The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) published rare historical documents, some of which are nearly 100 years old, including letters from King Abdulaziz to his father, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal, some of his sisters, and some officials in government agencies.
The documents included a reply letter to his father sent by King Abdulaziz to Imam Abdulrahman in 1338 AH, which expresses his appreciation and reverence for his father, informing him about the arrival of his messages, and his and his companions’ conditions. Another message he sent in 1344, addressed his health conditions and checking on the country and the people.
The biography of King Abdulaziz depicts the depth of his love for his father, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal, and the special complementary relationship between them that was evident during the stages of restoring governance and building the state, based on mutual appreciation, close integration, altruism, and pure righteousness, due to the founder’s father’s faith in his son’s potential, wisdom, and exceptional leadership.
Despite the huge responsibilities of building and running the state, King Abdulaziz was keen to strengthen family values and preserve the bonds of kinship. The Darah Foundation has published three letters which showed the great appreciation King Abdulaziz had for his sisters Moudhi, Hessa, and Al Jawharah.
King Abdulaziz paid special attention to kinship ties and dedicated considerable time to his family despite his massive responsibilities in running state affairs.
Although extremely busy with unifying the state, King Abdulaziz maintained constant communication with his sisters through special letters he sent to them from various locations across the country, including the letter he sent to his sister Moudhi bint Abdulrahman Al-Faisal in 1343H in which he inquired about his father and brothers and informed them about his entry to Makkah.
In a similar letter to his sister Hessa bint Abdulrahman Al-Faisal in 1346 AH, King Abdulaziz assured her about his condition and about the condition of those who were with him on the Hajj trip.
In 1347AH, the King sent a letter to his sister Al-Jawharah bint Abdulrahman Al-Faisal which carried a testimony about the condition of the people and their well-being and stability and also about their consent to his rule and their delight to see the Sharia Law enforced in the country.
On World Letter Writing Day, which falls on 1 September, the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives published another collection of documents including letters that highlight King Abdulaziz’s humanity and great attention to details of people’s affairs and needs.
These letters demonstrate the late king’s compassion and eloquence in the speeches he directed to officials and princes while considering people’s requirements and rights as well as the care they needed.
Among these letters was a message that King Abdulaziz sent to Saleh bin Abdulwahid to dispatch Dr. Mahmoud Hamdi to examine the pilgrims in 1924 and a letter he sent to an official regarding the provision of houses for some imams and muezzins in 1931.
The messages included a letter to Abdullah Al-Khaled and Abdulrahman bin Oudan in 1942, when he instructed the distribution of charity to the poor and designated trustworthy individuals to oversee its distribution.
In addition, the king sent a letter instructing covering Hajj expenses for the poor and needy in 1941 and another letter ordering the disbursement of the annual Ramadan allocations and settling requests to Al-Khouya in 1936.
The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives published these letters so that they serve as a tribute to the great humanitarian aspects in the life of the founder of this country.
The publication of the letters is also part of the efforts of the foundation to document and preserve these letters, which have been treated, restored, and qualified for preservation and care by the King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Center for Historical Materials Conservation using the latest methods and techniques.
The foundation possesses a huge collection of similar historical documents and rare letters concerning national history as well as a comprehensive archive of historical photographs and films.
Today, the foundation serves as an indispensable database for researchers and specialists to refer to and benefit from in all studies that rely on archival materials.
Source: Saudi Press Agency