Wealth Distribution Inside Saudi

By MD Kavanwal





Wealth distribution within the Kingdom is surreal in Saudi. Saudi oil, a valuable resource coveted by other nations in the world, is no secret that this commodity is responsible for Saudi’s prosperity and wealth.

Money pours into the country and into the hands of approximately 5000 Saudi Royals. Some of these privileged rulers, dripping in more money that they can spend in ten lifetimes, revert to an ancient means of wealth distribution.

What many people in the outside world do not understand, is the system of wealth distribution—a practice handed down over the centuries. In order to explain this antiquated system, it is important to understand the history behind some of these ancient practices.



A rudimentary overview: The Kingdom is composed of many, many tribes, and throughout Saudi Arabia’s history, tribes rivaled, warred, raped and pillaged. Combat resulted in several groups being conquered and thus, became the property of the conquers. When Wahabbis and the House of Saud took control of the Kingdom, the leaders united the tribes through marriage and other alliances, thus forcing peace amongst the various groups. Some members of the ruling elite were given jurisdiction over some of the tribes, and are responsible for the welfare of the people within their territory. As the government formed, and evolved into what it is today, some leading royals continue with the overseeing of activities, lifestyles and wealth distribution. Other leading royals have abandoned their duties, leaving several “commoners” in the hands of Allah .

When I was living and working in Saudi Arabia, I saw firsthand how the ancient wealth distribution is put into practice. As described in the novel, Surreal in Saudi , a leading royal family is responsible for several tribes. Men who belong to these tribes travel from all over the country to have an ‘audience’ with the princes or king of their tribe.

The King in this case, is not the Crowned Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but a member of the ruling royals, and in tribal terms, is deemed the King –the one who oversees the activities and interrelations of the people who ‘belong’ to him.

This King is revered, honored, and his word is final. A ‘commoner’s’ life is dependent on the King or his sons for not just wealth distribution, but for his fate, and often his very life.

As one of the recipients of the gains from the sale of oil, the King is responsible for wealth distribution among his subjects. It is through him that the multitudes have access to health care, education, housing and even marriage.

When I was in the palace of one of the prominent and ruling royal families, I was witness to wealth distribution and the treatment towards ordinary Saudis by one powerful royal family. This family was known as being kind and generous, and often men from other tribes sought marriage to females who were under the authority of these royals. (Permission has to be granted from both Kings and princes of the two tribes, and the royals decide amongst themselves which tribe the couple would belong to. Often, men seeking to become subjects of this particular family were disappointed, and would have to subject his new bride to the leadership of his own King.)

Every month the King and his sons would sit audience to the men of the tribes they ruled. The men were the designated heads of household for their family and extended family, and would come to literally beg favors from the royals. They had to explain to the King and his sons what their needs were, anticipated expenses, and allow the royal family to make a ruling on the needs of that particular family for the year.

Sometime families hire professional negotiators, because they know how to plead their case to gain favorable responses, and acquire adequate monies for anticipated needs.(ie: new baby, surgeries, purchase of camels or goats).

(Wealth distribution and the elaborate ceremony performed every month is detailed in the novel, Surreal in Saudi .)

Sometimes, while living in the places of these influential royals, I felt like I stepped back into Biblical times, when people held audiences before the Kings, begging for mercies or favors. It is a fascinating ritual—an ancient practice that continues amongst some of the royals who care for the people they rule.

It is true that distribution of wealth is not equal. There are those rulers who do not hold these audiences, and the people under them suffer, and are denied access to the wealth from oil. Many Saudi people living in the modern cities are living in poverty, and guest workers who either escaped their owners or whose contracts expired without a means to return home, are homeless, starving, lost and alone—they cannot survive in a modern world.

Work ethics have not been developed. Higher education is limited, and women are at the mercy of the men who own them. Several tribes do not live within the cities, and do not understand the value of money. If given dollars, they wouldn’t know what to do with them, other than use the bills for fuel for their fires. Saudi Arabia is still an emerging Third World country, and even though it is rich because of its resources, wealth distribution that extends to the masses, is a relatively new concept.