Desc: Karim Hakimov, Russian Lawrence of Arabia: LIFE AND DEATH OF KARIM KHAKIMOV 1892-1938 This dramatic documentary tells a tragic story of Karim Khakimov, who joined the Bolsheviks and became Lenin's key diplomatic envoy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In the 1920s the Soviets made a huge effort to export the Communist Revolution to the Middle East and to turn Middle Eastern governments against Western powers. Khakimov succeeded in establishing good relations with the Saudi dynasty, and the Soviet Union became the first foreign power to recognize the nascent Saudi Kingdom in 1926.