Saudi Arabia, a symbol of the medieval style of government based on unbridled luxury, were especially popular.

But it turned out not everything is so simple, the world is still multifaceted. Another wave came up. Activists of Islamic organizations, among whom there were many women, with no less passion accused journalists and politicians of trying to impose their morality on a society that they do not honor with self-sufficiency. The protest against the aggressive imposition of Western views on lifestyle seemed just as sincere and justified.

The king is dead, long live the king

Today on the throne in Riyadh Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is the seventh king of Saudi Arabia. The photographs of the new ruler do not differ much in the eyes of a European from those that were taken during the life of King Abdullah.

The history of the Saudi state continues.

Karim al Saud and Sultana al Saud

A wedding in a Muslim family, and even more so in the royal family of Saudi Arabia, has always been a ceremony hidden from prying eyes. Especially - from the eyes of Europeans. And only in the 90s of the twentieth century, when the books of the American Jean P. Sasson began to be published, the veil of secrecy over the wedding ceremonies of the Saudis was slightly opened.

Jin has been interested in Eastern culture since childhood. The researcher's curiosity led Jean to take a job in 1978 as an administrative coordinator at the King Faisal Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Jean worked there for four years, after which she married the Englishman Peter Sasson. Jean lived in Saudi Arabia until 1991. In 1983, at a reception at the Italian embassy, ​​Jean met a woman from the Saudi royal family, the al-Sauds. The women became friends. The Saudi princess told the American about life in the female half of the Arab world. And she agreed that Jean wrote a book from her words, setting the only condition: to change the names. Since then, not a single most curious and cunning journalist has been able to find out who is hiding under the name of Sultana al-Saud. Because the discovery of this truth could cost a woman her life.

The banquet hall where the wedding of the Sultana and Karim al-Saud was celebrated

Among other things, Sultana spoke about how weddings are held in Arab royal families. First - about the traditional one, which she witnessed in 1969, when her sister Sarah was married off. The wedding of the Sultana herself, which took place three years later, was no longer so traditional, already with a Western bias. At least without open coercion, besides, Karim and Sultana, at the end of the ceremony, left for their honeymoon trip to Europe.

1969, Sarah's wedding:

“No less than fifteen women scurried back and forth anxiously, trying not to miss anything important in preparing the bride for the wedding. The first ceremony, halava, was performed by the mother and one of the older aunts. It is supposed to remove all hair from the bride's body, with the exception of eyelashes and hair on the head. A special mixture of sugar, rose water, and lemon juice applied to the body was simmering in the kitchen. When the sweet mass dries on the body, it is torn off along with the hair. The smell of the mixture was very pleasant, but this procedure causes terrible pain, and Sarah's screams still ring in my ears, making me shudder with horror.

Henna was prepared for washing the hair, which was supposed to give Sarah's luxurious hair a slight sheen of polished mahogany. Her fingernails and toenails were painted a bright red that reminded me of the color of blood. A pale pink bridal shirt adorned with gorgeous lace hung on a hook by the door, and a diamond necklace with matching bracelet and earrings lay on the dressing table. The jewelry was sent to Sarah a few weeks ago as a wedding present from her fiancé, but she didn't even touch it.

When a Saudi bride is happy and marries for love, the room in which she is prepared for her wedding is full of laughter and joy. On the day of my sister's wedding, there was an oppressive silence in her room - one might have thought that the women were preparing her body for burial. Everyone spoke in whispers, and Sarah did not utter a word at all. It was strange for me to see her like this after the events of recent weeks, but later I realized what a trance she was by then.

The father, worried that Sarah might spoil the wedding by voicing his disgust for the groom, ordered one of the doctors on the day of the wedding to inject her with a strong tranquilizer to deprive her of the strength to resist. We later learned that the same doctor gave the fiance some sedative pills for Sarah. The groom was told that Sarah was too excited about the upcoming marriage and she needed pills to avoid unwanted stomach symptoms. Since the groom had never seen Sarah before, he seemed to be convinced for some time after the wedding that his new wife was a very quiet and accommodating woman. On the other hand, many old men in our country marry young girls, and I am sure they are aware of the fear that their young brides have of them.

