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Good evening from Riyadh, As far as I am aware both from viewing regulations and day to day observance of the Saudi military in uniform the only medals specific to any particular service are the Air Falcon, Naval Forces and Military Appreciation medals to the Air Force, Navy, and Army (inc. National Guard). All other Saudi awards are open to one and all. As a general observation obtaining Saudi awards in Kingdom is nigh impossible - in almost 18 years I have come across next to nothing available in the local souks - even the unofficial military tailors do not supply. (Ditto Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar & UAE. ) Two key issues here - the first being the relative newness of the award series and thus most recipients are still serving so no need for descendants to sell and secondly security issues. Secondly until the bombings in 2004 militaria was freely available at the numerous military outfitters but subsequently it has become extremely difficult to obtain anything. Indeed I am still trying to obtain a specimen of the recently instituted Hajj Service Medal which appears to have been widely awarded. On another tack the Centenary Medal illustrated above is the actual issue - the example illustrated in my JOMSA article is, I believe, a rejected UK manufactured proof and I have recently obtained a correct issue. I have been unable to ascertain why some foriegners were awarded this medal and not others - I know of one senior RAF Officer who has the medal, but I also know of a number of attached British service personnel who did not receive it - perhaps being in the right place with the right time at the right time assists! To date all KSA awards have been manufactured out of Kingdom - the senior orders and merit medals mentioned above by Bertrand in Paris and the other medals by Huguenin, Spink and Fattorini and in the case of the Liberation of Kuwait medal various US manufacturers. Interestingly I have obtained a number of reject samples of a local company's attempt to manufacture Saudi medals - they have some way to got to get the business in future. Hope this is of interest, Regards to all, Owain

Gentlemen, Many thanks - I am happy to share with you my draft - please contact me off line on rawrees@yahoo.co.uk Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, I have completed a draft submission on the awards of the Republic for JOMSA - about 2MB+ - and I would like to make use of the images of the Fateh medal and the close ups of the Research, Merit & Management and Bravery orders. Can I have your permission so to do - I will of course acknowledge the GMIC and should you wish yourselves as individuals. Yours sincerely, Owain Raw-Rees (OMSA 4978 & OMRS 3088)

Good afternoon Ed & William, Greetings from Riyadh - the 1st medal or Wissam Al Jadarah is available as a part of a a set of four grades/ classes/ degrees but for the princely sum of, I think $3,000. I suspect that the vendor in Baghdad will have to wait an awfully long time before he makes a sale at that price. I was fortunate in obtaining the 1st Class in a bulk lot at an auction in Paris in the early 1990's for about $25. I agree with William that studying the awards of the region does give one an insight into the history of the Middle East or at last some of its more obscure events! Equally Ed's comments about the faction that surrounds many of these awards is very true. With regard to this award in particular I have obtained from the souk here in Riyadh a cast copy - I cannot imagine why such a piece would have been made - surely not to con a collector as the quality is so poor but at $5 it has novelty value. Regards, Owain

Ed, A beautiful piece and one of the scarcest of Arab awards. I would also include in this category the Order of Idris of Lybia, the medals of the Order of Mohammed Ali of Egypt, the Saeedee Order of Oman and the Royal Yemeni Order designed by Bichay - I believe only one proof piece of the latter was ever made. Ah well, I can but dream. Keep up the good work, Regards, Owain.

Good morning from Royadh, This is the Battle of Karama Medal and was awarded to those officers on the staff of the Jordanian Army who took part in the Battle of Karama on 21/03/1968. This battle was a victory for the Jordanian forces in repelling an Israeli incursion into Jordan proper across the Jordan valley to and resulted in the defeat of the Israeli forces at the small village of Karama close to the Dead Sea. It should be on gilt and has a loose leaf like ribbon suspension missing from this piece. Regards, Owain

The obverse lower inscription reads President Gamal Abdulnasser.

This is a commemorative piece rather than a medal and Egypt seems to have produced a number of these from the time of Nasser. The head on the obverse is Nasser and the uppermost inscription is "The United Arab Republic" and the flag is of the UAR. The revese is too small to read but usually this is a Quranic quotation. I have seen similar pieces for sale in the souks of Cairo, Sana'a, Riyadh and Damascus - usually very worn and manufactured of brass. Hope this helps. Owain

Ed, There is also clasp awared to this medal, slide on to the ribbon, for those who returned to the front for a second time. Owain

Ed, The box inscription reads Order of War Wounded - a post unification award - a neck badge and even large larger than the Order of Duty illustrated. Owain

Arabic not clear but apppears to read "Al-hakum Ash-shabi al-mahli" - not convinced about the middle word as a dot is misplaced but if so would translate as "People's Local Government" or similar. The flaming torch is indicative of a 'revolutionary' goverment and the manufacture is definitely local.............. Owain

Correction - the suspension bar has the Yemen Arab Repiblic and thus is pre-unification but otherwisde it still repalces the Order of the same name. Owain

Ed, This is Yemeni - the Decoration of Seventy (Nowt Sabaeen) - post unification and replaces, probably, the Order of Seventy, a YAR instituted Order. Named after the siege of Sana'a during the post 1962 Revolution civil war. Regards, Owain