Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, right, receiving Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, left, at Neom Royal Palace, in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia on July 11, 2021. EPA
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, right, receiving Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, left, at Neom Royal Palace, in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia on July 11, 2021. EPA
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, right, receiving Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, left, at Neom Royal Palace, in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia on July 11, 2021. EPA
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, right, receiving Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, left, at Neom Royal Palace, in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia on July 11, 2021. EPA

Saudi Arabia and Oman's bond celebrated in song as Sultan Haitham visits King Salman


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Sultan Haitham’s visit to Saudi Arabia has been celebrated in song.

Released on Friday in the run-up to the arrival of Oman’s ruler in the kingdom, Saudi Arabian crooner Abdul Majeed Abdullah teamed up with Omani counterpart Salah Zadjali for Usood Al Areen, an ode to the strong relationship between both countries.

Composed and written by an Omani duo, songwriter Sayid Al Busaidi and poet Khamis Almuqeemi, and produced by Egypt's Walid Fayed, Usood Al Areen – which translates to The Lions of the Den – is carried by an ebullient tempo and melodies as both Abdullah and Zadjali trade verses detailing some of the rich cultural and historical bonds shared by both countries.

"Greets from the house of Haitham," the song begins. "To the house of gratitude, the house of (Saudi King) Salman, one of the great leaders."

The song goes on to extol the virtues of both leaders.

“In the era of Salman and Al Haitham, the lions of the den, the beacon of light of their highnesses became brighter, richer and everlasting.”

Usood Al Areen also defines some of the characteristics of both nations.

Oman is described as “the land of love and peace”, while Saudi Arabia is “the land of determination”. The song states “from Muscat to Riyadh, our hearts from both sides, its address is trust, brotherhood and good neighbourliness".

Al Busaidi tweeted his gratitude to the song's collaborators.

"Thank you Salah Zadjali and Abdul Majeed Abdullah for taking part in this work to honour His Majesty, Sultan Haitham's visit to his brother, the custodian of the two holy mosques King Salman.

“Also extending my appreciation to producer Walid Fayed and poet Khamis Al Muqeemi.”

Omani cultural personality Saleh Al Fahdi described the song on Al Busaidi's Instagram account as a "beautiful work with a refined Gulf melody and vocals that make an impact".

The song also comes with a video directed by Kuwaiti Ali Al Najjar.

Available on YouTube, the video blends official footage of Sultan Haitham and King Salman together at previous events with images of Saudi Arabia's attractions, such as Riyadh's Kingdom Centre and the Red Sea city of Neom, as well as Oman’s Royal Opera House Muscat and the coastal region of Musandam.

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
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“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

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Updated: July 12, 2021, 11:24 AM