Desert Horizons (1956)

This is new. This is new. Hada jadid. Hada jadid. There's an old Arab saying, praise be God who taught man what he did not know. Along the Persian Gulf, there are many signs of man's new knowledge. New horizons of knowledge, a new energy reaching far into the Arabian desert across vast wind-swept sands. Today a muted stage with only the wind echoing the great play of history that once took place here. But the forces of history have a way of bringing a land into the fullness of glory then casting it down into the abyss of time. And so this land in recent centuries had become stilled isolated from modern life. Until one day in 1933 an Arabian dow brought a small band of American geologists to Saudi Arabia from nearby Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf. Yeah. That could be quite a dome. Take a look, Cal. Thanks. There close at hand was the dome-like structure that had drawn their attention from Bahrain. A geological formation that indicated the possibility of oil. What did he say, Max? The dome. He calls it Zahran. Jabal Zahran. Zahran? Zahran. It means arise, the small mountain. Here, shoot. Upon the invitation of the King of Saudi Arabia, His Majesty Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, these visitors set foot on this ancient land in the town of Jubail. Bearded, wearing the native headdress, the American came mindful of the proud past of the Arab people, mindful of the Western world they represented, making sure that their conduct blended with strange customs and traditions. In the name of the king they were welcomed by the local leader, the Amir of Jubail. Then led into the communal council or majlis there to discuss the concession granted by the king for the exploration and development of the country's potential oil resources. Within the majlis, the Americans were quick to note the gentleness of these people, the warmth of their hospitality. The emir listened to the needs of the geologists for mapping the jebel, noting what was required for the initial phase of working the concession area, an area equal in size to Texas and California. The emir would see that their needs were met. The next day, the caravan set forth. Remember, this was the year 1933, quite a few years ago, but a mere pause in the lifespan of a country where time had meant little. It had witnessed the rise and decline of many civilizations that had given birth to three of the world's great religions. There before them lay Jebel Dhahran with its dome-like structure. And soon camp was set up at the foot of these hills, which for ages past had looked down upon a wasteland with perhaps a passing caravan. The geologists went to work, unloading strange tools and equipment under the watchful eyes of their new Arab friends. These men came in the spirit of the early American pioneers, venturing into the unknown, into a barren and silent world in an attempt to mold the forces of nature to man's welfare. But one is suddenly moved by the oddness of time and place. Strangers of a modern era in a land with an ancient heritage. There, that does it. And soon your vision penetrates into the remote past. To horizons receding far into the distance. Going back. Far back. Past the coming of Muhammad and the birth of the Muslim faith. Back before Christ and the birth of the Christian world almost 2,000 years ago. Deep into a bare and boundless room with conqueror and vanquished past. With tracks in the sands of time leading into a world of antiquity. To broken sculpture still standing defying the erosion of centuries. Back to the very steps of Ur in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Cradle of civilization some 6,000 years ago in the dawn of recorded time. To the home of Abraham. Onward to an old caravan trail winding its way below sheer walls of rock toward the ancient city of Petra. With Roman architecture carved into the canyon cliffs. Mecca, where the teachings of Muhammad ushered in the newest of man's great religions. The golden age of Islam, five centuries of splendor of a flourishing culture. These remnants tell of another story. Of an Arabia which fell a slumber for 500 years as the desert closed in around the heart of the Islamic world. Then at the beginning of our own century, in the year 1902, a lone warrior went his solitary way on a mission which was to bring forth brighter horizons for the people of Arabia. A youth with a mission, Ibn Saud, 21-year-old bearer of the Saud family honor, determined to settle an ancient feud with Rashid, the enemy of his family. This was his first step, supported by a handful of loyal tribesmen, to make a surprise attack upon his ancestral home, now in the hands of Rashid, to enter the city under cover of darkness and scale the walls of the governor's house. There, to take Ajlan, the governor, prisoner. The city would then be his. Riyadh, to take Riyadh, the opening wedge in the larger strategy of unifying all of Arabia. Here, along the coasts, occupying its walled cities and towns, lay the forces of the Ottoman Empire, allied with Rashid and his desert tribes, holding the central province, including the city of Riyadh. Before dawn with four of his men, Ibn Saud had broken into the governor's house, but Ajlan was gone. Across the square he slept secure inside the fort. And so the plan to win the city with one swift blow had failed. Now the fort itself must be taken. Through the long hours of early dawn they waited. Finally, the gates of the fort opened and Ajlan appeared. The battle of Riyadh would soon be history. Come in. She was the problem. Abdullah. Hello, how are you doing? Ahmed Gallab. The capture of Riyadh was the initial step toward Ibn Saud's goal of a free and united Arabia. But a hard road lay ahead for Ibn Saud, in spite of the growing number of his followers. Meanwhile, Rashid, aware now that his young foe was more than a passing threat, gathered his forces. Reinforced by ranks of infantry from the Ottoman Turks, by cavalry from Arabia's Shammar tribe, by units of Turkish artillery. These were the odds faced by Ibn Saud. Charging into the solid formation of Rashid's cannoneers drawn up for combat. With the daring of youth and unswerving faith in his cause, Ibn Saud plunged on. Battle after battle, campaign after campaign, until his arch-foe, Rashid, was cut down. 20 years of warfare followed before Ibn Saud furled his battle flag and turned his attention to healing the wounds of his country. Now the roads to Mecca lay open to pilgrims from all parts of the Islamic world. As a resurgence of the teachings of Muhammad swept the Arabian Peninsula. The past is prologue. And now a fixed point in time, again, 1933. Anxious for the economic betterment of his people, Ibn Saud invited