Here is the reason why there were so many beer bottles in reclamation.

In 1947, beer was legal in Arabia and the Local Police Chief of Dhahran (Saudi) had beeb at a Christmas party in Dhahran. He and six others left, very intoxicated and while driving on the Dhahran to RT road hit a dump truck head on killing them himself and his passengers. The driver of the dump truck ran away, but Saudi government trackers found him and as luck would have it he was the local Emir's son. Despite pleas of mercy, the son was beheaded.

The second and final incident, and perhaps the most important reason the King banned beer and alcohol in general was that in 1952, at a party in Jeddah, one of the King's sons was very drunk at the British Ambassador's House at a party and made a move on the Ambassador's wife. The Ambassador pushed the son and the son grabbed a guard's submachine gun and sprayed the room, killing the Ambassador from England. The day that the King had his own son beheaded, Oct. 10, 1952, all beer and other spirits were banned from Saudi Arabia, except at the USAF base in Dhahran, which was considered US soil as it was attached to the US Consulate.

Aramco then gathered up all stocks of beers and took them to reclamation, where they were dropped into a pit and supposedly broken up, thus " Bottleland". However, many of us digging there found bottles not broken. I only wish I had kept one.

It is possible the old aircraft frame there was an airplane, but I recall when the helicopter bringing Santa in in 1953, landed and turned over in Abqaiq, by the school. I always thought that the metal frame in reclamation was that aircraft, but I could very well be wrong.

Incidentally, the cave in the side of the hill was a famous "make out" place for years and at one time was dug out about ten feet into the hill. I know that Chris Mohlman ran away from home and put rocks in front of the cave and stayed there for several days.

All of this also was kept very secret and the Saudi Government made it public that Islam would not allow alcohol as it was against their beliefs, but now you have the rest . . . Anyone else remember ?

Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 21:32:20 -0500
From: Mike Crocker ,Nacogdoches, Texas
Brat home page-(http://www.aramco-brats.com)