The Forgotten Residences of St. John Philby in Jeddah

 The Forgotten Residences of St. John Philby in Jeddah

 

Introduction

The subject of this article is to shed some light on a minor aspect of St. John Philby's life in Jeddah related to places where he took residence since his arrival in 1925 and until he took up his well-known residence in Beit al-Bughdadi (al-Bughdadi house) in 1929. In carrying out this study we have relied on our first hand knowledge of the geography of the place, a letter by Philby to his mother after his arrival in Jeddah in 1925 and photos taken by Philby himself that collaborate an incidental observation made by an eyewitness.

Philby and Beit al-Bughdadi

There is no doubt that Beit al-Bughdadi, a grand mansion that was built by Moussa afendi Bughdadi around the middle of the 19th century has gained fame because of Philby's residence in it. A photo of this house and its caption was published in a book by Anthony Cave Brown on the two famous Philby's St. John and Kim by the name "Treason in the Blood" that was published in 1995 by Robert Hale

"St. John's first home in Jidda, the Bait Baghdadi, had been the residence of the Turkish ruler, the Wali. St. John tied a team of baboons at the front door to keep Moslem pilgrims from intruding."The author has credited St. Antony's College, Oxford for this photo which is actually  part of the Aramco Archive and was taken in 1949.

Beit Al Shareef Mehanna in Harat al Sham

When Philby arrived in Jeddah on October 28, 1925 by ship he was greeted by a representative dispatched by King Ali. After meeting King Ali, according to Anthony Cave Brown's narrative in his book "Treason in the Blood", Philby wrote to his mother that King Ali had seen to it that he was given what he (Philby) described as "a lovely suite of apartments (three rooms and bathroom) on the third floor of the house next to the King's" (p 83).

The photo below (Photo 1) is for King Ali mounting his carriage, according to the Middle East Centre at St Antony's College Archive listing. The house shown in the photo belonged at that time to Al Shareef Abdel'elah Mehanna, a prominent businessman in Jeddah and a cousin to the King. and is located on the north east corner of Harat al Sham (al-Sham District). The presence of 2 sentries on both sides of the house's entrance indicate its status as an official building. The house is still standing, albeit in very poor condition (see photo 3 below).

Photo 1- Ex-king Ali mounting his carriage, October 30, 1925, (Philby Collection, Middle East Centre Archive, St Antony's College, Oxford)

 Considering the geography of the place and its surroundings at that time we can guess that the house where Philby stayed as a guest of King Ali must be the one on the north west plot from the King's residence which is also owned by Shareef Mehanna at that time and still exist today but  without the terrace over the main entrance and under a different ownership. (See Photos 2 & 3)

Photo 2- The house on the left is adjacent to King Ali's residence during his last days in Jeddah  originally belonged to Shareef Mehanna. (Photo courtesy of KIT, Amsterdam)

Photo 3- A recent photo (2008) showing, to the right, part of the front of Beit al Shareef Mehanna's  (presently under different ownership) where it is assumed that King Ali resided during his last days in Jeddah, and the back of  adjacent property that was previously owned by Shareef Mehanna where Philby may have resided for a short period as a guest of ex-King Ali. 

King Ali left Jeddah, and Hijaz, for good on 20 December 1925. Hence it can be assumed that Philby has left the quarters allotted to him by the deposed King shortly after and moved to another place.

From Harat al-Sham to Harat al-Bahar

One day, about 15 years ago, I was talking to my mother, who passed away in December 1996 at the age of 71, and I told her that I have read somewhere that Philby used "monkeys" to guard his residence in Beit al Bughdadi against intruders. She surprised me when she said, "That is true, he had a monkey when he was living upstairs in our house. One day this monkey came down pulling behind him a long rope and got into your grandmother's kitchen and toppled her cooking pots". I would guess that she must have been about 4 or 5 years old at that time. My mother does not have an idea as who Philby was except that he was an Englishman (Inglizy) who was living in Jeddah just like many other Europeans. She is from al-Gherbawi family who lived at that time across the square south of our family house, Beit Abu Bakr, not far from the western part of the wall. She is the daughter of Taher Gherbawi who owned a marine maintenance  workshop just across the street from the Port.

Beit al-Gherbawi

Beit al-Gherbawi is located in Harat al-Bahar in the south west corner of the walled city, along with my family's house, Beit Abu Bakr, and Beit Darwish in a raw overlooking the western wall and the sea beyond. Photos from the Philby Collection obtained from the Centre of Middle East Studies, St. Antony College, Oxford show this house from 2 angles. It should be noted here that the caption written against Photo 5 (Philby-alb 8-2024) is "Residence in Jiddah?"   

Photo 4- Beit Al Gherbawi to the left, where Philby lived for a while, and Beit Darwish to the right (Photo by Philby, Middle East Centre, St. Antony College, Oxford)

Photo 5- Beit Darwish (c) and Beit Al Gherbawi (l)- (Photo by Philby, courtesy of the Middle East Centre, St. Antony College, Oxford)

Beit Al Bughdadi

According to Wallace Stegner in his book "Discovery", Philby took residence in Beit al-Bughdadi (Photo 6) in 1929. We would assume that he stayed there till the mid 1930s when he moved to the Green Palace outside the wall.

Photo 6- Beit Al Bughdadi (Photo by Philby, courtesy of the Middle East Centre, St. Antony College, Oxford)

Conclusion

In conclusion we have established that Beit al-Bughdadi was not Philby's first residence in Jeddah as it is generally thought. Further we believe that upon his arrival in Jeddah in 1925 Philby stayed for a short while, most probably, in a house that belonged to al-Shareef Abdel'elah Mehanna in Harat Al Sham as a guest of King Ali. Philby then moved to a house that belonged to al-Gherbawi family in Harat al-Bahar, presumably until 1929 when he moved to Beit al-Bughdadi.