Sheikh Abdul Aziz Mohamed Al Ajlan, chairman of Mohamed S Ajlan Sons Company, has led the development of this long established company since 1974 – firstly with his late brother Abdullah and later, when they came of age, with his younger brothers Saad, Fahad and Khalid.

Testament to its long heritage is the fact that the company has Commercial Registration Number Six and has celebrated more than a century of continuous business reaching back to a significant period in the history of Riyadh and Saudi Arabia. 

Mohamed S Ajlan Sons is acknowledged as the oldest and largest manufacturer of quality ghutras, shemaugs and other textiles for the finest traditional national dresses of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. 

Through father, brothers and sons, Mohamed S Ajlan Sons has taken the shemaug and ghutra industry to the highest levels of quality and design, representing the very best cultural traditions of the Middle East which has also paralleled the emergence of the kingdom into a trading nation of global significance. 

The history of Mohamed S Ajlan Sons dates back to the very foundations of Saudi Arabia by King Abdulaziz Al Saud and the period during the unification of the kingdom. 

Mohamed Al Ajlan, Sheikh Abdul Aziz’s father, was born north of Riyadh in Ragbah, a small village in central Arabia. During his life in business and trading, Mohamed was also a military man, playing his part as a soldier in the creation of the Saudi Arabia that we know today. 

Over 60 years, Mohamed built his prestigious company into the Middle East’s leading supplier and manufacturer of the ghutra and the shemaug, synonymous with the fashion of the Arab world.

After the death of his father in 1974, Sheikh Abdul Aziz and his brother Abdullah assumed control of the company, as at that time, his three brothers Saad, Fahad and Khalid were far too young to join the business. Abdullah died in 2008 and Fahad in 2012. Today, Saad and Khalid are members of the board alongside Sheikh Abdul Aziz and other family members. 


NATIONAL DRESS

Sheikh Abdul Aziz says that a sizeable proportion of all traditional headdresses and thobes sold in the Middle East are supplied by his company. The ghutra or shemaug represents the national dress of the Arab world and comprises a large square piece of plain white or white and red checked cloth with warp fringes or small white cotton tassels on the edges.

It is placed either directly on the head or over the taqiyya or white cotton skull cap. Typically, the ghutra is secured by an agal, a double-coiled heavy black cord wrapping over a cotton core.  The history of the shemaug has many stories and its true origins may well be lost in time. 

This distinctive woven checked pattern of the shemaug is worn with great pride across the Arab world. The shemaug is commonly found in arid regions to provide protection from the sun as well as dust and sand. Some say the distinctive woven red and white pattern may have originated in ancient Mesopotamia.

In other cultures such as the UK, the military wear the shemaug when operating in desert landscapes, such is the practical effectiveness of the headdress in protecting from dust and sand.


BUSINESS AMBITIONS

Sheikh Abdul Aziz’s father hailed from Ragbah, a town about 120 km north of Riyadh. “I well remember during my childhood that many people referred to him as being a very special man of great ability. During his early life there were no schools or healthcare provision – everybody was very much on their own and had to be self-reliant,” recalls Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

He continues: “My father was ambitious and decided to leave the village to work in Makkah. He then went on to Riyadh and was serious minded in building a business. Later, in the 1920s, he joined the armies of King Abdulaziz to help create and unify the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” 

Three decades after King Abdulaziz had taken Riyadh in 1902, the unified modern state of Saudi Arabia was created in 1932. 

“By 1927 my father was involved in various campaigns and these military and political successes led to the Hejaz and the Najd being united in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he says. 

“My father had begun life as a farmer before starting to trade in agricultural produce and later, textiles. He was honest and fair minded, everybody trusted his word and he managed his work intelligently. He had an eye for quality and later opened a small shop or kiosk near the masmak (fort) in Dirah, Riyadh where he sold vegetables, cardamom, lemon and spices,” Sheikh Abdul Aziz recalls.

At that time, before the Second World War, there were shortages of many items, which were difficult to find in the local markets. 

“My father did very well in supplying sugar and rice, such was the fluctuation in prices at a time when there were no banks to provide loans,” he says. “To improve matters, he decided to cut out the middleman and deal directly with the wholesaler. In 1942 he went to Bahrain to expand his business further into India and beyond. I remember one story that whilst my father was staying in Bahrain, he received a cable to say that a son had been born which was also announced after the Friday prayers. That son was me!”

Looking to expand his horizons even further, Mohamed Al Ajlan then went to Kuwait and Dubai and, with an eye on countering the shortages, crossed the seas to India. 

“My father had a reputation for supplying quality items in whatever area he operated. He understood quality and how to best secure what he wanted for his business, even determining the preferred payment method and, importantly, how to ensure timely delivery to meet the demands of his many agents and increasing numbers of customers. Although there were many agents in Saudi Arabia at the time, his reputation and scale of operations provided opportunities for the company to source the very best fabrics from across the Arab world. He established and set up his agents in Saudi Arabia and internationally to sell and trade company products,” he says. 

