King Abdulaziz (15 January 1876[1] – 9 November 1953) (Arabic: ‫‘ عبد العزيز آل سعود‬Abd al-‘Azīz

Āl Sa‘ūd) was the first monarch of Saudi Arabia, the third Saudi State.[2] He was referred to for
most of his career as Ibn Saud.[3]

Beginning with the reconquest of his family's ancestral home city of Riyadh in 1902, he
consolidated his control over the Najd in 1922, then conquered the Hijaz in 1925. Having
conquered almost all of central Arabia, he united his dominions into the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia in 1932. As King, he presided over the discovery of petroleum in Saudi Arabia in 1938
and the beginning of large-scale oil exploitation after World War II. He was the father of many
children having 45 sons,[4] including all of the subsequent kings of Saudi Arabia.

Following the capture of Riyadh, many former supporters of the House of Saud rallied to Ibn
Saud's call to arms. He was a charismatic leader and kept his men supplied with arms. Over the
next two years, he and his forces recaptured almost half of the Najd from the Rashidis.

In 1904, Ibn Rashid appealed to the Ottoman Empire for military protection and assistance. The
Ottomans responded by sending troops into Arabia. On 15 June 1904, Ibn Saud's forces suffered
a major defeat at the hands of the combined Ottoman and Rashidi forces. His forces regrouped
and began to wage guerrilla warfare against the Ottomans. Over the next two years he was able
to disrupt their supply routes, forcing them to retreat.

He completed his conquest of the Najd and the eastern coast of Arabia in 1912. He then founded
the Ikhwan, a military-religious brotherhood which was to assist in his later conquests, with the
approval of local Salafi ulema. In the same year, he instituted an agrarian policy to settle the
nomadic pastoralist bedouins into colonies, and to dismantle their tribal organizations in favor of
allegiance to the Ikhwan.

During World War I, the British government established diplomatic relations with Ibn Saud. The
British agent, Captain William Shakespear, was well received by the Bedouin.[13] Similar
diplomatic missions were established with any Arabian power who might have been able to unify
and stabilize the region. The British entered into a treaty in December 1915 (the "Treaty of
Darin") which made the lands of the House of Saud a British protectorate and attempted to
define the boundaries of the developing Saudi state.[14] In exchange, Ibn Saud pledged to again
make war against Ibn Rashid, who was an ally of the Ottomans.

The British Foreign Office had previously begun to support Sharif Hussein bin Ali, Emir of the
Hejaz by sending Lawrence of Arabia to him in 1915. The Saudi Ikhwan began to conflict with
Emir Feisal also in 1917 just as his sons Abdullah and Faisal entered Damascus. The Treaty of
Darin remained in effect until superseded by the Jeddah conference of 1927 and the Dammam
conference of 1952 during both of which Ibn Saud extended his boundaries past the Anglo-
Ottoman Blue Line. After Darin, he stockpiled the weapons and supplies which the British
provided him, including a 'tribute' of £5,000 per month.[15] After World War I, he received
further support from the British, including a glut of surplus munitions. He launched his campaign
against the Al Rashidi in 1920; by 1922 they had been all but destroyed.
The defeat of the Al Rashidi doubled the size of Saudi territory. This allowed Ibn Saud the
leverage to negotiate a new and more favorable treaty with the British. Their treaty, signed at
Uqair in 1922, saw Britain recognize many of his territorial gains. In exchange, Ibn Saud agreed
to recognize British territories in the area, particularly along the Persian Gulf coast and in Iraq.
The former of these were vital to the British, as merchant traffic between British India and
United Kingdom depended upon coaling stations on the approach to the Suez Canal.

In 1925 the forces of Ibn Saud captured the holy city of Mecca from Sharif Hussein bin Ali,
ending 700 years of Hashemite rule. On 8 January 1926, the leading figures in Mecca, Madina
and Jeddah proclaimed Ibn Saud the King of Hejaz.[16] On 20 May 1927, the British government
signed the Treaty of Jeddah, which abolished the Darin protection agreement and recognized the
independence of the Hejaz and Najd with Ibn Saud as its ruler.

With international recognition and support, Ibn Saud continued to consolidate his power,
eventually conquering nearly all of the central Arabian Peninsula. However, the alliance between
the Ikhwan and the Al Saud collapsed when Ibn Saud forbade further raiding; the remaining
territories all had treaties with London. This did not sit well with the Ikwhan, who had been
taught that all non-Wahhabis were infidels. Tensions finally boiled over when the Ikwhan
rebelled in 1927. After two years of fighting, they were suppressed by Ibn Saud in the Battle of
Sabilla in March 1929.

On 23 September 1932, Ibn Saud united his dominions into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with
himself as its king.[17] He transferred his court to Murabba Palace from the Masmak Fort in
1938[18] and the palace remained his residence and the seat of government until his death in
1953.[19]

Ibn Saud had to first eliminate the right of his own father in order to rule, and then distance and
contain the ambitions of his five brothers – particularly his oldest brother Muhammad who
fought with him during the battles and conquests that had given birth to the state.[20]

Oil and the rule of Ibn Saud[edit]

Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938 by American geologists working for Standard Oil of
California in partnership with Saudi officials. Through his advisers St. John Philby and Ameen
Rihani, he granted substantial authority over Saudi oil fields to American oil companies in 1944,
much to the dismay of the British who had invested heavily in the House of Saud's rise to power
in hopes of open access to any oil reserves that were to be surveyed. Beginning in 1915, Ibn
Saud signed the "friendship and cooperation" pact with Britain to keep his militia in line and
cease any further attacks against their protectorates for whom they were responsible. Not only
did the British pay a generous monthly allowance for his cooperation, but in 1935 he was
knighted into the Order of the Bath.

