Following our morning visit at Zamil Air Conditioning, Ali came to the hotel to take us to the surprise that Saad and him prepared for us.  Ali announced that we were going to visit a Saudi family and that we were going to eat Arabic food by hand in Bedouin family style. Extremely thrilled, we embarked in the van. 

During the trip, the second year MSFS students caught up on current events in preparation off their oral exam, while the first year listened to Ali’s description of the recent growth of the Gold Belt (a stretch of mansions in the Eastern Province). According to him, the architectural landscape has been transitioning slowly from the traditional flat roof terraces, typical of Saudi style, to sloping tilled roofs that insulate better against the scorching summer heat.

After a short ride outside of the urban center, we took a left onto the driveway of a farm. As we approached, we saw a villa in construction on the left and a Bedouin tent ahead. There were a few Arabian horses on one side of the tent and a herd of camels on the other. In amazement, we proceeded toward the camels. We petted them and took pictures. An instant later, a man approached with a falcon perched on his gloved hand. In one location, we had all the animals that we associate to the legends of the Arabian Peninsula. We could not have enough of the animals but we were egger to meet our hosts.

Ali led us toward what seemed to be a hybrid between a fixed solid building and a tent. We stepped into the structure. Ali introduced the group to our host Mr. Awath Ben Quriah (Abu Mohammad)—a cranes and oil & gas pipeline businessman who still cherishes his Bedouin roots and customs—and his family. We sat in low sofas around the vast room and engaged in a conversation about Bedouin traditions. “The arrival of a guest at one's home is an event that leads to a special meal in honor of the visitor. Traditional etiquette required that sheep, goat, or camel be sacrificially slaughtered, and this is still often done. Major ritual occasions associated with Islamic feasts, weddings, reunions of family and kin, and other social events still require the sacrificial slaughter of sheep or, less commonly, goats or young camels. For these events, meat is boiled in huge pots, and part of the soup is passed among the guests, with the rest poured over large trays of rice on top of which the cooked meat is placed, guests gather around the tray and eat using the right hand and women and girls often eat separately.” As honored guests, we were offered the most prized pieces such as the sheep's head. There was more food than we could eat. Saudi hospitality and generosity shower guests with abundance. We relished the Saudi food.

After the copious meal, we moved outdoors and enjoyed multiple rounds of coffee served with dates, while marveling before our host’s Arabian horses. 

We also enjoyed posing for a picture with the falcon. 

That afternoon at Abu Mohammad’s farm was truly reflective of the legendary Bedouin hospitality. It was an amazing experience, only topped by my trip to Mecca! The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia holds immense riches and remains a dream and mythical country.

Zamil Air Conditioning

I woke up in Dammam looking forward to the afternoon, when Saad (our young public relations host from the Department of Higher Education) and Ali (a prominent young Saudi businessman in the oil pipeline industry) promised to reveal a surprise to the MSFS group. I expected it to be good because for the first time since our arrival in the KSA, we were asked to dress casually. I imagined that we would have some sort of outdoor activities. But let me not get ahead of myself and first, let me tell you about our morning.

After the usual continental breakfast at the hotel, the group got in the van and headed to the factory of Zamil Air Conditioners. According to its website, “Zamil Air Conditioners was founded in 1974 as one of the first air conditioning companies to be established in Saudi Arabia and today is a leading international manufacturer of air conditioning systems and is Number One in the Middle East.”

On Zamil’s grounds, nothing from the outside would let one guess that he or she stands on the parking lot of a factory. The atmosphere was calm, the air was light and the modern black, glass and steel building reflected the well-trimmed landscape. We were invited into the building and welcomed with refreshments and sweets. A few managers and engineers dressed in casual business attires introduced the company before leading us to the working area of the factory. The warehouse and assembly lines were impressively organized and clean. Safety seemed to be a priority as suggested by the numerous warning signs and safety displays.

As we started to walk through the factory, the surrounding noises increased, and the 14 MSFS students dispersed to form small groups around each engineer. I walked alongside Sakhr Abghandi, an engineer who talked about the production of the factory. The company can produce up to 550,000 Room Air Conditioners, 300,000 Mini-Split systems and 50,000 Central Air Conditioning systems per year. This factory employs over 500 individuals, among which, about 150 engineers (trained in the company course, in Saudi Universities, in Bahrain, in the USA, etc). 

Only recently, 30 women have been hired to work in a hidden area of the plant. These women work on subassembly box units and on quality control, using bloc materials and diagrams. The seven women of our group were allowed to visit the women’s working area. I anxious awaited the reaction of the seven MSFS women. When the door opened, they appeared all smiles, which, I must admit took me aback. This would make for an interesting topic of conversation.

The tour completed, we engaged in a question and answer session and shared our impressions. The biggest takeaway of the tour was to realize how much the Kingdom prides itself for its advances in R&D and manufacturing (the hallmark of modern developed nations). We concluded our visit with a group photo. 

We then returned to the hotel to prepare for the afternoon activities.

--Ousseynou Sonko

Mecca

Late Friday night, Ousseynou and I travelled from Jeddah to Mecca with our guide Saad. It is incumbent upon all Muslims to make pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammad and the holiest site in Islam.

Around 1AM, we arrived at the Grand Mosque that houses the Kabaa, the place all Muslims face when praying. As the largest mosque in the world, it can accommodate up to 4 million people. We joined the thousands of worshipers circling the Kabaa in a ritual known as Tawaaf. The area surrounding the Kabaa was a veritable melting pot—Africans, Arabs, Turks, Iranians, South Asians—all converged in a single place of worship.