The drum roll announced the arrival of the guests. The women finally finished preparing the bride. They put on a beautiful dress, zipped her back, and shod her feet in soft pink shoes. Mother fastened a diamond necklace around Sarah's neck. I loudly proclaimed from my seat that this necklace was no better than a loop or a lasso. One of the aunts gave me a slap, and the other twisted my ear painfully, but Sarah did not react in any way to my words. Everyone gathered around her in admiring silence. None of those present had ever seen a more beautiful bride in their lives.

For the ceremony, a huge canopy was installed in the courtyard of the villa. The whole garden was filled with flowers sent from Holland and playing in the sun with all the colors of the rainbow. The spectacle turned out to be so beautiful that for a while I even forgot about what a tragic event is happening in my sister's life.

Many guests gathered in the shade under the canopy. Women from the royal family, literally studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, gathered together with representatives of the lower strata of society, which in itself is rare in Saudi Arabia. Commoners are allowed to attend the weddings of noble girls, provided that they do not remove the veil and do not enter into conversations with aristocrats. One of my friends told me that there were times when some men dressed in women's dress with a veil in order to be able to look at the faces of those who would never show themselves to a man. The men themselves celebrated this event in one of the largest hotels in the city, where they entertained themselves in the same way as the women in the bride's house - chatting, eating and dancing.

In Saudi Arabia, during the wedding, women and men gather in different places. The only men who are allowed to attend the women's celebration are the groom, the father of the groom and the father of the bride, as well as the priest who performs the ceremony. In our case, the groom's father was excluded - he had been dead for a long time, so, apart from the priest, only my father and the groom were present at the ceremony.

Finally, the slaves and servants began to serve food, around which pandemonium immediately set in. Commoners who came to the feast in a veil were the first to be admitted to the tables. These poor women were greedily grabbing food they too rarely had a chance to taste. Their hands flashed as they sent piece after piece under their covers. After them, the rest of the guests came up to their tables and started eating smoked salmon from Norway, Russian caviar, quail eggs and other delicacies. Four huge tables were breaking under the weight of food. Appetizers were on the left, main courses in the middle, desserts on the right, and soft drinks were on a separate table. Alcohol, forbidden by the Qur'an, was of course absent, although I saw that many women brought small flasks in their purses and, giggling, retired to the bathrooms from time to time to take a sip.

Finally came the most interesting, in my opinion, part of the holiday. Egyptian dancers appeared who were supposed to perform a belly dance. The crowd of women of all ages fell silent, watching the dance with wary interest. We Saudis tend to take ourselves way too seriously and are suspicious of any form of fun, so I was pretty stunned when one of my elderly aunts suddenly ran downtown and joined the dancing Egyptians, showing surprisingly high class, which led me in complete admiration, despite the disapproving whispering of the rest of the relatives.

The roar of drums was heard again, and I realized that the bride should appear now. All the guests looked in anticipation at the doors through which she was supposed to go out into the courtyard. Indeed, after a few seconds the doors opened and Sarah appeared, followed by her mother and one of the older aunts.

Sarah's face was covered by a translucent pink veil, supported by a tiara of pink pearls. My sister was dazzlingly beautiful, and everyone present gasped in admiration and clicked their tongues. Under the veil, one could see how tense her face was with fear, but this did not bother the guests in the least - after all, the young bride should be frightened.

Following Sarah, two dozen relatives came out the door, expressing their joy at the upcoming ceremony with loud exclamations and clatter. The women in the courtyard also burst into cheers. Sarah staggered, but her mother supported her by the elbow.

Soon my father appeared, accompanied by the groom. I knew that the groom was older than my father, but it's one thing to know, and another thing to see with your own eyes. He seemed to me a very ancient old man, and in appearance he resembled a fox. I even winced when I imagined him touching my shy, gentle sister.

The groom lifted Sarah's veil and broke into a pleased smirk. The sister was too sedated to react and didn't move as she looked at her new master. The real wedding took place much earlier, and there were no women present. The men gathered separately and signed a marriage contract between themselves, specifying the details that made my sister neither cold nor hot. Only a few words will be said today, and poor Sarah will forever lose the illusory freedom she had while living in her father's house.

The priest announced that Sarah was now a legal wife and that the bride price due in such cases had been paid in full. Then he looked at the groom, who, in turn, said that he was taking Sarah as his wife and from that moment she was under his protection and protection. None of the men during the ceremony even looked at Sarah. After reading a few passages from the Quran, the priest blessed my sister's marriage. All the women present burst into cheers and claps again. It's done! Sarah is married. Satisfied men, smiling, shook hands.