His newfound oil wealth brought with it a great deal of power and influence that, naturally, Ibn
Saud would use to advantage in the Hijaz. He forced many nomadic tribes to settle down and
abandon "petty wars" and vendettas. He also began widespread enforcement of the new
kingdom's ideology, based on the teachings of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. This included an
end to traditionally sanctioned rites of pilgrimage, recognized by the orthodox schools of
jurisprudence, but at odds with those sanctioned by Abd al Wahhab. In 1926, after a caravan of
Egyptians on the way to Mecca were beaten by his forces for playing bugles, he was impelled to
issue a conciliatory statement to the Egyptian government. In fact, several such statements were
issued to Muslim governments around the world as a result of beatings suffered by the pilgrims
visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.[citation needed] With the uprising and subsequent
decimation thereafter of the Ikhwan in 1929 via British air power, the 1930s marked a turning
point. With his rivals eliminated, Ibn Saud's ideology was in full force, ending nearly 1400 years
of accepted religious practices surrounding the Hajj, the majority of which were sanctioned by a
millennia of scholarship.

Abdulaziz established a Shura Council of the Hijaz as early as 1927. This Council was later
expanded to 20 members, and was chaired by the king's son, Faisal.[21]

Foreign wars]
Ibn Saud was able to gain loyalty from tribes near Saudi Arabia, tribes such as those in Jordan.
For example, he built very strong ties with Prince Sheikh Rashed Al Khuzai from the Al Fraihat
tribe, one of the most influential and royally established families during the Ottoman Empire.
The Prince and his tribe had dominated eastern Jordan before the arrival of Sharif Hussein. Ibn
Saud supported Prince Rashed and his followers in rebellion against the Hussein.[22]

Prince Rashed supported Izz ad-Din al-Qassam's Palestinian revolution in 1935 which led him
and his followers in rebellion against King Abdullah of Jordan. And later in 1937, when they
were forced to leave Jordan, Prince Rashed Al Khuzai, his family, and a group of his followers
chose to move to Saudi Arabia, where Prince Rashedi was living for several years in the
hospitality of King Abdulaziz Al Saud.[22][23][24][25][26]

Later years

King Ibn Saud converses with President Franklin D. Roosevelt (right) through translator Colonel
Bill Eddy, on board the USS Quincy, after the Yalta Conference. Fleet Admiral William D.
Leahy (left) watches.

Ibn Saud positioned Saudi Arabia as neutral in World War II, but was generally considered to
favor the Allies.[27] However, in 1938, when an attack on a main British pipeline in the Kingdom
of Iraq was found to be connected to the German Ambassador, Fritz Grobba, Ibn Saud provided
Grobba with refuge.[28] It was reported that he had been disfavoring the British as of 1937.[29]

At the last stage of the war, Ibn Saud met significant political figures. One of these meetings,
which lasted for three days, was with the U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on 14
February 1945.[30] The meeting took place on board of the USS Quincy at the Great Bitter Lake
in the Suez Canal.[30][31] The meeting laid down the basis of the future relations between two
countries.[32]

The other meeting was with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the Grand Hotel du Lac
on the shores of the Fayyoun Oasis, fifty miles south of Cairo, in February 1945.[33] However,
Saudis report that the meeting that heavily focused on the Palestine problem was unproductive in
terms of its outcomes in contrast to that with Roosevelt.[33]

In 1948, Ibn Saud participated in the Arab-Israeli War. Saudi Arabia's contribution was generally
considered token.[27]

While the members of the royal family wanted heavenly gardens, splendid cars, and concrete
palaces, Ibn Saud wanted a royal railway from the Persian Gulf to Riyadh and then an extension
to Jeddah. This was regarded by all of the advisers living in the country as an old man's folly.
Eventually, ARAMCO built the railway, at a cost of $70 million, drawn from the King's oil
royalties. It was completed in 1951 and was used commercially after the king's death. It enabled
Riyadh to grow into a relatively modern city. But when a paved road was built in 1962, the
railway lost its traffic.[34]

Early life[edit] king saud

Prince Saud was born on 15 January 1902 in Kuwait city.[1][2][3] The second son of Ibn Saud,[4] he
was born in the home of Amir Abdul Rahman bin Faisal. They were in district of Sakkat Anaza
where the family was staying after their exile from Riyadh. After his father Abdulaziz conquered
Riyadh in 1902, Saud followed him with his mother and brothers.

Prince Saud had one full brother, Turki I al Awwal.[5] Their mother was King Abdulaziz's second
wife Wadhah bint Muhammad bin 'Aqab,[5] who belonged to the Qahtan tribe.[6][7]

When he was five years old, his father took him to Sheikh Abdul Rahman Mufaireej. He was
taught Shari'a and the Qur'an. He also learned archery and horse-riding. He had smallpox, but
Abdulaziz made Saud attend the meetings that he held in order to learn and develop political
skills.[8][dead link][citation needed]

Saud's first political mission occurred when aged thirteen, he led a delegation to Qatar. He led
the first war against Ha'il in 1921, and became the leader of Saudi troops fighting in Yemen. In
addition, Saud participated in eight wars before his accession: Grab War, Yabet War, Truba,
Alkuras, Hail, Alhijaz, Almahmal and the Brethren.[8][dead link][citation needed]

On 11 May 1933, he was appointed Crown Prince by his father. In 1937, he and Prince
Muhammad represented King Abdulaziz at the coronation of King George VI of the United
Kingdom in London.[9] Before the death of King Abdulaziz, Prince Saud was named Prime
Minister on 11 October 1953.[10] Prince Saud was very close to his father, upon whose death he
said: "I lost my father…and my friend".[8][dead link][citation needed]

Reign[edit]
Saud succeeded his father as King on 9 November 1953.[2] Unlike his father, King Saud was
considered an incompetent head of state, his extravagant lifestyle driving the Kingdom to the
brink of bankruptcy.[11] He squandered state funds for his own family and on palaces, all at a
time when Saudi Arabia was still struggling economically.

