I’ve just come back from ten days visiting schools in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to Authors Abroad for organizing the trip and to the three schools for their warm welcome: the King Faisal School, the American International School of Riyadh and the British International School of Al-Khobar.
Carsten Niebuhr was the only member of the expedition to return to Europe alive. As his great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson, I am very glad he did.
Back to the twenty-first century…King Faisal School is a boys’ school in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter. During my visit the boys showed great imagination developing stories set in Riyadh and other Saudi settings. The day after I left they held a Young Author event, where students sold their own books in Arabic or English.
The American International School of Riyadh has a beautiful new campus on the north side of the city. I met lots of enthusiastic readers during a packed schedule of assemblies and workshops, and even managed a selfie with Readosaurus Rex, the pride and joy of the Elementary Library.
School starts and finishes early in Saudi Arabia, so I had plenty of time in the afternoons to lose at Risk to my host family and to explore downtown Riyadh: the beautifully preserved Al-Masmak Fortress, notorious ‘Justice’ Square and the dizzyingly tall Kingdom Tower. The black and white photograph below is from 1951 and shows a street of barbers and dentists in a street near Al-Swelem Gate (wince).
One night my hosts treated me to dinner at Nadj Village. We sat on plush Arabian carpet and feasted on camel meat and flavoured rice, surrounded by Arabian antiques. I thought of my seven-greats grandfather and imagined him enjoying just such a meal at the Ottoman court in Jeddah, in a pre-oil pre-Saud pre-warplane Arabia.
Arabia Felix indeed.
Dear Mr. Davies,
I was fortunate to have selected your picture book, Don’t Spill the Milk, off the shelf at my library. I use picture books to help a student with autism be able to express herself in written and spoken language. I loved the punchline of the story: Penda didn’t spill a drop of the love she carried along with that bowl of milk. I have since visited your website and admire your life’s mission. Keep writing and keep touching lives. Regards, Kelly
Thanks so much, Kelly. Warmest wishes to you and your student.
It was great to have you at BISAK! The children in my class were really inspired and I know lots of the adults were too.
Thanks so much for commenting Lydia. I loved my time at BISAK. I’ve just been enjoying your blog, too – great stuff, do keep it up.
Thanks Stephen, I am enjoying writing it so far! Our pupils have been doing some story writing (linked to their topic – inventions and to your suggestion that they write using Saudi as inspiration). The children who attended your workshop led the character creation bit and did a great job. I know you are probably very busy but is there some way we could send a couple of the best to you? I know they would love that.
That’s great, Lydia. Well done them! Yes indeed, I would love to see a couple of the best ones.