Following the establishment of the Mason Memorial Hospital in Bahrain in 1903, Samuel Zwemer played a pivotal role in the inception of other American Mission Hospitals in Muttrah, Oman (1904), and in Kuwait (1913).
A year prior to the founding of the Mason Memorial Hospital, James Cantine had already initiated an American Mission Hospital in Basra, Mesopotamia, which is present-day Iraq.
With Mr Cantine, an American missionary, scholar and traveller, Mr Zwemer had co-founded the New York-based ‘Arabian Mission’ in 1889, which was soon running several healthcare and educational facilities in the region.
In 1938, commemorating the 50th anniversary of their mission, they penned a book titled The Golden Milestone. Their collective efforts spanning over five decades in Southern Iraq and the Arabian Gulf region, encompassing healthcare, education and social service, imbued with Christian principles, were meticulously chronicled in their publications and quarterly newsletters until the late 1960s.
Mr Zwemer advocated for regular medical tours to Nejd, Qatif, Qatar, and the Trucial States (a British protectorate that existed from 1820 to 1971 before becoming the nation of the United Arab Emirate), while also contributing, directly or indirectly, to the establishment of numerous modern schools in the region. His endeavours garnered the support of the rulers of Oman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, just like that of the rulers of Bahrain.
Having relocated from Bahrain, Mr Zwemer resided in Cairo, Egypt, from 1913 to 1929. He extensively toured Asia Minor and addressed Christian conferences in India and beyond.
His scholarly pursuits earned him recognition in many areas, including being elected as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London. His photographs were even published by the National Geographic magazine.
Mr Zwemer’s prolific writings encompassed a wide array of topics, from culture and customs to religions and geography of Southern Iraq and the Arabian Gulf region, alongside his theological reflections and missionary work.
In 1930, he assumed the role of Professor of History of Religion and Christian Missions at the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he continued to write and teach until his passing in 1952 at the age of 84.
In the preface of The Golden Milestone, Mr Zwemer and Mr Cantine expressed a vision of unity and friendship, reminiscent of the biblical bond between Jonathan and David, echoing the burgeoning relationship between the Arabian Gulf countries and the United States.
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