National policy[edit]

King Saud established numerous governmental ministries. In 1957, he founded King Saud
University in Riyadh.

Saud was keen to give his own sons power, and he placed them in high governmental positions.
From 1953 to 1964, the appointment of eight ministers were partly to contain the fermenting
demands for political participation among members of the royal lineage. By 1957, Saud had
placed his son Fahd as Minister of Defence, his son Musaid to lead the Royal Guard, his son
Khalid to command the National Guard (at only seventeen years old),[12] and his son Saad in the
Special Guard.[13] Other sons appointed to prominent government offices included the second
Minister of Defence (Mohammed), governor of Riyadh Province (Badr), and governor of
Makkah Province (Abdallah), who became known as "little kings". Saud's appointments annoyed
the king's half-brothers, who thought that his sons were too inexperienced, and began to fear that
Saud would select his own son to succeed him.[14]

King Saud fluctuated between the rising Arab nationalists and the religious traditionalists who
favoured non-interference in international politics. His decisions were personal and spontaneous.
He could not conceive of the notion that the government is above the family, and more
important, he could not conceive of the primacy of the organization over the person. While Saud
was still living in Arabia's past, Saudi Arabia was beginning to have a taste of new types of
conflicts among new forces and new tendencies. The importation of foreign labour, which
happened to be in the majority from other Arab states, exerted a great deal of influence on the
urban Saudi citizens, exposing them to new values and different outlooks. These new types of
conflicts were manifested clearly in ARAMCO whose workers went on strike twice. The first
time was in 1953, when the Saudi workers led by migrant workers demanded better working
conditions. The second time was in 1956, when the workers of ARAMCO demonstrated against
the government which was intent on renewing the lease which gave the United States of America
access to Dhahran Airfield for its forces.[15]

King Saud also welcomed members of the Muslim Brotherhood (a grassroots Islamist
organisation) to Saudi Arabia as a way to challenge Egypt, from which the Brotherhood was
fleeing.[16]
Foreign relations[edit]

The signing of the regional defense pact between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan, January 1957. At
the forefront, from left right: Prime Minister Sulayman al-Nabulsi of Jordan, King Hussein of Jordan,
Saud, President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Prime Minister Sabri al-Asali of Syria

Internationally, King Saud neglected his father's position of non-involvement.[15] First, he headed
the Egyptian and Syrian coalition for neutrality, a policy taken to oppose the Iraqi call for a
Western-sponsored regional defense arrangement Baghdad Pact. Pacts were thus signed in 1955
between Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia, which came directly after the Saudi-British dispute over
Buraimi Oasis. At the same time, Saud supported Gamal Abdel Nasser's takeover of the Suez
Canal. He severed his diplomatic relations with France and Britain and suspended oil shipments
to them. Second, in 1957 Saud swayed the other way adopting the Eisenhower Doctrine, which
was designed to fill the political vacuum in the Middle East following the Suez Crisis and the
political defeat of France and Britain. The aim of this doctrine was to keep the Soviet Union out
at all costs, in the hope that, with Saudi backing, the doctrine would be endorsed by all the Arab
leaders. Saud was invited to the United States and was given a loan of $250 million towards
defence costs. He returned home to discover that Egypt and Syria opposed the deal and were
determined to remain neutral.[15]

Saud lost on both counts. In siding with Egypt during the Suez Crisis, his oil exports declined,
and in adopting the Eisenhower Doctrine, he was opposed by a rising Arab nationalism and by
Nasserism. Saud became worried about the rise of Nasser, especially after the propaganda of the
military revolutionaries in Egypt began to be spread widely with fierce calls for the destruction
of the monarchies in the Arab world; the order in which the monarchies were to be undermined
were: Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Libya. The Syrians began to plot to
overthrow King Hussein of Jordan, who appealed to Saudi Arabia for help. Saud found that it
was in his own interests to send his Bedouin troops to Amman to help Hussein, and sent a
subsidy of half million pounds sterling. As a result, Jordan and Iraq formed a union for mutual
protection, supported by Saud who played a major role in keeping Hussein in power. At the same
time, Saud tried to break up the United Arab Republic and was accused of being behind a plot to
assassinate Nasser.[15]
From the mid-1950s until 1967, Saudi Arabia was engaged in a bitter conflict with Soviet-
backed Egypt.

Struggle with Faisal[edit]

A fierce struggle between Ibn Saud's most senior sons, Saud and Faisal, erupted immediately
after his death. The increase in oil revenues did not solve the financial problem associated with
the debts Saud had inherited from his father, estimated to have been $US200 million in 1953. In
fact, this debt more than doubled by 1958, when it reached $US450 million. The Saudi Riyal lost
half of its official value against the United States Dollar. Both ARAMCO and international
banks declined Saudi's demand for credit. Saud suspended the few government projects he had
initiated, but continued his spending on luxurious palaces.[13]

Saud and Faisal fought an internal battle over the definition of political responsibilities and the
division of government functions. Saud is often associated[by whom?] among other things with
plundering of oil revenues, luxurious palaces, and conspiracy inside and outside of Saudi Arabia
while Faisal is associated[by whom?] with sobriety, piety, puritanism, financial wisdom, and
modernization. Moreover, the conflict between the two brothers is often described as originating
from the desire of Faisal to curb his brother's spending and solve Saudi Arabia's financial crisis.

