Following a seminar organized by Dr. Noura Al-Asheikh, dean of the College of Arts and Community Service, Princess Hussa bint Salman spoke about her father and his penchant for history.
“I am really impressed by my father, who used to talk to us during the weekends about the history of Arabs and Islam, politics and world history. He spoke about the Arabian Peninsula without any partiality and referred to the stands taken by kings, princes and tribal chiefs and the poems they recited during battles.”
She added: “My father used to talk a lot about the role of women in the Kingdom’s progress and their educational and scientific progress. Women have made a lot of achievements in various fields with the support of higher authorities. Dr. Dalal bint Mukhallad Al-Harbi is one who received support to publish her book titled ‘Famous Women from Najd,’ which was published by King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives in 1998, on the occasion of the Kingdom's centenary.”
Princess Hussa said Prince Salman’s thoughts were not at all isolated from contemporary cultural and intellectual movements. “He has deep knowledge of history, lineage, tribes and their branches, which has made him an authority and reference on the subject,” she added. He often emphasized the importance of preserving history, she said. According to Prince Salman, tribes are part and parcel of society. Allah has said in the Holy Qur'an: "We made you into nations and tribes so that you know one another."
The princess said she and her siblings had learned a lot of good qualities from their father. "He has been a model for us, ever since we were children. He taught us how to behave with others without being tainted by arrogance or boasting.”
Princess Hussa said her father brought her up in a cultural atmosphere as she found him to be an avid reader who followed up on what was happening in the world by reading newspapers and opinion articles. He also gave his comments and opinions on such articles.
“As we were brought up in this atmosphere, my late brother Prince Ahmed showed an interest in the media and became one of the founders of the modern Saudi media, which has made remarkable progress crossing the Kingdom's borders. Prince Ahmed began his media venture by establishing Asharq Al-Awsat daily newspaper, the flagship of Saudi Research & Marketing Group. He also encouraged Saudi journalists, whose performance in the past was limited to sports and equestrian, to become capable chief editors,” said the princess.
"My father has played a big role in Prince Ahmed’s progress in the media, being his guide and critic. He often surprised us by pointing out some influential articles published by Arab and foreign journalists on recent incidents," she said.
The princess believed that if Prince Salman was not involved in state affairs since he was 17, he would have become a researcher and a historian. “I still remember the day when he was appointed defense minister. The first thing that came to his mind was whether he would be able to continue as president of King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives, which was established by him and he considered it as his second daughter after me,” Princess Hussa said. “He was proud of this institution as it carries the name of his father, may Allah show His mercy toward him. It also gave him time for reading and meditating on the verses of the Holy Qur'an. I know how much he loves this field as a thinker.”
Princess Hussa also emphasized her interest in history, especially Islamic history. Prince Salman has commended the works of Princess Mawda bint Mansour and Dr. Maha Al-Rasheed, especially their contributions to history, she pointed out.
Speaking about her aspirations, Princess Hussa said: "I wish my father would write a book on his memories as a government worker, focusing on the Arabian Peninsula because he is an expert on this subject. He loves reading and writing and maintains good relations with a large number of intellectuals, writers and journalists in the Arab world, and we'll not forget his great efforts to develop the Saudi media and promote Saudi journalists and journalism as a profession. I hope many people will share my desire and half of this has been achieved with the formation of Prince Salman Chair for Historical Studies and I wish he would publish the book very soon."
The Prince Salman Chair for Historical Studies has had a lot of achievements within a short span. It organized a workshop on history and modern technology last year. It held another workshop on historical studies and the culture of Arabian Peninsula. The first volume of books and research work related to the chair has been published in cooperation with King Fahd National Library and distributed among those interested in history, especially among students of higher studies in the Kingdom and abroad. It has also instituted a cash award, named after Prince Salman, for outstanding students in higher studies.
Samiya Al-Otaibi from the history department of King Saud University spoke highly about Prince Salman Chair, adding: “We consider it a medallion on the chest of King Saud University.” She said when the department decided to establish the chair, they found Prince Salman the right person to become its sponsor and financier. An agreement was signed to establish the chair two years ago in the presence of Prince Salman. KSU President Abdullah Al-Othman and Fahd Al-Sammary, secretary-general of King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives, signed the agreement. She said the chair began its activities by holding a workshop at the foundation in order to introduce the chair, its objectives, message and programs. It later held a successful seminar on the humanitarian and social aspects of King Abdul Aziz’s life, which provided an opportunity for young Saudi researchers to present papers. It was during this seminar a proposal was made to institute an annual prize in the name of Prince Salman to honor outstanding higher education students in the department of history.
“Prince Salman deserves this honor, being a great supporter of research chairs in the Kingdom’s universities, especially for those related to history,” Al-Otaibi said. She said officials working at Prince Salman chair would work hard to make it one of the best and successful academic chairs in the Kingdom. “Within a few days we’ll host a number of leading historians as visiting professors to give a series of lectures,” she pointed out.
Dr. Maha Al-Rasheed, associate professor at the department and coordinator of the chair, stressed the importance of Prince Salman Chair and said many students have shown an interest in conducting research on the history and culture of Arabian Peninsula. The chair encourages students by offering them scholarships. The chair also invites foreign universities interested in the history of Arabian Peninsula to attend its seminars. “An Oxford University professor was one of the speakers in a seminar organized by the chair recently,” she pointed out.