SOME people call antique collectors ‘merchants', which they say is doing them a disservice. These people are actually lovers of antiques, with some of them dedicating all their time to the hobby and allocating large parts of their homes for their collection. Their passion reaches the extent of traveling for months for a single piece, a manuscript, an old edition of a newspaper, an ancient dirham or a fils. “Profit is trivial compared to the feeling of holding a true relic from the past in your hand, which is priceless,” they say. But there is a personal price to pay for the addiction: One collector's wife burned a room in the house with the antiques in it in a fit of jealousy; another has priceless relics in his shop with no buyers. A collector from Jeddah, Mas'ad Al-Qathami, said his “addiction” to collecting antiques started nine years ago in Al-Mekhwah. “I had no interest in antiques at the time; I even joked about people who search for them, until the day I was climbing Shada Mountain with five friends of mine, when a book-shaped rock fell near my foot and I noticed there was some writing on it. As I tried to lift it, it fell and shattered and I was filled with pain. I actually cried.” He said he started searching for relics all over the country ever since, adding that he intends to open a shop to sell the items, yet not everything is for sale. His son who goes to elementary school is involved in taking care of his collections only “to guarantee that the family does not dispose them off after I die,” he said. Fawzi Saeed Al-Harbi, 40, attributed his interest in collecting “ancient stuff” to his friend Badr Al-Sobhi, with whom Fawzi works in the antique business. “Collecting relics can never be mere business. It's a passion and a hobby in the first place. Profits are not guaranteed in it. For example, I have in my shop an Omawi fils – from the ancient Ummayyad Islamic State – and a 100-year-old woman's purse made of iron and wood, though in terms of business, there are no customers for them yet. A customer might come in a year or two or even 10 years but I don't care because I love the work.” Al-Harbi said Western customers value the antiques unlike some Arabs, who do not buy an antique until they are sure they can profit from it. Anyone entering the house of Ahmad Jazi Al-Shihri would be astonished at the sight of the rooms, which have been turned into veritable museums. “I collect antiques to decorate my home and I like it this way.” An exception in the trade is Mohammad Abdullah Hakami, who inherited a number of old manuscripts but says he is only interested in their financial value. He says he tried to sell them, but could not find genuine buyers except some science bodies who seem interested. “The problem is that I am not a fan of antiques. I was forced to deal with them when my father died and left me the manuscripts which I have been keeping for eight years.” He says he has a manuscript of Sahih Al-Bukhari (Hadith) dating back to 824 H and two other books dating back to 711 H and 1071 H respectively. He said he has about 40 manuscripts of other ancient books and letters but no one bothers about this treasure. Haumaid Ibrahim Shubaili said his wife once set fire to a mini museum he had in his house, but he doesn't blame her. “I used to be absent for a week or more searching for antiques while putting off my responsibilities at home. My overwhelming interest in my hobby made me ignore her feelings, but the fire was a strong warning and I got the message,” he said laughing.