Sheikh Abdul Aziz says that when his father died, he feared that neither he nor his brother Abdullah had the experience to take over the company.

However, he concedes that his fears were unfounded as his father had been preparing carefully for him and his brother to take control of the business one day. 


EDUCATION OVERSEAS

“My father had always wanted me to be educated outside of Saudi Arabia and learn English and understand other cultures. During the 1960s, I was sent to an academy in Eastbourne on the south coast of England with my younger brother, Abdullah. I was about 15 and Abdullah and I were so close in age that many thought we were twins. My father always said that we should maintain our priorities in life and also be nice to everybody and understand other cultures,” he says, adding that his father “wanted my brother and me to stay together and look after each other”.

The advice about understanding other cultures stood Sheikh Abdul Aziz in good stead when he started to manage the business and negotiate with customers across the Arab world as well as international suppliers from India to Lebanon.

Skeikh Abdul Aziz has fond memories of his time in Eastbourne, when he led a simple life, learning English, focusing on his studies, and walking along the coast near Beachy Head. 

“I well recall the time when the house I was sharing with a family had an unfortunate fire which resulted in my losing everything, including my passport and money. I had to find a place to sleep and asked the owner of the teaching academy if I would be able to stay in her house. She was very nice lady and she let me stay for free – and in the end I stayed there much longer. These experiences gave me the strength to handle any situation and deal with the problem whilst understanding other cultures and accepting anything that the future will hold,” he says.

“My father always said you must manage the problems you are faced with and handle the situation yourself,” he continues. “When I joined the company after returning to Saudi Arabia, one of my first business trips involved dealing with a difficult agent in Delhi with some problems over delayed shipments, which was making many of our customers very unhappy. My father wanted me to take ownership of this particular problem and deal with the matter on my own, although I was not very far from his critical eyes. He always said we must learn the business, experience the problem, and think about the solution.”

During this period Sheikh Abdul Aziz admits he made mistakes but also helped improve deliveries to agents – whether textiles, shemaugs or whatever item supplied to the market. “I also learned to appreciate that the customer is always right.” 

In terms of the product range supplied by the company, the Shemaug Al Bassam, acknowledged as one of the oldest and most traditional designs and the preferred choice for many, takes pride of place.

“Naturally, the shemaug is a fashion trend not only as a national dress of many Arab states but also as the preferred headdress in many other countries too,” he says. 

During the 1990s, the global textile business was changing to meet competition from the South East Asia and China with many traditional companies facing severe challenges. During this period, Sheikh Abdul Aziz and his brothers looked to partner with a manufacturer in northern England.


FOCUS ON QUALITY

Sheikh Abdul Aziz says: “Inevitably, the markets had changed over time and we found that fabrics were being imported from China and South East Asia with these manufacturers driving out other businesses. In the UK, there has also been a tradition of excellence in manufacturing the finest fabrics for shemaugs so we became part of that in partnering with a major textile mill in West Yorkshire.”

“After protracted negotiations in the UK and helping improve the technology for spinning, weaving and finishing with our own funding and utilising the flexibility of our own Saudi organisation, we enhanced our range with a quality product. We always believe that the customer is right; we must understand that many of our customers include royal families and the elite of the Arab world,” he says.

“It is all about delivering quality, as we have more than 30 branches tracking our product range to ensure quality production and enhancing our brand. We are now looking to expand the brand internationally and considering growth by acquisition. Importantly, after my four decades in charge, it is all about quality and ensuring that we will deliver the best to our clients, wherever they may be,” he adds. 

Sheikh Abdul Aziz is also highly active as a member of the board and a past deputy chairman in the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is seeking to make a difference by encouraging new blood into the organisation and welcoming delegations from overseas. 

His fine home in the Al Thagar district in northern Riyadh is very much his pride and joy. The expansive property includes accommodation for his sons and is the result of seven years of painstaking planning and construction. 

His palatial home is regularly used as a venue for visiting delegations of the chamber. His two sons, Mohammed and Saad, are also active in the family business and play key roles in the Riyadh chamber.

Mohammed is a member of the board and chairman of the commercial committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry while Saad is a member of the youth businessmen’s committee.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz is also on the executive committee of the Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC) and recently held a reception and dinner for 300 guests at his residence with many ministers, ambassadors and dignitaries in attendance.

“My involvement in the chamber of commerce and other organisations is all about ensuring that we as a country are competitive and that we build on our abilities in Saudi Arabia to attract business and reciprocate where necessary. For my own business, I am very confident of the future development of the company and am considering an IPO (initial public offering) down the road to increase brand awareness. Even a shop in London and other international capitals is under consideration. It is all about value and respect for our customers for another 100 years,” concludes our Knight of Heritage.