SAUDI ARABIA'S ARABIC SOURCES

Hafiz Wahaba, an Egyptian who spent half a century in the service of King Ibn Saud, left several works that increases our understanding of the evolution of Saudi society. He represented Ibn Saud at diplomatic negotiations, held important administarive posts in Hijaz after his conquest and wa a minister of education before being appointed Saudi ambassador to London. His books decribe the economic activities of the settled people and the bedouin of central Arabia before the emergence of the oil industry, and the religious-political movement of the Ikhwan. Books by the Syrian Fuad Hamza, who also served the Saudi monarch, provide, among other topics, information on the sociopolitical and economic situation in Saudi Arabia before the "oil" era.
Casalino Pierluigi, on January 18th 2014