Hello, My name is Martin Armstrong. I am a senior researcher at Barker Langham, a cultural consultancy currently undertaking collections research for several museum projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I have just spent nine weeks in Oman and had the opportunity to catch up with many friends not seen since before the pandemic. One of those was Mark Evans, who had just completed the second part of his Heart of Arabia expedition from Riyadh to Jeddah.
Our daily lives typically unfold in a manner of predictability, a pattern, a routine. However, every now and then, tucked tightly under our routine of daily lives, are glittering moments of serendipity...
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman traveled from Riyadh to Jeddah on Wednesday. Later, the Kingdom’s minister of media, Salman Al-Dosari, delivered a speech on behalf of the king to citizens and residents at the start of Ramadan.
My friends, today we are celebrating a historic gathering, as this is the first time we have a joint Saudi Aramco retirement reunion with Saudis and expatriates, working for the betterment of Aramco. I believe it is important for our expatriate and Saudi retirees to consider a forum to strengthen the relationship among them and build bridges of friendship and better understanding.
Old friends gathered for a wonderfully impromptu mini-reunion in Phoenix, Arizona. Darice Tiffany, Carolyn McMahon, Jan Lincoln and Karen Fallon typically get together for a regularly scheduled monthly luncheon, however, last month, Delores Marshall came to town so Darice invited more friends from around the area to join in the fun.
From March 1–14, hundreds of retired Aramco expatriate employees, and adults whose childhoods were spent in Aramco communities, will be attending the 2023 KSA Expat Reunion being held in Dhahran in their honor. Here is a look at the 2023 KSA Reunion calendar of events.
Southampton is undeniably a great British city full of undiscovered heritage. It is the nation’s southern front door. Southampton has Saxon and Roman history. It first became an important port in 1066 when the Normans arrived, serving as the main connection to their lands in Normandy and the South of France.
Presented by Aramco Services Company, this 1970s industrial film shares the experiences of women married to Aramco employees to help inform new Aramco wives about what to expect upon moving from the United States to Saudi Arabia.
The contents of this Postscript are taken from two sources on Wikipedia (Rugby Union in the Arabian Peninsula; and Arabian Gulf Football Union) and the GRFU Handbook 1985 (GRFU Club Histories).
One of the lessons western expats learn quickly after arriving in Kingdom is just how bone-chilling cold it can get in the desert during the winter. Arabs, of course, know all about those cold desert nights and have devised a clever garment called a bisht, which is the perfect thing for warding off the plummeting temperatures and wind chill on those frosty nights around the camp fire.
I wrote a recollection after I left Saudi Arabia in 1980, and went on to Japan where I ended up playing second row for the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club (YCAC), a far cry from the wing position I played in Dhahran. Interestingly enough, Mike Galbraith, who wrote in Part 2, is the historian for YCAC. I have adapted my original ruminations for the purposes of this serialisation.
Some 24 years later, eight ex-Aramcons and one much-needed friend from Bahrain happened to be on the same piece of land! We made full advantage of the fact by arranging a fabulous afternoon tea at the 5-star Merchant Hotel in Belfast. Stories were shared, memories revisited and a general disbelief at how quickly time had passed (and how silver some of our hair had turned!)
All good things come to an end, and time was called in the late 1980s on the rugby-playing side of DRUFC. In 1985/6, we won our own 7’s Invitational, the Khobar 7’s, and the Plate in the Bahrain 15’s. However, the writing was on the wall, as Dean Culshaw (Deano) noted in his Chairman’s report for that season...
This past week, I have been feeling ever so nostalgic about one particular aspect of Dhahran—its Tandoori House-Olive Garden Restaurant. Housed under one roof, the unique fusion restaurant boasted a menu of Indian, Chinese, and Italian food. Oh, how I miss the food there!
The extract and photos below are taken from My Sporting Life published in 2021 by Mike Sullivan. He dedicated it to the memory of his granddaughter, Maisie Sullivan, 2006 – 2014. All proceeds from the book were donated to Acorn’s Children’s Hospice in Worcester.
The last two weeks before the year ended, I decided to revisit and read a book that I hold near and dear to my heart, a story whose theme resonates with my personal journey as well as the collective journey of Expats in the Middle East (and beyond).
Did you ever imagine it would be so invigorating to see your Aramco friends again? 2022 was chock full of good times. Aramcons gathered from all over to take part in reunions and special occasions, eager to reconnect with old friends and create new memories. Our coverage of the events was among our readers' favorites and reflecting back on the year's highlights shows us what an incredible year we had in 2022.
Every club has a constitution, officials, and supporters and Dharan Rugby Union Football Club was no exception. Its first constitution established the Club in 1973/74, but a new one was adopted in 1976/77 when DRUFC became an Aramco self-directed AEA Group. Strip worn by the players went through a similar process.
Can there be a better symbol of Saudi culture and hospitality than the ubiquitous Arabic coffee pot, the dallah? I don’t think so. Dallahs made of brass are tinned inside and found throughout the Arab world and in every souq in Saudi Arabia.