VIDEO: The instrument that helped our pioneers

This object is a theodolite, a precision surveying instrument used to measure horizontal and vertical angles.

In the 1930s, in the deserts of eastern Arabia, tools such as this guided the search that ultimately led to the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia.

The instrument belonged to Max Steineke, the American who became chief geologist of the early Saudi concession operated by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company.

The company formed after the 1933 concession agreement with King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. 

A theodolite was essential in the early exploration years.

Mounted on a tripod and built from brass, steel, and finely calibrated lenses, it allowed geologists to measure landforms with remarkable precision.

In a region without modern maps, it helped translate desert landscapes into geological knowledge.

Steineke used instruments such as this alongside his Bedouin guide, Khamis bin Rimthan, a legendary desert scout, who knew the terrain, water sources, and tribal routes across vast distances.