This land was never a historical margin; rather, it was expansive, producing civilization, authenticity, trade, politics, and language.

Like palm trees, my glories tower and stand erect.

My history is rooted in the earth for what they have gone.

Read my books with your mind, without bias,

My books of glory have overflowed with speeches.

How often we inscribed, and history recorded us,

In every book of ours are glories and ranks.

Sail if you wish into my history and read it,

And look at the sun, does its light have veils?

My lineage extends, and in horizons there is expanse,

In the earth a root, and pride in the heights, meteors.

Descendants of origin, we preserve from ancestors,

Since Adam descended upon the earth and they traced lineage.

Adnan is a bond in our origin, and for us,

Since Abraham was our grandfather and father.

In the earth my root, and in the tablets and scriptures,

The narrators spoke of us, since they counted or traced lineage.

My civilization was inscribed from 'Tathlith'(1),

'Tarut'(2) bears witness if you peruse what they wrote.

Go to 'al-Faw'(3) and look at 'Kindah'(4) of the Arabs,

A people whose custom grew, enriched with glory.

Look at 'Dadan'(5) and 'Lihyan'(6) and their center,

Between cities, how vast their history is.

The 'Cities of Hegra'(7) shine in their monuments,

'The Incense Route'(8) a fragrance, in its book wonder.

In fertile 'Dumat al-Jandal'(9) a station,

A fortress of knights in shadow when they tire.

'Qedar' and 'Nabatu'(10) through ages are mentioned for us,

The greatest kingdoms they established in their authority.

Even our free women ruled, a sanctuary(11) for them,

And their memory extended, erect with glory.

God honored this land, ennobled it,

With revelation, He chose from it… is there without reason!

He established the House of God in 'Bakkah'(12), in my homeland,

Until it became the 'Qiblah' of worshippers, (who toiled)(13).

And He chose from among us the Messenger of Truth, sent forth,

Until clouds descended upon our horizons.

Their religion is guidance, their banner white,

White of heart, they are sincerity, wherever they went.

They are a support, like the eternal 'al-Arid'(14),

Their memory still counts with glory.

Look at 'al-Awja'(15), the history of my forefathers,

History

That 'al-Turaif'(16) and 'Salwa Palace'(17) were not hidden.

We are manliness and customs since creation,

Those virtues in us, their origin is etiquette.

These are our qualities, extending unbroken,

We give without desire, our benevolence is abundant.

We are giving, we are rain and downpour,

White hands here, no reproach, no blame.

People of virtue in deed and character,

People of 'chivalry' and good deeds since they persisted.

People of magnanimity in word and deed,

They do not break the covenant even if ranks betray them.

The land of the peninsula is a divan and a guesthouse,

The forefront of councils in their spacious divan.

A people who, when war calls their gallantry,

They rise swiftly when calamities blow.

They lit swift fires, in groups and alone,

Determined in leadership in war, they never retreated.

They were mountains, firm in their den,

They walked with truth, and for homelands they leaped.

They water the land of good countries with their blood,

And the soul is cheap at death, they never feared.

In every calamity, in every disaster,

They suffered, challenged, built all they desired.

Patience that surpasses Job's when they are mentioned,

They never withheld generosity in bounty or concealed.

They built a structure of glory, a shield towering,

Between cities it became a cause for loftiness.

Here we were, and we became and are guidance,

We are identity, man, and the ages. (18)

Notes:

(1) - Tathlith region, southwest of the Arabian Peninsula (currently within Asir region). It served as a link between Najd, Asir, and southern routes, making it a passage for caravans and trade exchange since ancient times. Among its most prominent historical sites is 'Hagar civilization', which is considered one of the oldest and most important human civilizations in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to the Neolithic period (about 9000 BC).

(2) - Tarut civilization represents one of the oldest civilizational centers spanning over 5,000 years on Tarut Island in the Eastern Province. The island was closely linked with the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Dilmun, and was historically known as a strategic sea port and a meeting point for ancient global trade routes.

(4-3) - Arab kingdoms in central Saudi Arabia, 4th and 6th centuries BC.

(6-5) - Two Arab kingdoms - Al-Ula.

(7) - Mada'in Saleh.

(8) - Links the north of the Kingdom to its south, contributed to the prosperity of the cities (Al-Faw and Al-Ula).

Geographical references

(9) - In Al-Jawf region - an important commercial and military station for trade and wars.

(10) - The Arab kingdom of Qedar / Dumat al-Jandal.

(11) - 'Queens of the Arabs' or 'Arab queens' (Zabiba, Shamsi, Yathi'a, Talhunah) - a group of powerful female rulers who governed Arab tribes and kingdoms in northern Arabia, specifically in Dumat al-Jandal (Adummatu), Tayma, and the northern Nefud desert, when Qedar was a strong Arab tribal confederation during the Neo-Assyrian period (8th and 7th centuries BC). They made northern Arabia (Dumat al-Jandal) their center, their influence extending to the edges of the Levant. They ruled the kingdom of Qedar and resisted Assyrian expansion.

(12) - Mecca.

(13) - Fatigue, despair, exhaustion.

(14) - Tuwaiq mountain range as a cradle encircling Riyadh.

(15) - Diriyah and its palace.

(16) - The political center of the First Saudi State.

(17) - The Palace of Government for the First Saudi State.

(18) - The extended period of time with no specific limit from eternity.

** **

- Writer, poet, and visual artist