The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom

by Sandra Mackey

"A rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of Saudi social and public life."― The New York Times Sandra Mackey lived in Saudi Arabia for four years, and as far as the authorities knew, she was simply the wife of an American doctor. But she saw things and traveled to places rarely viewed by any outsider, let alone a Western woman, and she succeeded in smuggling out a series of crucial articles on Saudi culture and politics. The Saudis offers a fascinating portrait of Saudi life, chronicling Mackey's extraordinary travels and experiences and depicting Saudi Arabia's strange metamorphosis from backward desert kingdom to world power. Mackey reveals the chaos of a country in transformation: grappling with modernity, coming to terms with its own wealth, and battling to maintain an influential stance in an altogether new world. This updated edition provides the essential background to the new Saudi crisis as the mother state of international terrorism.

Genres: Middle East, History, Nonfiction, Islam, Religion, Politics, Travel

466 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Sandra Mackey was an American writer on Middle Eastern culture and politics.

Reviews

[Ismoil Sadullozoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an account of a woman who has lived in Saudi Arabia twice, for two years each, in the late seventies and early eighties. It tells two important historical periods in the life of Saudi Arabia: the oil boom (1974-1980) and the following crisis of the oil glut after 1980. The book is the result of field observation research and qualitative analysis that consists of two parts. The first part is dedicated to the oil boom and the historical introduction of life in Saudi Arabia, social psychology, traditions, customs, and most importantly to the political background of the House of al-Saud, the royal family after whom the country is called. The second part is more of the macro and global analysis telling the story of the relations of Saudi Arabia with neighboring countries and the world superpowers, mainly the USA, and the way the House of al-Saud coped with the challenges brought by the crisis of post-eighties. While the first part is introductory, the second part is more analytic.

This book is unique in giving first-hand information about the history of the oil boom in Saudi Arabia from the inside. The author’s husband was a doctor in the royal family’s hospital through whom she reached many royal members to tell the story of their life and family settings. As a Western, skilled employee she has also worked in some of the key offices during the economic planning, functioning to manage the huge amount of money popped from the core of the Saudi desert. The author openly discusses every aspect of Saudi life starting from the hareems to the business agreements mediated by some of the royal princes.

The book discusses two main theses. They are the political history of Saudi Arabia and the relation of the conservative society with the Western guests. The religious and cultural aspects are touched upon to the extent necessary to understand the political settings of the regime and social standards. The House of al-Saud, as the author explains, casts itself as the protector of the faith and guardian of the holy Islamic cities that, together with the tribal customs of paternalism, justify the standing of the regime. Throughout the oil boom, the Saudi society feared that the flow of Western employees corrupts the traditional lifestyle of local people rooted in Beduin settings and Islamic ideology. Westerners, on the other hand, struggled to mitigate their conditions in a completely different environment. The way the author encapsulates these two main these with details is very interesting.

I liked the writing style of the author. It is easy, relaxing, and engaging.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lopsided depiction of life in the late 70's/early 80's Saudi Arabia written by an American woman based in Saudi for a few years. Includes many historical lessons on aspects of Saudi life, such as the influence of and history of Islam, politics, Wahabism, etc but you can't help being a bit skeptical given her profound American bias. For example, early on in the book, she says that the Saudi's hadn't yet been "forced to" learn English while mentioning that no one in her group had yet 'picked up' much Arabic. In today's world, the book is a bit dated in its attitudes but it nonetheless depicts a fascinating era in Saudi history-- as it opened up to Westerners since it desired to put their skills to use and import them, albeit as non-nationals. Also, her perspective as a woman in the culture is very interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it wasn't for the 300 pages of the 412 pages of the book the author spent rambling on and on, I would have given it 5 stars, but since it was far too long, not that entertaining, and full of the many sources that weren't her own, I went with 2. Who can blame her though? From her stories, it seemed like she had nothing left to do but write and write she did. A LOT.

[Sally]

Interesting yet dated perspective on the somewhat more modern culture I'm teaching right now with Gilgamesh.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The time before Al-qaeda or ISIS is what Mackey covers in this well-written survey. Her perceptions, however, should still be pertinent in the main.

