The photograph of King Faisal and the Star Wars character ended up in a history textbook. Photo / Abdullah Al-Shehri
The photograph of King Faisal and the Star Wars character ended up in a history textbook. Photo / Abdullah Al-Shehri
The founding of the United Nations was a historic moment that saw leaders from across the planet join together to commit to a more peaceful world.
But most historians don't remember the Jedi master Yoda being among them.
The Saudi government is scrambling to withdraw a history textbook that accidentally included a doctored photograph of King Faisal sitting next to the little green Star Wars character, according to Telegraph UK.
The picture was supposed to illustrate a section on the King's rule but somehow the book's editors used a version that showed Yoda perched next to the monarch as he signed the UN charter.
"The Ministry of Education regrets the inadvertent error," said Ahmed al-Eissa, the Saudi education minister.
"The ministry has began printing a corrected copy of the decision and withdrawing the previous versions, and has formed a legal committee to determine the source of the error and to take appropriate action."
Exactly how the picture ended up in the textbooks is shrouded in mystery.
All that is clear is that the image was created by Saudi artist Abdullah al-Shehri, as part of a montage in homage to King Faisal and Yoda, according to the Daily Mail.
Al-Shehri, 26, is known by the nickname Shaweesh, and makes no secret of his enjoyment creating images in which icons of popular culture are juxtaposed alongside momentous historical events.
The artist said that he holds both King Faisal and Yoda in equally high esteem - but he has absolutely no idea how it ended up where it did and that he definitely did not mean to cause offence to the royal family.
The setting of the picture is the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco in 1945.
In it King Faisal can be seen solemnly signing the paperwork - with Yoda looking on approvingly.
Yoda - who lived for 800 years - is revered by Star Wars fans for almost single-handedly training Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker. Photo / File
"All the pictures [I created] were very sad, you know, refugees and war," he told The New York Times.
But things changed when he found a photo of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat - who was assassinated in 1981 - meeting Mickey Mouse during a trip to Disneyland shortly before he was murdered.
"This is what the archive needs," he recalled thinking at the time. "Something fun, something that makes it less depressing."
He later came across a black and white photo of King Faisal, who was foreign minister at the time, at the signing ceremony and thought it could be enlivened by the appearance of Yoda.
The Jedi master like the king was renowned for his intelligence, he said, and was popular among Saudis. And he had the additional benefit of being the same colour as the Saudi flag.
"He was wise and was always strong in his speeches," al-Shehri said of the king. "So I found that Yoda was the closest character to the king. And also Yoda and his light saber - it's all green."