The battle between the two brothers was fought over the role to be assigned to the Council of
Ministers. Saud abolished the office of Prime Minister by royal decree, thus enforcing his
position as King and de facto prime minister. Saud thought of himself as both King and prime
minister whereas Faisal envisaged more powers being in his own hand as Crown Prince and
deputy prime minister.[13]

Forced abdication[edit]
King Saud's family members worried about Saud's profligacy and his inability to meet Nasser's
socialist challenge. Corruption and backwardness were weakening the regime. Radio Cairo's
anti-Saudi propaganda was finding a receptive audience.[17]

King Saud and Prince Faisal continued their power struggle until 1962, when Prince Faisal
formed a cabinet in the absence of the King, who had gone abroad for medical treatment. Prince
Faisal allied with Prince Fahd and Prince Sultan. Prince Faisal's new government excluded the
sons of Saud. He promised a ten-point reform that included the drafting of a basic law, the
abolition of slavery and the establishment of a judicial council.

King Saud rejected Prince Faisal's new arrangement and threatened to mobilize the Royal Guard
against his brother. Prince Faisal ordered the mobilisation of the National Guard against King
Saud. With the arbitration of the ulema and pressure from senior royalty, King Saud yielded and
agreed to abdicate on 28 March 1964.[13]

King Saud was forced into exile in Geneva, Switzerland, and then on to other European cities. In
1966, Saud was invited by Nasser to live in Egypt; another report claims that King Saud went to
Egypt under refuge granted by Nasser and stayed there from 1965 to 1967.[14] King Saud was
also allowed to broadcast propaganda on Radio Cairo.[14] Some of his sons, such as Prince
Khalid, Prince Badr, Prince Sultan and Prince Mansur, joined him and supported his attempt to
regain the throne.[14] However, after the June 1967 Arab-Israel War, he lost the support of Egypt
and settled in Greece until 1969.[14]

Personal life[edit]

King Saud with his son Mashhoor

Saud had 115 children[18] and multiple wives. Only a few of his children have a public role.[19]

His eldest son Fahad bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was minister of defence. His youngest
child is Basmah bint Saud, who currently lives in Acton, London.[18] His third son, Muhammed
was sometime governor of Al Bahah Province, and died on 8 July 2012.[20] Prince Mishari,
replaced his elder brother as Al Bahah governor with the rank of minister in August 2010.[21]

Another son, Mishaal, was the governor of Najran Province from 1996 to November 2008.[22]
His son Abdul Rahman (1940–2004) was a supporter of Al Nassr FC. One son, Badr bin Saud
(died 2004), was governor of Riyadh during his father's reign, while another son, Hussam bin
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is a businessman.

One of his daughters, called Hajer, died outside the Kingdom following an illness on 17
November 2011. Her funeral prayer was performed at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in
Riyadh after Asr prayer.[23] Another daughter, Noura, was the mother of the former deputy
defense minister Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud and died in late July 2013.[24][25]
Another daughter, Hessah, was the first Saudi woman to become the principal of a school.[26]
In 2001, his daughter, Buniah (born 1960), was arrested and charged with assaulting her maid in
Florida. She was held for one night in prison and was released on bail of $5,000 and ordered to
surrender her passport.[27]

After the death of his elder brother Turki, Saud married his wife, Muneera bint Obaid; their
daughter, Al Anoud, died in January 2006 aged 83 and was buried in Makkah.[28]

Death and funeral[edit]

Two days before his death, Saud felt ill and asked his personal physician Filnger from Austria to
examine him. In the morning, Saud took a short walk on a beach with his daughter, Nozhah, near
Hotel Kavouri near Athens, Greece, where he used to reside. His physician arrived after he had
died in the hotel on 23 February 1969,[1][29] after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. His body
was taken to Makkah where the funeral prayer was performed in the Masjid al-Haram, and then
to Riyadh where he was buried in Al-Oud cemetery.[30][31]

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: ‫ فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود‬Fayṣal ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl
Su‘ūd; April 1906[1] – 25 March 1975) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited
with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his
main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian nationalism.[2][3]
He successfully stabilized the kingdom's bureaucracy and his reign had significant popularity among
Saudis.[4] In 1975, he was assassinated by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid.

Early life[edit]
Faisal bin Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh in April 1906.[5] He is the third son of Saudi Arabia's
founder, King Abdulaziz.[6] His mother was Tarfa bint Abdullah bin Abdullatif Al Sheekh,[7]
whom Abdulaziz had married in 1902 after capturing Riyadh. She was from the family of the Al
ash-Sheikh, descendants of Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab.[8][9] Faisal's maternal grandfather,
Abdullah bin Abdullatif, was one of Abdulaziz's principal religious teachers and advisers.[10][11]

Faisal's mother died in 1912 when he was quite young,[10] and he was raised by his maternal
grandfather, who taught him the Quran and the principles of Islam, an education which left an
impact on him for the remainder of his life.