[Noris Ismail]

This book was written in the early 80s at the beginning of the great Saudi oil boom, an era that catapulted the Saudis into modernization, technology, education and international liaisons. The sudden overwhelming wealth fast-tracked the nation that are steeped deeply in traditional tribal cultures, warring clans, secrets society and tribes. With no preparation in terms of education and technology, the governing guardians where forced to leap-frog everything including importing foreigners for expertise, guidance and laying the foundation to Saudis 3 phase economic development plan.
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However, treat this book not as a source of literary, but a personal and avid reproduction of the author's life as an 'outsider' in a community that are very much close-knit brotherhoods, defined by clan power, wealth and recognition.
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Some of the age-old culture, customs, traditions, rules and regulations still exist since the following of the teachings ofAl-Quran transcends beyond time. It is the ultimate source of ad-deen : religion is the way of life.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had been sitting on my shelf for years and I almost donated it, thinking it would be too outdated a history (published in the mid-1980s). But I'm glad I read it instead. Since I started the book knowing almost nothing about Saudi Arabia, I learned a lot, and it piqued my interest to learn more. Some of the straight history was a bit dense, which required some patience to get through, but was still important and worth reading.

The book includes no maps, so I often looked up places on Google maps.

The book wasn't just a history -- it was also about the author's experiences in Saudi Arabia as a secret journalist. There were some scary, dramatic scenes that were quite hair-raising. The author was one brave woman. She has passed away now, but I would like to read more of her books, including the one about Iran.

This book has many versions on Goodreads. It was hard to figure out which version was mine. The closest was the paperback version with 433 pages.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written by an American woman who spent some years in Saudi Arabia. The book does contain a massive cultural bias, which I disliked. It does contain some good information about different cultural and social happenings, which was why I was drawn to the book to begin with. It is also important to note that this book was written about time spent in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s and 1980s. Obviously, things have changed a great deal in the Middle East in general. It is important to note that some things are out of date, as some social aspects do not occur as they once did. I also felt that the book could have been much shorter and more concise. There was a lot of repetition and nonsense filler material that was just simply not needed.

[Ramya · Rating 3 out of 5]

When i saw this book on the shelf of a second hand book store i immediately grabbed it thinking it would be an interesting account of life in Saudi Arabia during the oil boom.

Instead it turned out to be pages and pages of rambling and unnecessary figures that would more often than not put me to sleep. The constant implication of western superiority was a bit annoying. The author did share some interesting anecdotes and gave at times a good insight into the Saudis’ life and psyche and for that i am giving this book 3 stars.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read /The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom/, by Sandra Mackey:

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/12/bo...

A little out of date, but worth the read.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would’ve been perfect if it was by 200 pages shorter. The author just goes on and on the same thing over and over again. Last 200 pages I literally just flicked through.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fascinating book, not just around the history, politics and sociology of Saudi Arabia, but around what it's like to be a western woman living in the country and writing a book about it on the down low.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination of the role of Saudi Arabia in the modern world as well as illuminating the Saudi Arabian culture and psyche this book deals with the struggle between a quest for modernization and the conflicts it creates with the religious ideals of the Kingdom. It also highlights the attitude of other Arab nations towards Saudi Arabia.

I found myself having lots of head nodding moments as I read this book. The author lived there shortly after the period when my family and I returned from our tour of duty there. It was incredible how well she captured the atmosphere of chaos that seemed to reign in Riyadh in the late 70's as middle class citizens were given cars with no traffic laws to govern them or even a large enough police force to enforce what laws eventually came about...I did laugh as I read about one law, where a driver making a left turn from the right lane must yield to a driver making a left turn from the left lane.

She also takes great pains to to examine the in'shallah (god-willing) attitude that pervades the culture. Much is planned but little is actually accomplished, a signed contract is not a guarantee of a project beginning but a signal that negotiations so far are amenable to the Saudi's involved and true negotiations may now begin.

MacKey also points out that despite many other books and articles stating otherwise, not all women are comfortable with the idea of change in their status. In fact, many pity the Western women's lack of security which they(the Saudi women) are assured of from birth. It brought home to me the fact that despite our having gender in common quite a few Saudi women think completely differently than Western women about autonomy and they do not necessarily envy our freedoms. With freedom comes responsibilities and culturally they are very different in that respect, it seems quite a few don't relish the idea of being responsible for anything other than their marital responsibilities of producing children.

I would suggest this as recommended reading for anyone entertaining the thought of going to the Kingdom for work and also their wives and daughters that may accompany them because it is instructive in the public conduct of Western women that is expected by the Saudis.

There is much more to this book than the above sections but I found those to be particularly educational for people of the Western world at just how completely different our cultures are.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you consider what a mysterious place is, you may think of several types of lands. There is a place like Nepal or Timbuktu, where foreign and interesting things happen far from the eyes of the West. And then there are places like the old Soviet Union, where the mystery is enforced by an oppressive state determined to keep the eyes of outsiders out. Many people think that Saudi Arabia, with its oil, its royal family and its holy places would fall into the former category. In "The Saudis", Sandra Mackey contends that Saudi Arabia is firmly in the latter camp.

