year-old dream to own a piece of land has finally come true for a 70-year-old man, but in the most unexpected way – he now owns a piece of property in a mountainous area with no services and the closest road is 10 kilometers away. Hamad Al-Qahtani applied for a government land grant some eight years ago, wanting to be one of the lucky 30 percent of Saudi homeowners. His dream land is located in a rugged mountain area, east of the Khamis Mushayt Governorate, in the south of the Kingdom. “You can't even reach it by a four-wheel drive jeep. The only way I can imagine now is by helicopter,” he said. The nearest road is at least 10 kilometers away, he said. When he was 20, Al-Qahtani started to think of a piece of land to build his own house, but he could not afford it, which moved him to apply for a government land grant eight years ago, he said. Al-Qahtani has a nuclear family of a wife and one daughter who live with him in a tent. He survives on a monthly retirement pay of only SR1,700. His daughter has never completed her higher education because he could not afford more expenses, he said. The Khamis Mushayt Municipality has admitted that the land is far away from any form of life. Hizam Al-Shahrani, assistant director of the municipality, could not even anticipate when necessary services like water and electricity will be provided to that remote area, let alone roads and schools. Asked if the man could get a different piece of land in a more developed area, Al-Shahrani said: “It is a draw and his luck landed him there.” But the man can submit a petition to the ministry to look into the possibility of giving him a new piece of land.
