A Riyadh compound called Granada

An American ex-pat living in Riyadh during the Terrorist attacks 2002-2004

By: D. Walkaboutdude Moss

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of `A Saudi Hospital in the Empty Quarter’ comes his second book about his adventures in Saudi Arabia. A Riyadh compound called Granada chronicle my second trip to Saudi Arabia. Join me as I wander the back streets of Riyadh, visit old souks, chop-chop square, places haunted by Lawrence of Arabia, and struggle with living in a world threatened by terrorists trying to start a civil war.

Shortly before the US invaded Iraq in 2003 and response to the 9/11 incident, I returned to the Kingdom as a department manager. Here I experienced a wholly changed Saudi Arabia since my ten-year absence.

As internal turmoil raged, the Royal family appeared calm to the outside world; all outgoing news was censored. Most outsiders were unaware of the war’s magnitude raging between security forces, police, and terrorists. Ex-pats could be victims at any time: riding a bus, visiting shopping malls, or just walking down the street.

The seriousness of this threat was reflected in the compound where I stayed. A few weeks after a nearby attack, our village transformed from a peaceful ex-pat compound into an armed camp with razor wire, soldiers, checks points, tanks, and daily doses of anxiety. Yet as I discovered, this was no guarantee the terrorists would not bring their war to us.

Dresden’s experience living in the Middle East began with the first US invasion of Iraq in 1990. He made two contracts in Saudi Arabia, one setting up a new hospital in a remote town and another running a department during the terrorist attacks in Riyadh in 2002. When he was not helping the Saudi population, he was exploring the country, history, and visiting with locals to understand a culture unavailable to outsiders. He sometimes witnessed shocking events and felt the peril ex-pats faced each day. He has written two books based on his diaries.