these Americans to find and develop the oil resources of his country. In the shadow of Jebel Dhahran, a permanent camp was soon set up to become, years later, the present modern community of Dhahran. Here came rugged oil men from the States, key men with long experience in the oil industry, men who knew the hard bitter struggle of winning oil from the earth. Meanwhile, a start had been made in mapping other areas of the concession. West to Abqaiq, north to Khobar, south to Hofuf. Then, test drilling near the crest of Jabal Dhahran. A strange sight to the Arab as week after week, month after month, the earth refused to give up what geological studies indicated. Time lost its meaning. For 5 years the search went on. Well after well went down into the earth. Failure after failure. Finally, well number seven came in. Opening new horizons for Saudi Arabia. Now, a new point in time. 1939, with the crude oil of Saudi Arabia beginning to move by tanker to the markets of the world. And as Ibn Saud watched from the shores of his land, perhaps he was aware that this marked the dawn of a new era for his people, that their ancient way of life must soon give way under the compelling force of petroleum to a more advanced economy. This was a new way of life. The Arab going to work in the oil industry, learning new skills under the guidance of the American. In those early years, merely learning how to use simple tools. In the next years, as production grew, more and more Arabs went to work for the company. Saudis from the towns of the desert. Many exchanging their native garb for western dress, entering and becoming part of a new and vigorous industry. And soon, in the closing years of World War II, a new shape loomed on the horizon. The Ras Tanura refinery, a modern facility whose products were to help in reviving the economy of post-war Europe. Now, the Saudi Arab, working side by side with the American, began to learn more complex skills, both on the job and as part of a systematic training program conducted by the Arabian American Oil Company, Aramco, to Saudi's for the greater role in development of their country's oil resources, helping to teach them the workings of the machine, to advance those with special aptitudes to become mechanics, artisans, and draftsmen, able in time to take an increasing part in the varied operations of oil. Among all the facilities for progress that are the offshoot of petroleum production, and soon the day came when Saudi drilling teams manned rigs far out in the desert as the search for oil continued. Saudi Arabs who had come up through the ranks from apprentice machinist to mechanic, from rigman to assistant driller, sons of the men who had fought side by side with Ibn Saud, now joined into a new force, a new energy recasting the face of the desert. Meanwhile, other oil fields had been discovered, fields which were to play an important role in meeting the free world's increasing demand for oil. Abqaiq, Qatif, Ghawar. While in the Dhahran area, new wells were brought in. By the late 1940s, oil production in Saudi Arabia was pointing sharply upward. It was time now to construct the Trans-Arabian Pipeline System from the Persian Gulf area to the Mediterranean Sea. Here was an engineering task to challenge the most ingenious minds. The difficulty of bringing lengths of pipe across the 3 mi of shallow water which prevented ships from docking. But the job was done by constructing an overhead trolley called Skyhook. Carrying load after load of pipe from far out in the Persian Gulf to the base at Ras Mishab. There, loaded onto trucks for the long journey west. 110-ft motorized giants, specially designed to withstand the rigors of the desert. Moving across horizons that heralded the coming of a new way of life for the people. A more prosperous economy for the land. In the desert, strange-looking machines appeared ripping into the endless sand. Along a furrow being extended far into the desert, truck after truck arrived delivering 90-ft sections of pipe. Together, Arabs and Americans worked to weld the line that would bring this ancient country into closer association with the Western world. An 1,100-mi link, stretching onward across desolate sand, which since 1950 has carried more than 600 million barrels of crude oil from the fields of Saudi Arabia to tankers at Sidon on the Mediterranean. Today, as the known boundaries of the great reservoir of oil beneath the sands of Arabia have been extended farther and farther, the tempo of modernization in the lives of the people has stepped up. Whole new towns have been built on the desert wastes. Now, the oil fields are producing about 1 million barrels a day, and Ras Tanura has become one of the world's largest refineries. Dhahran has taken its place among the oil capitals of the world. Thousands of Americans have made new homes, new lives in the oil communities. And in the surrounding towns, there have been built new houses, new public buildings, new schools, roads, all the imprints of petroleum becoming more and more familiar in the land. While the oil industry was expanding, a causeway reaching 7 mi into the deep waters of the Persian Gulf was built. At its terminus, a pier built with the aid of Aramco as a new trade, a growing commerce began to flourish. Ships with cargoes from the corners of the world arriving daily, bringing the variety of equipment necessary for oil production. Signs of this new economy appeared across the land, creating demands for new talents, new professions. Here, the coming of the Saudi Arabian contractor providing manpower for the construction of oil facilities. Here, evidence of community improvement, a more healthful life for the people. Everywhere, wages from oil creating private enterprise, creating an ever-increasing number of jobs, initiating an irresistible cycle producing in time more and more benefits for the people. By now, hundreds of Saudi citizens had learned the ways of private business, setting up their own firms. All of this came about under the impact of American leadership and skills. But it could hardly have happened without the vision of one man, Abdulaziz ibn Saud, a monarch who, as a desert warrior, brought independence and unity to his people. Then in his later years, as a statesman, worked for the economic betterment of his land until his death in 1953. This is Saudi Arabia today. A new life created by Ibn Saud and carried on by his son and heir, King Saud. Created by the people. Once given the opportunity to put their resources and abilities to work. Created by petroleum. Petroleum which means progress. New horizons over this ancient desert land for this generation and future generations. A land of promise. This is new. Sa'ada Jadid This is new.