Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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improved oil revenues. Government income, which amounted to merely $7.5 in 1936 ($3
million derived from oil production and $4.5 million levied on pilgrims), rose to $10
million following the end of World War n. In 1950, government income multiplied,
reaching $37 million and by 1955 revenues leaped to $350 million per annum, a staggering
sum by Saudi standards at that time. The increase in economic means were paralleled with
the acceleration and broadening of contacts by the population with the outside world. With
the increase in the masses' acculturation and societal awareness, a modified concept of the
relationship between the ruler and the governed emerged which gradually supplanted the
tribal notion of authority with a monarchic nation-state run by a centralized bureaucracy and
based largely on traditional values. Aware of the rising aspirations of the population, the
Saudi national government swiftly engaged the society in an intensive process of
modernization. 7
As we saw in Riyadh's case, the major cities were the first to enjoy the churns of the
new wealth. But the other towns were not behind. Bedouins and town ruralites flocked to
the emerging oil towns seeking better job opportunities and public services. For example,
during the early 1970s, the Northern region's urban centers offered an average income of
$334 per annum in comparison to $163 for those living outside cities. 8 In the case of Arar,
its viable administrative and military roles brought about substantial population growth.
This called for more government services which in turn required more governmental jobs.
The government met rising needs with more services such as schools and the expansion of
its health services. By 1973, Arar boasted a population of 14,000 with a flourishing
division of labor involved in the expanding job market offered by state agencies and
supporting services, specifically education and health. Arar's prosperity was enhanced
when the town was nominated as the administrative regional center serving the Northern
Frontiers' region, then populated by an estimated 325,000 inhabitants. In 1973, migration
constituted the major share of Arar's population growth. For example, in 1973, only 3.2
percent (or 198 people) of Arar's population had lived in the town for more than 24 years,
a figure which represented those who remained after construction of the pipeline in the
1940s.
Arar's early population growth was essentially a reflection of the demand for labor to
work in the construction of the pipeline project, which peaked to 16,000 workers at one
time. Nevertheless, the oil transport and maintenance employment remained very limited,
comprising less than 5 percent of the total employment market in Arar. This proportion