Sarah still stood motionless, and the groom took out a purse from the pocket of his toba (a long robe, like a loose shirt to the toes worn by Saudi men) and began to distribute gold coins to the guests. I winced in disgust as I heard him accept congratulations on marrying such a beautiful girl. He grabbed my sister by the arm and hurriedly led her away.

1972, Sultana's wedding:

“Nura came to us and said that I was to marry Karim, one of our cousins. I used to date his sister when I was a little girl, but I don't remember anything she said about her brother other than the fact that he likes to be bossy. At that time he was twenty-eight, and I was to become his first wife. Noora said that she saw his photograph and found him extremely attractive. He was an educated young man and even graduated from the law school in London. Noora said that, unlike the rest of our cousins, he was serious about business and had real weight in the business world. He was the head of one of the largest law firms in Riyadh. I was very lucky, Noura noted, since Karim told my father that he wanted me to complete my education before I got married, as he was not interested in a wife with whom he could not communicate properly.

On the occasion of my wedding, the room in which I was prepared for the ceremony was full of fun. Surrounded by the women of my family, I could not make out a single word of what they were saying, as their simultaneous chatter merged into a continuous cheerful, cheerful rumble.

My dress was made from the brightest red lace I could find. I felt great satisfaction that I could once again shock my family, who strongly advised me to wear something pale pink. As always, I insisted on my own, because I was sure that I was right. In the end, even my sisters had to admit that the bright red color favorably sets off my skin and eyes.

I experienced true bliss when Sarah and Noora put a dress on me and buttoned all the buttons. A slight sadness seized me when Nura fastened Karim's gift - a necklace of rubies and diamonds - around my neck.

It's time to start a new life. There was a roar of drums, drowning out even the sounds of an orchestra that had arrived from Egypt specifically to play at our wedding. Accompanied by Noora and Sarah, I walked out with my head held high to the guests, who had been crowding in the garden impatiently for a long time.

As is customary in Saudi Arabia, the official ceremony was held ahead of time. Karim and his relatives were in one half of the palace, I was with mine in the other, and the priest went from room to room and asked us if we agreed to the marriage. Neither Karim nor I were allowed to have a word with each other. The celebration had already lasted for four days and four nights, and after Karim and I appeared before the guests, three more days of fun were to come.

The current day was devoted to the union of the newlyweds on the marriage bed. It was our day with Karim! I haven't seen my fiancé since our first meeting, although there hasn't been a day that we haven't had long conversations on the phone. And finally, I saw him again.

He slowly walked towards the pavilion, accompanied by his father. Excitement seized me when I thought that this handsome man would now become my husband. All my senses sharpened, I noticed every little thing: the way his hands were trembling nervously, the way a vein in his throat was beating, betraying a rapid heartbeat.

I imagined his heart beating in his chest, and thought with pleasure that this heart would henceforth belong to me. Now it depended on me whether it would beat from happiness or from grief. I realized that I take responsibility.

When Karim finally approached me, I was suddenly overcome by a wave of emotion. My lips trembled, tears welled up in my eyes, and I could hardly restrain myself from bursting into tears. However, it only lasted a few seconds, and when my fiancé carefully lifted my veil and opened my face, we both laughed with joy.

The women around us burst into cheers and stamped their feet loudly. It is not often in Saudi Arabia that a bride and groom meet each other with such joy. I looked into Karim's eyes and literally drowned in them, unable to believe my happiness. I grew up in darkness, and my husband, who by all laws should have become for me another source of fear and grief, actually promised me deliverance from the shackles of slavery.

Karim and I wanted to be alone so much that we stayed among the guests for a very short time, accepting congratulations. While Karim scattered gold coins among the merry guests, I quietly slipped away to change for the honeymoon trip.

Sultana turned out to be a freedom-loving woman and could not forgive Karim when, many years later, he wished to take his second wife. She moved to live in Europe and fought against the oppression of women in her native country, telling the truth about how the captives of golden cages actually live in half-fairy Arabia. In our time, books written under the dictation of the Sultana are of interest mainly because they depict the secret life of Saudi women for a European.