Mackey is an American woman who lived in Saudi Arabia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first time that I read this book was in the mid-1990s, just after the Gulf War, and Mackey's narrative was quaint in the light of the fact that the world got a very good look at the Kingdom in 1990 and 1991 when Saudi Arabia was in the news every day. Today it is even more so, as we have lived through 13 years and counting of war in the Middle East and Central Asia, and Saudi Arabia is right in the thick of it.

Mackey's narrative is not too bad. Her prose is readable, and she covers a lot of ground as far as Saudi history, society and culture. However, she is hopelessly biased. It is obvious that she is an outsider and is doomed to always be on the outside. It's hard to write a meaningful book about a topic from which one is hopelessly detached. She doesn't speak Arabic and does not understand Islam or Arab culture. Her Arab contacts are few and very westernized. As an American ex-patriot, she does not have the access to Saudi elite who control the country. Saudi Arabia is a land of contraditions, a place of limited freedom but unbelieveable wealth, a land of fantastic shrines but also a pull toward the west. The Wahabi sect of Islam leaves an indelible mark on the land. It is Wahabi culture that Mackey experiences every day, but the traditions of Arabia are beyond her because of her lack of Arabic or a background in Islam.

Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in Saudi Arabia, however, with the caveat that the book is biased, and frankly, it is way outdated today. It is more of a look at the Saudi Arabia of 1985 than the country of today.

[Mary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was 40 years outdated by the time I read it but was still fascinating. I would have loved to have known more about the author's clandestine wanderings around Saudi Arabia but I gained a MUCH greater understanding into the Saudi mindset and the lifestyle and psychology of the royalty. Fundamentalist Islam is just downright creepy, but after reading this book, I'm not convinced that all the Saudi princes are fundamentalist. Maybe. But maybe they buy into their backward society in order to hang on to their wealth and power. The author did a really great job of showing both her revulsion and attraction to Saudi Arabia, and while the information became a little dense at times, it was mostly extremely well done.

[Christian Engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good introductary or pulp nonfiction book, if such a thing exists. It would be a typical best-seller. What this book does, however, is introduce readers and help them to understand the complexities of Saudi Arabian politics, economics and society at large. Sandra Mackey gives fine minute details of how women are treated, the norms of culture and traditions and the country's most powerful and lucrative export: oil. In terms of global economy -- especially for the United States -- a lot of power is tied to the actions of the Saudi government. The book explains very successfully the purpose of the Arabian-American Oil Company (ARAMCO), the Committee for the Protection of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the Arabian's love of power and materialism, the lifestyle of the Bedouins, the Hajj, all the way through to the purpose (socially) to the assumed sexually active Hareems. The book is packed with useful information for anyone with a novice interest in the Middle East and Saudia Arabia specifically.The author also gives a very explict and colorful portrait of the Saudi's love of camel racing. The Saudis is a good source book. However, some of the provided information ia a little out of date.It is still a good, insightful read. I would recommend Sandra Mackey's other books: The Iranians and Lebanon: Death of a Nation.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the book was published in the mid 1980s, most of the material is still very relevant today. That is a testament to the lack of social, political, and economic progress in Saudi Arabia and the region. Today, oil, as it was back then, still makes up almost 90% of government revenue, there is still an underclass of South Asian workers doing all the hard work, and woman still don't enjoy full rights.

Mackey detects and reports on a rising Islamic fundamentalism emerging in the country in the mid 1970s, and her warnings are especially prescient given the country's role in the 9/11 attacks (15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis). Reading this book will have you shaking your head for our support of a country whose power structures are based solely on tribal connections, fossil fuels, payoffs to Wahhabist preachers, the subjugation of women and exclusion of minorities and other religious groups from the political, economic, and social systems of the country.

I have to hand it to Ms. Mackey for having the guts to undertake such reporting in the region for about five years as a female journalist. It is a long book and not an easy read, but it was well worth my time.

[Shahinaz Es · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book when I was bored and looking for something to read. It actually belongs to my mom (she brought it ages ago and forgot about it on a shelf) so, after getting her permission to borrow it, I began to read it. I found it fascinating at first, but in later chapters I grew to dislike the author. There was an entire chapter about how oppressed women were in Islam, and how men forced their wives to cover up and stuff (as a Muslim, I can tell you that this is NOT true!). I mean, honestly, it was so stupid! I mean, HELLO? I mean, if this woman wants to write about Arabs and Muslims, and talk about Islam, SHE SHOULD AT LEAST GET HER FACTS STRAIGHT. Only Saudi Arabian law makes women do that, and I bet even some of their husbands and fathers think that law is dumb, but for some reason it's the law there. That doesn't mean all Muslim countries are like that.

