‘Lawrence of Arabia’s’ Saudi house where he launched war restored

"It seems that Saudi Arabia is maturing and is willing to recognize one of the arch opponents of the Saudi dynasty."

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
T.E. Lawrence on his Brough Superior in 1925 or 1926 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
T.E. Lawrence on his Brough Superior in 1925 or 1926
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Saudi government has restored the house from which world-renowned British intelligence and combat officer T.E. Lawrence helped launch a campaign to oust the Ottoman Turks from the heart of the Islamic world during World War I.
The restoration is “very interesting and encouraging,” Jacob Rosen, a former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday. “It seems that Saudi Arabia is maturing and is willing to recognize one of the arch opponents of the Saudi dynasty. Lawrence worked with the Hashemites. Of course, it is good for tourism as well.”
Rosen is a leading expert on Lawrence and has amassed the world’s largest collection of translations of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence’s autobiographical account of his time in the Middle East.
The Hashemites are the royal family of Jordan and were a rival to the House of Saud, the ruling monarchy of Saudi Arabia, during the unrest of the early part of the last century.
Lawrence attained international fame from the 1962 British film Lawrence of Arabia. His former residence is located in the Red Sea city of Yanbu.
“We just finished the first phase of restoration and hope by the end of the year we have it fully ready for visitors,” Yanbu Mayor Ahmed al-Mahtout told The National, a UAE-based newspaper. “The residence derives its value from its history, and a lot of foreign tourists [would] like to stand in the home of the British intelligence officer,” he added.
Over the past century, the two-level home became dilapidated, Mahtout said. Historians urged that the house be preserved.
Lawrence lived in the house at some point in 1915-1916. He left it at the start of the so-called Arab Revolt in 1916. The house remained vacant for a century, and local residents claimed it was haunted, The National reported.
Mahtout rejected the notion that the house is haunted.
“I heard that fear of ghosts has led to the neglect, and I am telling you it is not true,” he said. “The house is now a registered part of Yanbu’s historical heritage, and tourists will be able to visit it.”


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