Faisal had only one sister, Nurah. She was married to her cousin, Khalid bin Muhammad bin
Abdul Rahman, son of Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman.[12]
Faisal was raised in an atmosphere in which courage was extremely valued and reinforced,
unlike that of most of his half brothers.[vague] He was motivated by his mother to develop the
values of tribal leadership.[13]

In 1919, the British government invited King Abdulaziz to visit London.[14] However, he could
not go, but sent 14-year-old Prince Faisal, making him the first ever Saudi royal to visit the
country.[14] His visit lasted for five months, and he met with the British officials.[14] During the
same period, he also visited France, again being the first Saudi royal to pay an official visit
there.[15]

Early experience[edit]
As one of King Abdulaziz's eldest sons, Prince Faisal was delegated numerous responsibilities to
consolidate control over Arabia. After the capture of Hail and initial control over Asir in 1922,
he was sent to these provinces with nearly six thousand fighters.[16] He achieved complete
control over Asir at the end of the year.[16]

In 1925, Prince Faisal, in command of an army of Saudi loyalists, won a decisive victory in the
Hejaz. He and Prince Mohammad were given the responsibility for the Ikhwan.[17] Then, Prince
Faisal was appointed viceroy of Hejaz in 1926.[18] He often consulted with local leaders during
his tenure.[19]

In 1930, Prince Faisal became minister of foreign affairs, a position he continued to hold even as
King.[20] Prince Faisal visited Europe several times in this period, and also Poland in 1932 and
Russia in 1933.[21][22]

Prince Faisal also commanded a section of the Saudi forces that took part in the brief Saudi-
Yemeni War of 1934,[23] successfully fighting off Yemeni claims over Saudi Arabia's southern
provinces. In September 1943, Prince Faisal and Prince Khalid were invited to the US, and then-
vice president Henry Wallace organized a dinner for them at the White House.[24] They stayed at
the official government guest house, Blair House, during their visit. They visited the West Coast
by a special train that was officially provided by the US government.[24] On 25 April 1945,
Prince Faisal, as foreign minister, represented Saudi Arabia at the founding conference of the
United Nations in San Francisco.[18]

ARAMCO's development of Saudi oil after World War II nearly sextupled revenue from $10.4
million in 1946 to $56.7 million in 1950.[25] As King Abdulaziz's health declined and his
leadership became lax, Prince Faisal comprehended the necessity for better economic
management.[25] In the summer of 1951, King Abdulaziz enlarged the government bureaucracy
to include many more members of the extended royal family.[25] Prince Faisal's eldest son Prince
Abdullah was appointed firstly minister of health and then, of interior at the end of the 1940s and
at the beginning of the 1950s.[26]

Crown Prince and Prime Minister[edit]

Faisal with Haj Amin al-Husseini

Upon the accession of Prince Faisal's elder brother, King Saud, to the throne in 1953, Prince
Faisal was appointed Crown Prince. King Saud, however, embarked on a lavish and ill-
considered spending program[2] that included the construction of a massive royal residence on
the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. He also faced pressure from neighboring Egypt, where
Gamal Abdel Nasser had overthrown the monarchy in 1952. Nasser was able to cultivate a group
of dissident princes led by Prince Talal who defected to Egypt (see Free Princes). Fearing that
King Saud's financial policies were bringing the state to the brink of collapse, and that his
handling of foreign affairs was inept, senior members of the royal family and the ulema
(religious leadership) pressured Saud into appointing Faisal to the position of prime minister in
1958, giving Faisal wide executive powers.[27] In this new position, Faisal set about cutting
spending dramatically in an effort to rescue the state treasury from bankruptcy. This policy of
financial prudence was to become a hallmark of his era and earned him a reputation for
thriftiness among the populace.

A power struggle ensued thereafter between King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal, and on 18
December 1960, Prince Faisal resigned as prime minister in protest, arguing that King Saud was
frustrating his financial reforms. King Saud took back his executive powers and, having induced
Prince Talal to return from Egypt, appointed him as minister of finance.[28] In 1962, however,
Prince Faisal rallied enough support within the royal family to install himself as prime minister
for a second time.[27]

It was during this period as head of the Saudi government that Prince Faisal, though still not
king, established his reputation as a reforming and modernizing figure.[2] He introduced
education for women and girls despite the consternation of many conservatives in the religious
establishment. To appease the objectors, however, he allowed the female educational curriculum
to be written and overseen by members of the religious leadership, a policy which lasted long
after his death.
In 1963, Prince Faisal established the country's first television station, though actual broadcasts
would not begin for another two years.[29] As with many of his other policies, the move aroused
strong objections from the religious and conservative sections of the country. Faisal assured
them, however, that Islamic principles of modesty would be strictly observed, and made sure that
the broadcasts contained a large amount of religious programming.

Crown Prince Faisal helped establish the Islamic University of Madinah in 1961. In 1962, Prince
Faisal helped found the Muslim World League, a worldwide charity to which the Saudi royal
family has reportedly since donated more than a billion dollars.[30]

Struggle with King Saud[edit]

The struggle with King Saud continued in the background during this time. Taking advantage of
the king's absence from the country for medical reasons in early 1963, Faisal began amassing
more power for himself. He removed many of Saud's loyalists from their posts and appointed
like-minded princes in key military and security positions,[31][32] such as his brother Prince
Abdullah, to whom he gave command of the National Guard in 1962.[33] Upon King Saud's
return, Prince Faisal demanded that he be made regent and that King Saud be reduced to a purely
ceremonial role. In this, he had the crucial backing of the ulema, including a fatwa (edict) issued
by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, a relative of Prince Faisal on his mother's side, calling on
King Saud to accede to his brother's demands.[31] In other words, Prince Faisal was backed by the
religious establishment, which is headed by the Al Shaykh the descendants of Muhammad bin
Abd al Wahab. In addition, Prince Faisal sought authority through significant Sudairi backing
which he cemented by his marriage to a Sudairi.