TL;DR: I didn't like it. Didn't even finish the stupid thing.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saudi Arabia boasts the largest reserve of crude oil in the world. If there is any country that an oil investor would like to peek into, it would be the Desert Kingdom. As the monarchy revolves between blood relative kings, its people remain captivated by the culture of Islam that has maintained a traditional society governed by theological laws based on the Quran. Sandra Mackey's account of her temporary station in Saudi Arabia during the years of the oil glut surveys a society standing atop one of the world's most precious assets. Investing decisions can only be better informed with a fresh perspective on the head of the largest oil cartel.

Book review at www.blackgolddisease.com/bookshelf.html

[Kashvi Lalgudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Saudis is a fascinating novel about the development and culture of Saudi Arabia since the oil boom. I liked how descriptive Sandra Mackey was when describing the history and legacy of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, how she gave clear explanations to how women and men in Saudi Arabia are supposed to behave in society, and the role of westerners in modern Saudi Arabia. I also liked how Sandra Mackey added in information about her personal life (the reason that she and her family were living in Saudi Arabia at the time), and how she goes to great lengths carefully to collect information about Saudi Arabia without triggering the authorities. This is an intriguing novel for those who want to understand society in the Middle East and like to read memoirs in general.

[Cortney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that knowing a lot about Palestine, Israel, and the area known as Bilad al-Sham doesn't mean that you know anything at all about Saudi Arabia. I chose this book specifically to learn more about Arabia and Wahhabiism, and I did both, very handily. The book is not an in-depth discussion of Wahhabiism, but it does touch on the subject, and the author's discussion of Islam and a number of other aspects of Saudi culture that I didn't understand specifically in the Saudi context was very useful and enlightening.

[Jays · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good take on Saudi Arabia written from a westerner's perspective. It does an especially good job illustrating the differences between western and Saudi world views and the clash that occurs as the two cultures meet. Although Saudi Arabia continues to gradually become more and more open to the west, it is still largely an unknown country. This may not be the definitive summary of that country, but it has a fairly large breadth and still manages to convey much of the complexity of the people.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been four stars but last 25% was a little slow and seemed to repeat some of the political issues. But if you are interested in life inside Saudi, this is a great book. I live in the UAE (which although much more open and liberal, still as a lot of the same challenges of incorporating Western technology, reliance on expat workers, roles of women, etc.). Even though this was written in the 80s, the issues are still very, very relevant today. I particularly liked the chapters on women and how Saudis view Western expat workers.

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A highly-accessible perspective of the forces at work in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Written prior to September 11, 2001, the book includes a short afterward that misses the boat regarding the predominance of Saudi men involved in the attacks. While Mackey's experience in-country provides a wealth of insight into the political, economic and religious agendas of the leadership, she does seem to run out of fresh observations to make roughly fifty pages prior to calling it quits. A fair read, and an informative addition to the scholarship on the Middle East.

[Gil Burket · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been awhile since I read this, and yes, it was a long book.

But it was published at a time when there was far too little written about Saudi Arabia, given their amount of influence on American oil politics.

I was struck at the time about the level of access that the author had inside the Saudi bureaucracy; most likely this access has since been closed to other Westerners.

I think it is a good introduction to this culture, and quite revealing on just how different they are in terms of outlook and world view.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing sociocultural study of Saudi Arabia, from an objective but not opinion-free perspective. The writing gets a little dense around the discussion of natural resources and commodities trading, but it's a tough topic. Otherwise, the writing is excellent and engaging. This book, while a little old, is excellent preparation for understanding current political interactions between Saudi Arabia and the West.

[Lainie Singerman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a good book. Mackey gives a picture of Saudi Arabia completely lacking in nuance and instead awash in her smug sense of Western superiority. For example, she refers to "dwarfish," "cunning Yemenis" out to cheat everyone out of their money. I cut her a fair amount of slack, as she is not an expert with any training in the field of Mid-East Studies, but she delivers a crude caricature of modern Saudi Arabia that frankly isn't worth any reader's time.

[Mr.david · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the medieval kingdom that is Saudi Arabia. Much of the notes and articles from which it was drawn were written during the oil booms in the 1970s. Best is Mackays's account of a public beheading and the unpredictable energy that builds up in the crowd as the execution is conducted.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While nested in a broader overview of Saudi history and culture, this book is primarily about women in Saudi Arabia. The author, incognito there as a journalist, explores the ostensible as opposed to the actual practices of women in the culture. The picture is not pretty.

I read this book at the Ennui Cafe on Lunt and Sheridan in Chicago, then passed it on to a female Bosnian friend.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book as tells a lot about the culture, history, and complexities of their society both past and present to 1990. I learned a lot! It helps to gain more understanding of the people and whys and wherefores. Don't know what the answers would be to getting along better though. Sandra did a great job.