After circling the Kabaa seven times, we performed a second ritual of sa’i by walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times. According to Islamic tradition, in order to test Abraham’s faith, God commanded him to leave his wife Hajar and son Ishmael in the desert without any provisions. As Hajar ran back and forth between the two hills in search of water, a spring miraculously arose where baby Ishmael was kicking his feet. The ritual of sa’i is meant to reenact Hajar’s frantic search for water and pilgrims still drink from the spring—now known as the well of ZamZam—to this day.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Mecca. It was by far the highlight of my trip, and one of the most memorable experiences of my life. 

KAUST: Saudi Arabia's Most Progressive University

For those of you just joining us:

Fourteen Georgetown MSFS graduate students— 7 women, 7 men— were summoned as a U.S. ‘delegation’ to Saudi Arabia on the royal family’s dime (via the Ministry of Education) from March 2nd to 10th, to learn about the nation’s ongoing efforts to improve its higher education system and diversify its economy away from oil (currently constituting ~90% of export earnings).

The powers that be have prudently determined that petroleum will not provide a sustainable source of income in the long-term. So they are investing heavily in youth-targeted technical training and education to promote private sector development, focusing on technology-based enterprises and industrial manufacturing. Economic diversification efforts have been underway since 1970 in successive 5-year development plans, focusing initially on infrastructure before shifting to education, health, and social services.

Saudi Arabia has been one of the U.S.’ staunchest allies since the two established strong security ties during the 1990 Gulf War. It also happens to be the birthplace of Osama Bin Ladin (who was expelled and had his Saudi nationality revoked in 1994), and is often described as the ‘Cradle of Islam’ because it holds both Mecca and Medina and favors an extremely strict application of Islamic law.

Saturday, March 10: King Abdullah University

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) opened its doors in September 2009 as Saudi Arabia's first co-ed university. It was built and operated for its first three years by Aramco, and offers programs in applied sciences and engineering to a cohort of ~800 graduate students. The intended capacity of the University is closer to 2,000, but it takes time to build a reputation capable of attracting the calibre of student KAUST is aiming for.

70% of KAUST's student body and nearly all of its faculty come from abroad. Nearly 40% of the students are female. The strict Islamic laws that govern the rest of the country are essentially irrelevant within the University's compound. KAUST answers to no government ministry, only to a Board of Directors controlled directly by the King. This grants the area effective diplomatic immunity. It also means women are free to stroll underneath the desert sun in shorts and a tank top rather than an Abaya, and open discourse about religion, human rights, politics, and any other subject is not only allowed but encouraged. KAUST serves as a vision of Saudi Arabia's intended future, a vision promoted much more by the reformist King and royal family than by the conservative public.
If I were to speculate a few decades down the line, I would guess that as KAUST graduates move into increasingly influential positions throughout Saudi Arabia's steadily privatizing economy, their liberal and progressive ideas will gain increasing power within society. Female graduates will have been exposed to Western values and associated freedoms, and will seek to promote them as they gain ministerial positions within the Saudi government. A lot of work remains to be done. Progress will be neither rapid nor flashy enough to make frequent headlines, but as Saudi Arabia continues to integrate globally, cultural change will prove inexorable.

Environments like KAUST which promote rational freedom of inquiry are critical to these developments. Thanks to the Saudi royal family, progressive universities are receiving the kind of resources and planning necessary to thrive in a harsh cultural climate.

First day in Jeddah

We began our first full day in Jeddah with a desert safari. These four-wheel drives were waiting for us at the front of the hotel.

After a short drive into the desert, our friendly driver, Amin, stopped and parked next to the other cars.

Apparently, fully aired tires are not conducive to driving on sand dunes.

As they were letting out the air in the tires, we were given these turbans to cover our heads.

"Fasten your seatbelt, please," said Amin. One by one the cars went ahead, and then off we went into the desert!

The drivers rode the dunes like a pro. It felt as though we were in a roller coaster; we were rocked left to right and up and down. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun! The four wheel drives did an excellent job climbing the steep dunes, but sometimes, they needed a little help. "What happens when there are no free cars to pull the wheels out?" I asked. Amin replied, "Then we cry. Hahaha."

We finally made it to the top of the hill, where we were given the opportunity to take photo ops and grab a cold drink. The sand was scorching hot, and the heat was pretty intense. We gradually made our way into the car and headed back into the city.

After a much needed shower (those pesky sand grains don't mix well with sweat), we made our way into the historical center. Ayman, Claire's friend, joined us with his delightful family. He brought his uncle, who gave us a run-down of the city. The wooden covering in all the windows are called stara, a panel that is designed to allow views inside-out but not the other way around.

This building right at the center had been visited by many Saudi dignitaries.

The stairs were designed to accommodate camels, which lugged groceries up to the kitchen on the 4th floor.

We enjoyed the cool breeze as we listend to the evening prayers ringing throughout the city. Right here, Anthony Bourdain once ate dinner in his show "No Reservations."

Ayman's uncle then took us to the souk for some shopping. Along the way, the ladies got some help with hijab wrapping. What usually takes us minutes to put on (and countless efforts to keep them on), Ayman's sisters fixed in a matter of seconds and stayed put for much longer.

Our final stop in the center was a bakery once owned by Ayman's grandfather. Despite the city's long history, today's Saudis still retain fresh memories of the old center. We were grateful to be given such a personal, informative tour of the city and were also delighted to speak with local Saudis. They were so friendly and warm to us! Back at the hotel, Saad delivered his promise to give us a taste of al-Baiq, the infamous fried chicken shop. Despite having stuffed our faces silly (a recurring theme during the trip, unfortunately), it didn't feel at all heavy or greasy because it tasted like 100% chicken.

I, along with several others, stayed put to drink fresh squeezed juices, enjoy the cool breeze, smoke shisha, and watch "Arab Idol" by the pool. At some point amidst it all, there was one particular moment when I felt like I was a million miles away from DC.