King Saud refused, however, and made a last-ditch attempt to retake executive powers, leading
Prince Faisal to order the National Guard to surround King Saud's palace. His loyalists
outnumbered and outgunned, King Saud relented, and on 4 March 1964, Prince Faisal was
appointed regent. A meeting of the elders of the royal family and the ulema was convened later
that year, and a second fatwa was decreed by the grand mufti, calling on King Saud to abdicate
the throne in favor of his brother. The royal family supported the fatwa and immediately
informed King Saud of their decision. King Saud, by now shorn of all his powers, agreed, and
Prince Faisal was proclaimed king on 2 November 1964.[27][32] Shortly thereafter, Saud bin
Abdulaziz went into exile in Greece.

King of Saudi Arabia[edit]

In an emotional speech shortly after he came to power on 2 November 1964,[34] Faisal said: "I
beg of you, brothers, to look upon me as both brother and servant. 'Majesty' is reserved to God
alone and 'the throne' is the throne of the Heavens and Earth." However, it was King Abdulaziz
who used family royal titles and his son King Faisal expanded them. Indeed, regulations about
royal titles instituted by the Saudi civil service during his reign required that all the direct
descendants of King Abdulaziz should be referred to as "His Royal Highness". Those of his
brothers and some of his uncles should be referred to as "His Highness", and members of other
recognized branches of the Sauds as "His Excellency", a title they share with commoners who
held senior governmental positions.[35]

In 1967, King Faisal established the post of second prime minister and appointed Prince Fahd to
this post.[36]

Finance[edit]

Upon his ascension, King Faisal still viewed the restoration of the country's finances as his main
priority. He continued to pursue his conservative financial policies during the first few years of
his reign, and his aims of balancing the country's budget eventually succeeded, helped by an
increase in oil production.

Modernization[edit]

Faisal embarked on a modernization project that encompassed vast parts of the kingdom and
involved various public sector institutions. The pinnacle of his achievements in modernizing the
Kingdom was the establishment of a judicial system, a project led and executed by an
international lawyer and judge, the former Syrian Minister of Justice, Zafer Moussly. Several
universities were established or expanded during his rule, and he continued to send a great
number of students to foreign universities, especially in the United States. These students would
later form the core of the Saudi civil service.

Faisal visiting a construction site near Taif

Many of the country's ministries, government agencies, and welfare programs were begun during
Faisal's reign, and he invested heavily in infrastructure.[37] He also introduced policies such as
agricultural and industrial subsidies that were later to reach their height under his successors,
Prince Khalid and Prince Fahd.

King Faisal also put down protests by Saudi workers employed by the international oil company,
Aramco, in the Eastern Province, and banned the formation of labor unions in 1965. In
compensation for these actions, however, Faisal introduced a far-reaching labor law with the aim
of providing maximum job security for the Saudi workforce. He also introduced pension and
social insurance programs for workers despite objections from some of the ulema.[38]
Early in his rule, he issued an edict that all Saudi princes had to school their children inside the
country, rather than sending them abroad; this had the effect of making it "fashionable" for
upper-class families to bring their sons back to study in the Kingdom.[39] King Faisal also
introduced the country's current system of administrative regions, and laid the foundations for a
modern welfare system. In 1970, he established the Ministry of Justice and inaugurated the
country's first "five-year plan" for economic development.[37]

Television broadcasts officially began in 1965. In 1966, an especially zealous nephew of Faisal
attacked the newly established headquarters of Saudi television but was killed by security
personnel. The attacker was the brother of Faisal's future assassin, and the incident is the most
widely-accepted motive for the murder.[40] Despite the opposition from conservative Saudis to
his reforms, however, King Faisal continued to pursue modernization while always making sure
to couch his policies in Islamic terms.

Steps against coups d'état[edit]

King Faisal with Muammar Gaddafi early 1970s

The 1950s and 1960s saw numerous coups d'état in the region. Muammar al-Gaddafi's coup that
overthrew the monarchy in oil-rich Libya in 1969 was especially ominous for Saudi Arabia due
to the similarity between the two sparsely-populated desert countries.[41] As a result, King Faisal
undertook to build a sophisticated security apparatus and cracked down firmly on dissent. As in
all affairs, King Faisal justified these policies in Islamic terms. Early in his reign, when faced by
demands for a written constitution for the country, King Faisal responded that "our constitution
is the Quran."[42] In the summer of 1969, King Faisal ordered the arrest of hundreds of military
officers, including some generals,[2][43] alleging that a military coup was being planned.[44] The
coup was planned primarily by air force officers and aimed at overthrowing the monarchy and
founding a Nasserist regime in the country.[44] The arrests were possibly based on a tip from
American intelligence,[41] but it is unclear how serious the threat actually was.

Religious inclusiveness[edit]

King Faisal seemed to hold the pluralist view, favouring limited, cautious accommodation of
popular demands for inclusive reform, and made repeated attempts to broaden political
representation, harking back to King Faisal's temporarily successful national integration policy
from 1965 to 1975. King Faisal acknowledged his country's religious and cultural diversity,
which includes the predominantly Shia Ahsa in the east; the Asir in the southwest, with tribal
affinities to Yemen, especially among the Ismaili tribes of Najran and Jizan; and the Kingdom of
the Hejaz, with its capital Mecca. He included non-Wahhabi, cosmopolitan Sunni Hejazis from
Mecca and Jeddah in the Saudi government. However, after his reign, discrimination based on
sect, tribe, region and gender became the order of the day and has remained as such until
today.[45]

Interestingly, the role and authority of the ulema declined after the rise of King Faisal although
they helped bring him to the throne in 1964. Despite his piety and biological relationship through
his mother to the Al as Shaykh family, and his support for the pan-Islamic movement in his
struggle against pan-Arabism, he decreased the ulema's power and influence.[46] Unlike his
successor, King Faisal attempted to ensure that the most radical clerics did not hold society's
most powerful religious posts. He tried to block extremist clerics from gaining dominion over
key religious institutions, such as the Council of Senior Ulema, the kingdom's highest religious
body, and from rising to high religious positions such as Grand Mufti, a politically recognized
senior expert charged with maintaining the entire system of Islamic law. Still, at least some of
the king's advisers warned early on that, once religious zealots were encouraged, they would
come back to haunt the kingdom.[30] King Faisal neglected the ulema's opposition to aspects of
his accelerated modernization attempts, sometimes even in matters considered by them to be
major issues.[46]

