JEDDAH: The King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) has published details about the first royal visit to Egypt, by the late King Abdul Aziz.
During the 13-day visit in 1946, he visited several cities, facilities and landmarks, including the Al-Azhar Mosque, the headquarters of the Arab League and Alexandria, which reflects the richness and depth of Saudi-Egyptian relations.
The published content highlights the arrival of the Egyptian honorary mission from Suez to Jeddah, and the departure of King Abdul Aziz by sea, in a yacht. It also highlights the trip of the late King Farouk from Cairo to Suez to receive King Abdul Aziz and the arrival of the royal convoy to the Zaafarana palace, where celebrations were held.
The convoy then continued to Abdeen Palace to attend a horse race and a military parade, followed by a lunch hosted at the British Embassy in Egypt. Some of the poems read on that day were also published.
As King Abdul Aziz returned from this historic visit, newspapers covered the occasion as well as his efforts in building a nation committed to its intrinsic Islamic values and noble customs and traditions.
The King Abdul Aziz Foundation indicated that the Saudi royal visit to Egypt stressed King Abdul Aziz’s concern back then for the Kingdom to establish solid brotherly relations with the Arab and Islamic states in order to achieve solidarity and cooperation among these countries.
The foundation also stressed the special place Egypt occupies in the hearts of the Arab and Islamic worlds, given its historical depth, strategic place and central role in promoting these brotherly relations.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt enjoy strong relationship. In April 2016 King Salman made a five-day visit to Egypt, during which the two countries signed several agreements.
The two countries are working on joint projects such as the electricity interconnection project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia which aims to connect the power grids of the two countries to exchange a total capacity of 3,000 MW.
The Saudi-Egypt causeway or bridge will link the countries between Sinai and northern Saudi Arabia. The entire project is expected to cost about $3 billion and to pass through Tiran Island at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba.
The construction of the King Salman Bridge has been described as the largest project in the world by Egyptian Transport Minister Hashim Arafat.
