Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that the list of people who have been granted Saudi nationality in wake of the royal decree on Thursday, includes several prominent names in the cultural and intellectual fields. These figures have had a huge role in supporting the local cultural movement through their important contributions. They include: chief calligrapher at the Kiswa Factory of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah and historian Dr. Amin Sido, researcher Dr. Mohammed Alboukai, historian Dr. Abd al-Karim Ibrahim al-Samak, and Samaan Al Ani, one of the pioneer theater directors.
The list also included several figures in the religious, history, medical, educational, investment, digital technology and sports fields.
Asharq Al-Awsat offers below a biography of some of the prominent names included in the royal decree:
Dr. Amin Sido
Sido has made major scientific and research efforts that have contributed to the local cultural movement. He has over 30 publications to his name that have enriched culture and literature in Saudi Arabia.
Sido is an expert in bibliographic studies and has many publications in the domain.
He worked at the King Fahad National Library and was editor-in-chief of its magazine. He has presented a bibliographical study on “Saudis and Libraries and Information Science.”
Dr. Mohammed Alboukai
Alboukai is a researcher and translator, with some 40 publications on various arts to his name. They include studies on history, critiques and translation. He worked as linguistics teacher and literary criticism at several academic institutions, including the King Saud University in Riyadh.
He currently works at the King Salman Center for Historical and Civilization Studies of the Arabian Peninsula, relying on a rich heritage in researching publications related to the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the Saudi state. In 2018, he was the recipient of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation in the “individual efforts” category.
Dr. Abd al-Karim Ibrahim al-Samak
Historian Dr. Abd al-Karim Ibrahim al-Samak holds a PhD in Modern and Contemporary History. He lived some 50 years of his life in Saudi Arabia where he published biographies of several heads of state during the time of the Kingdom’s founding, especially the Arabs who worked with King Abdulaziz.
He was interested in the works of journalist and historian Amin Said. He published several of his books that focused on Saudi Arabia. He was also interested in the archive of his magazine, “The Near East”, which is a major reference about the history of the Hijaz and Najad Kingdoms because it was published around the time of the unification of Saudi Arabia. Al-Samak compiled the archive in a two-volume book, in a major contribution to Saudi history.
Samaan Al Ani
Al Ani is a pioneer in theater directing in Saudi Arabia. Soon after graduating in theater arts in Baghdad, he became one of the first people to join Saudi theater as a director in the 1970s
He directed “Qitar al-Haz", which is one of the earliest Saudi stage productions. His career kicked off soon after with many other productions. He took part in several international theater festivals and has trained numerous Saudi actors.
Mokhtar Alim
Chief calligrapher of the kiswa of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah, Alim now works as a calligrapher at the Kiswa Factory of the Holy Kaaba. His works have been featured at international exhibitions and he has taught courses and offered trainings in calligraphy. One of his courses is taught at the Masjid al-Haram Academy. He also worked for two and a half years in the mid-1990s as a calligrapher of diploma, masters and doctorate certificates at the Umm All Qura University.
His works have been acquired by several political leaders and put on display in the halls of several public institutions. He has won various awards in recognition of his work.