Corruption in the royal family was taken very seriously by a religious group which had its basic
orientation in the Islamic theological colleges and which challenged some of the accepted
theological interpretations adopted by the Saudi regime. One such influential figure was Shaykh
bin Baz, then rector of the Al Medina college of theology. King Faisal would not tolerate his
criticism and had him removed from his position. But his teachings had already radicalized some
of his students. One of them was Juhayman al-Otaybi.[47]

Abolition of slavery[edit]

Slavery did not vanish in Saudi Arabia until King Faisal issued a decree for its total abolition in
1962. Peter Hobday stated that about 1,682 slaves were freed at that time, at a cost to the
government of $2,000 each.[47] It is argued that the US began to raise the issue of slavery after
the meeting between King Abdulaziz and US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945 and that
John F. Kennedy finally persuaded the House of Saud to abolish slavery in 1962.[48]

Foreign relations[edit]
King Faisal, U.S. President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat Nixon (27 May 1971)

As king, Faisal continued the close alliance with the United States begun by his father, and relied
on the U.S. heavily for arming and training his armed forces. King Faisal was also anti-
Communist. He refused any political ties with the Soviet Union and other Communist bloc
countries, professing to see a complete incompatibility between Communism and Islam,[2][49] and
associating communism with zionism,[50] which he also criticized sharply. He maintained close
relationships with western democracies including the United Kingdom: on his state visit in 1967,
he presented Queen Elizabeth II with a diamond necklace.[51]

King Faisal also supported monarchist and conservative movements in the Arab world, and
sought to counter the influences of socialism and Arab Nationalism in the region by promoting
pan-Islamism as an alternative. To that end, he called for the establishment of the Muslim World
League, visiting several Muslim countries to advocate the idea. He also engaged in a propaganda
and media war with Egypt's pan-Arabist president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and engaged in a proxy
war with Egypt in Yemen that lasted until 1967 (see Yemeni Civil War). Faisal never explicitly
repudiated pan-Arabism, however, and continued to call for inter-Arab solidarity in broad terms.

Between 23–25 September 1969, King Faisal convened a conference in Rabat, Morroco, to
discuss the arson attack on the Al Aqsa Mosque which occurred a month earlier. The leaders of
25 Muslim states attended and the conference called for Israel to give up territory conquered in
1967. The conference also set up the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and pledges its support
for the Palestinians.[52]

Following the death of Nasser in 1970, King Faisal drew closer to Egypt's new president, Anwar
Sadat, who himself was planning a break with the Soviet Union and a move towards the pro-
American camp. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, launched by Sadat, King Faisal withdrew
Saudi oil from world markets, in protest over Western support for Israel during the conflict. This
action increased the price of oil and was the primary force behind the 1973 energy crisis. It was
to be the defining act of King Faisal's career, and gained him lasting prestige among many Arabs
worldwide. In 1974, he was named Time magazine's Man of the Year, and the financial windfall
generated by the crisis fueled the economic boom that occurred in Saudi Arabia after his death.
The new oil revenue also allowed Faisal to greatly increase the aid and subsidies begun
following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War[3] to Egypt, Syria, and the Palestine Liberation
Organization.[53] It is a commonly-held belief in Saudi Arabia, and the wider Arab world that
King Faisal's oil boycott was the real cause of his assassination, via a Western conspiracy,[54][55]
his assassin having just returned from the United States (see below).

King Faisal also developed a close alliance with Pakistan, where he is regarded highly for his
foreign policy and pan-Islamic ideals. He was a very close friend of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
renowned Prime Minister of Pakistan, as well as General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq.

Personal life[edit]
King Faisal married four times.[56] Three of his spouses were from powerful families; Sudairi, Al
Jiluwi and Al Thunayan.[57]

His first wife, who was the mother of his eldest son Prince Abdullah, was Sultana bint Ahmed Al
Sudairi. She was from the Sudairi family and younger sister of Hassa bint Ahmed who was the
mother of the Sudairi brothers.[56][58]

His second and most prominent wife was Iffat Al-Thuniyyan. She was born and raised in
Turkey, and was a descendant of the Al Saud family who were taken to Istanbul or Cairo by
Egyptian forces in 1818 (see First Saudi State). They first met in Istanbul around 1932 while he
were officially visiting Turkey.[14] Prince Faisal took Iffat to Jeddah where they wed in
1932.[14][59] Iffat is credited with being the influence behind many of her late husband's reforms,
particularly with regards to women.[60][61]

His third wife was Al Jawhara bint Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Al Kabir and they had a
daughter, Munira.[56] She was the daughter of his aunt, Nuora bint Abdul Rahman.[62] They
married in October 1935.[62]

His fourth wife who is the mother of Prince Khalid was Haya bint Turki bin Abdulaziz Al
Turki,[56] a member of the Al Jiluwi clan.[7][46]

Faisal's sons received exceptional education compared to other princes born to Saudi monarchs.
Prince Turki received formal education at prestigious schools in New Jersey, and later attended
Georgetown University,[63] while Prince Saud is an alumnus of Princeton University. King
Faisal's sons have held and continue to hold important positions within the Saudi government.
His eldest son Prince Abdullah was born in 1922 and held some governmental positions for a
while. Prince Khalid was the governor of Asir Province in southwestern Saudi Arabia for more
than three decades before becoming governor of Makkah Province in 2007. Prince Saud has been
the Saudi foreign minister since 1975. Prince Turki served as head of Saudi intelligence,
ambassador to the United Kingdom, and later ambassador to the United States.[64]

