This family are saying farewell to the maid who has worked in their household for 33 years as she flys back to her native Indonesia.
The maid, Houriya, retired after decades of service to a family in Saudi Arabia and the group who have gathered at the airport to wave her off are finding it hard to say goodbye.
During the emotional send off Houriya can’t hold back the tears as each member of the family kisses her forehead as a sign of respect.
A member of the family, Abdullah Al-Arfaj, said: ‘Houriya first came to my maternal grandfather’s house in 1985 and has been in our family for 33 years.
‘During those years, she’d travel to Indonesia to visit her own family, but she always came back.
‘She helped raise my maternal uncles, my generation, and now our children — that’s three different generations.
‘She has become indispensable to us, and we view her respectfully, kiss the top of her head, just as we do to elders in the family.
‘Now that she’s been gone only a number of days — she took away the serenity that comes with having an elder in the family.
Members of a Saudi family gathered to say goodbye to their loyal maid, Houriya, who had served the family for 33 years
‘My grandmother passed back in 2012, my grandfather in ’93, and the gap Houriya leaves is something we all feel in the family.
Al-Arfaj added that the family had been taken aback by the reaction to the video which has attracted 79,000 likes, 18,000 comments and been shared more than 62,500 times on Facebook.
He said: ‘This is a person we cherish whom we had to let go, not due to any illness or fatigue, but out of respect to her growing old and tired, to give her rest and to be merciful as would anyone in our situation.’
Houriya is unable to hold back tears as she is kissed on the forehead by members of the family – which is a sign of respect to their elders
The family are waiting to hear from Houriya when she has settled down in Indonisa and plan to visit her in her hometown in the summer.
The video of the family gathering around her wheelchair was witnessed by Saudi journalist Khalid Al-Zaidan who posted the clip online.
Al-Zaidan said: ‘The beautiful thing about this video is the depth of emotions the family shows toward her, a woman who helped bring up their children.
‘A few moments capturing her farewell. Loyalty and kindness are the main pillars of faith.’