[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎33v] (66/206)

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was expected yesterday and that the Amir and principal people had ridden to the
outskirts to meet me and stayed there till midday. I apologized, explaining that
my detention was due entirely to Turki’s asking me to wait. Had breakfast
with ‘Abdullah al Khalid al ‘Abdullah, who succeeded his uncle ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al
‘Abdullah this year. Had coffee and tea at houses of ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al ‘Abdullah,
Al-Hamad, Abdur Bahman ibu ‘Abdul ‘Aziz binZamil, all of the Beni Salaim, a
most courteous and refined family. They seemed to be men of the world, more
enlightened and civilized than any Arabs I have met, and with a charming
frankness and independence of manner. They are ideal hosts.
‘Abdullah ibn Idris met me on the way. He had just come from the
Sherif’s son, Faisal, at Ak Fak. ‘Aodul ‘Aziz bin Hassun fells me he was present
with Shakespear at the fight at Jarab, where he was wounded with a sword on
the shoulder and left for dead. He was eventually picked up by some of Bin
Sand’s men and carried in 2 days via Artawiyah to Zilfi. When sufficiently
recovered, he joined the Sherif who at that time was on the side of the Turks.
After the Sherif had cast off the Turks, our friend continued in his service.
He spoke a lot about Lawrence with Faisal at Akabah and said he was
almost like a Bedouin —all the tribes knew him. Najdis were all called Ao'aili
down south and received pay from the Sherif at the rate of £ 6 a month.
Those employed on “dynamite” operations for destroying the railway o> 0 t
£ 15 per mensem. At least l,00o men, he said, have gone from here to assist the
Sherif and about 4,000 from Qasim have gone also to the Eijaz to earn pay.
News is that Ibn Baskid left Madinak and went to Al-Hijr. I do not al
together agree with the “Handbook of Arabia” regardingits comparison between
Buraidah and ‘Anaizak. ‘Anaizahis a handsomely built town. The aristocracy
are mostly related and very united. Their corporate life is like that of a
medioeval Italian republic, with their elective Amir chosen from the princely
house of Bin Salain. Buraidah is larger if the environs and suburbs are
taken into account and is, perhaps, more populous. My own belief is that
‘Anaizak has at least an equal settled population and its bazaars are infinitely
better in every wuy, the shops larger, better stocked and kept. As for the
people there is no comparison ; the people of ‘Anaizah are bv comparison
highly civilized^ The best of them have travelled at least to Kuwait, Bahrain
Basrah, Karachi, and Bombay, while many of them have gone far afield to the
west and are acquainted with Damascus, Beirut, and Constantinople.
. Grave all my party 10 dollars each to spend in ‘Anaizah. The Amir
invited us all to lunch and dinner. Our Bedouins ate enormously, the food
being excellent. The Amir has been very good to us. Feeling in^Anaizah
is, I think, strongly for us.
After dinner, at 5 r. m., we walked in the bazaars. I saw
nothing worth buying, but was again struck with the picturesque and truiv
imposing architecture of the palazzos of the great ones, with their adiacent
gardens all highly cultivated, the walls being covered with vines and
surrounded by fig trees, pomegranates, peaches, etc. Some of the wardens
looked as though they would afford delightful retreats in sultry weather.
On the whole, Anaizah is a place to rave about when you come in from the
desert, it is quite unspoilt by contact with modernism. I should sav there
were no paupers; I saw no signs of squalor. The state of civilization of
Anaizah shows that the Arab, even when left entirely to himself and almost
isolated fiom the world of progress, does not altogether let himself go but
retains some ideals and aspirations. He does not become brutalized or
insensible to the amenities of life and social intercourse or, generally to the
softening influences of comfort and elegance, gome of the rooms of the
houses I was shown through were beautiful. One, a coffee-room of ‘Abdul ‘Aziz
the retired Amir, was particularly artistic. It was about 18 ft. broad and'
30 t. long. Round the room were open corridors and the room itself had a
gallery, with a gnfle under the roof, a sort of promenade for the ladies who
come to see and hear what goes on in the coffee-hall below. Some texts
from the Quran were artistically painted on the walls on rough moulding
in the luminous gloom the effect was very pleasant if bizarre. The utter
absence ot symmetry, or line, rather offends the European's eye but these
interiors fascinated me and, after all, any attempt at symmetry Would have
f 1
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