We invite you to enjoy part 8 of the 12 part Distant Arabia video series. The majority of the film clips are comprised of films taken in Saudi Arabia between 1937 and 1940 by Tom Barger, Les Snyder and Jerry Harriss. They are among the few moving pictures that record that critical and brief moment in the country's history when an ancient pastoral way of life was coming to an abrupt end, to be replaced by an industrial society. Many of the Bedouin depicted had never seen an automobile let alone a movie camera before these men arrived. The herds of camels, once the lifeblood of Bedouin life, would become irrelevant. The dhows of the Gulf replaced by motor launches, the date oases, the very anchor of the Al Hasa economy, would become all but insignificant. All that remains of those days are these flickering images from a time before oil.
Distant Arabia part 8 - Gymkhana in Saudi Arabia Filmed by Aramcon Dean Cantrell in the mid-60s this clip opens with a mare and her filly. At 0:20 riders from the Hobby Farm pass in a 4th of July parade. At 0:26 is Sher Lyn Cruise, followed by Lynn Martin, Patricia Dixon, at 0:38 Jeff Jones, at 0:52 Michael Barger, at 0:58 Helen Seidler, and at 1:14 Kit Milam. The gymkhana begins at 1:22 and includes the opening demonstration of the figure-eight maneuver. At 1:38 the riders attempt to lance three-inch rings while galloping at full speed. At 1:56 the obstacle course proves a formidable challenge. Annie Barger shows off her horse Alia at 2:14.
CHRISTMAS in KHOBAR
More Stories – Tim Barger
ISBN: 978-0988205017
246 pages, $14.95