Throughout North Africa and the Middle East, people observe an unwritten hospitality code that says you have to be kind to visitors to your country. Among other things, being kind to foreigners means that you should always tell them what they want to hear. This is a sweet habit but it can cause problems.
In 1976 I was driving in the desert with a friend from England, looking for two Roman obelisk tombs known as the “Mselleten Needles.” I had previously spent several other weekends searching for them but without success. This time I was to be more fortunate.
The Mselleten Needles
The track ahead was blocked by an old man with a flock of goats. I stopped the car and got out. In my best broken Arabic I struggled through the usual exchange of greetings and pleasantries. I called him “uncle” as a sign of respect. I gave him a couple of cigarettes. We smoked together.
“So, uncle, do you happen to know the way to Mselleten?”
I was surprised when he answered, “This is the way to Mselleten. Just go straight on and you can’t miss it.”
“How far is it?” I asked.
“It is one hundred si…” he started to reply. Then he stopped. “It is maybe 30 kilometers.”
We thanked the old goatherd, got back into the Volkswagen and drove the 160 kilometers to Mselleten.
Being British, my friend couldn’t understand why the old man had “lied” to us. I explained that he hadn’t lied. He knew we were foreigners and I had shown myself to be a friendly and polite young man. So he wanted to be kind. He wished for my sake that Mselleten was only 30 kilometers away, and so that’s what he told me. Luckily, I’d already been in Libya for three years and therefore knew better than to take what he said too literally.
P.S.
This aspect of the hospitality code has certainly confused the CIA many times over the years, causing a lot of problems for the USA. The lead-up to the Iraq war no doubt included many conversations like this.
CIA Agent: By the way, Ahmed, how will you feel if we invade your country?
Iraqi Citizen: That will be very good, God willing.
CIA Agent: So you won’t oppose us.
Iraqi Citizen: Oh, no. God willing, we will welcome you with flowers and candy.
In 1957/58, when on National Service in Tripoli with the RE, I was forunate enough to be seconded to Mrs Olwen Brogan fro a trip,into the desert to survey the Mselleten whic, so far as I am awre, ahad not previously been properly recorded.
ReplyDeleteI should be pleased to email photos (renshaw.bob@gmail.com)if you are interested.
Like you, I found the Tripolitanians extremely friendly and hospitable. I wanted to stay or return and was even intervieved for and offered a job as surveyor with the USAAF at Wheelus Airbase. I turned it down as it menat taking it up immediately on demob and I had not been home for 18 months. Regrets? I have a few.
Please excuse my spelling errors. Too hasty !
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