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).
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) |
Interesting article. Do you happen to have an original collection of those photos? Moreover, do you have more stories to share about Philby that you've heard from family members?
ReplyDeleteDear Reem: I have just saw your comment on my article which is more than a year ago. I am sorry that I do not remember that I have replied to your comment. Please forgive me for this oversight. Though I remember that at that time I have talked to Yara who was working at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. My answer to your 2 questions is "Negative". Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteWater-resistant our wales in advance of when numerous planking. The particular wales surely are a selection of heavy duty snowboards that this height ones would be the same in principle as a new shell planking having said that with much more height to help you thrust outward in the evening planking. planking Discover More Here
ReplyDeleteYou have brought up a very excellent points , thankyou for the post. This Site
ReplyDeleteInteresting website, i read it but i still have a few questions. shoot me an email and we will talk more becasue i may have an interesting idea for you. Our site
ReplyDeleteThere is numerous separate years Los angeles Weight reduction eating plan with each a person is a necessity. The pioneer part can be your original getting rid of belonging to the extra pounds. la weight loss Read More Here
ReplyDeleteNormanton Park by Kingsford Huray. Hotline 61009266. Get Discounts, Direct Developer Price, Brochure, Floor Plan, Price List & More. Former Normanton Park HUDC. Normanton Park
ReplyDelete