King Faisal's daughter, Haifa bint Faisal, is married to Bandar bin Sultan. Prince Bandar had
been all but disowned by his father Prince Sultan at the time due to his perceived inferior lineage.
King Faisal, however, forced Prince Sultan to recognize Bandar as a legitimate prince by giving
Prince Bandar his own daughter's hand in marriage. Another daughter, Lolowah bint Faisal is a
prominent activist for women's education in Saudi Arabia. In 1962, his daughter Princess Sara
founded one of the first charitable organizations, Al Nahda, which won the first Chaillot prize for
human rights organisations in the Gulf in 2009.[65] One of his daughters and Prince Khalid's full
sister, Princess Mishail, died at the age of 72 in October 2011.[66]

King Faisal was fluent in English and French.[67]

Assassination[edit]
On 25 March 1975, King Faisal was shot point-blank and killed by his half-brother's son, Faisal
bin Musaid, who had just come back from the United States. The murder occurred at a majlis
(literally ‘a place for sitting’), an event where the king or leader opens up his residence to the
citizens to enter and petition the king.[68]

In the waiting room, Prince Faisal talked to Kuwaiti representatives who were also waiting to
meet King Faisal.[69] When the Prince went to embrace him, King Faisal leaned to kiss his
nephew in accordance with Saudi culture. At that instant, Prince Faisal took out a pistol and shot
him. The first shot hit King Faisal's chin and the second one went through his ear.[69] A
bodyguard hit Prince Faisal with a sheathed sword.[69] Oil minister Zaki Yamani yelled
repeatedly to not kill Prince Faisal.[69]

King Faisal was quickly taken to the hospital.[69] He was still alive as doctors massaged his heart
and gave him a blood transfusion.[69] They were unsuccessful and King Faisal died shortly
afterward. Both before and after the assassination the prince was reported to be calm.[69]
Following the killing, Riyadh had three days of mourning and all government activities were at a
standstill.[69]

One theory for the murder was avenging the death of Prince Khalid bin Musa’id, the brother of
Prince Faisal. King Faisal instituted modern and secular reforms that led to the installation of
television, which provoked violent protest, one which was led by Prince Khalid, who during the
course of an attack on a television station was shot dead by a policeman.[70]

Prince Faisal, who was captured directly after the attack, was officially declared insane. But
following the trial, a panel of Saudi medical experts decided that Faisal was sane when he
gunned the king down. The nation's high religious court convicted him of regicide and sentenced
him to execution. Despite Faisal's dying request that the life of his assassin be spared,[citation needed]
he was beheaded in the public square in Riyadh.[69] The public execution took place on 18 June
1975 at 4:30 pm—three hours before sundown—before a throng of thousands at the Al Hukm
Palace (Palace of Justice).

King Faisal's body was buried in Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh on 26 March 1975.[71][72] His
successor, King Khalid, wept over his body at his funeral.[73]

Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: ‫ خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‬Khālid ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl
Su‘ūd; 13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982) was the King of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982, being the
fourth ruler of the country.[3] His period saw both huge developments in the country due to increase in
oil revenues and significant events in the Middle East.
Early life[edit]
Khalid was born in Riyadh on 13 February 1913.[4][5] He was the fifth son of King Abdulaziz.[6][7]
His mother, Al Jawhara bint Musaed Al Jiluwi,[2][8] was from the important Al Jiluwi clan[9]
whose members intermarried with Al Sauds.[10]

Khalid had only one full-brother, Prince Muhammad.[11] His sister, Al Anoud, married to the
sons of Saad bin Abdul Rahman. She first married Saud bin Saad. After Saud died, she married
Fahd bin Saad.[12]

Early experience[edit]
At age 14, Khalid bin Abdulaziz was sent by King Abdulaziz as his representative to the desert
tribes to hear their concerns and problems.[5] In 1932, Prince Khalid was named as viceroy of the
Hejaz, replacing Prince Faisal, who was named minister of foreign affairs. Prince Khalid's term
as viceroy of Hejaz lasted until 1934.[13] Prince Khalid joined the Saudi army led by his older
brother Prince Faisal and fought against Yemeni forces] in 1934.[5] After the war, Prince Khalid
served as the chairman of the Saudi delegation at the Taif Conference with Yemen in 1934.[14]
This was a diplomatic move that led to the Taif Treaty later that year.[14]

Then he was named interior minister in 1934[13] and Saudi representative at the peace
negotiations. In 1939, he participated in the St. James Conference on Palestine in London as an
assistant to Prince Faisal, head of the Saudi delegation.[5][14][15] Prince Khalid's preparation for
ruling a modern state started through his visits with Prince Faisal on foreign missions,
representing Saudi Arabia at the United Nations.[9] Prince Khalid served as advisor of him.[14]
Prince Khalid became an international figure as a result of his visits and service as Saudi
representative.[14] He was more liberal in informing the press about the rationale behind foreign
policy decisions.[9]

In September 1943, Prince Faisal and Prince Khalid were invited to the US, and Vice President
Harry Truman organized a dinner for them at the White House.[16] They also met the US
President Franklin Roosevelt.[17][18] They stayed at the official government guest house, Blair
House, during their visit and visited the West Coast by a special train that was officially provided
by the US government.[16] A foreign diplomat described Prince Khalid during this period as
"probably nicest man in Saudi Arabia."[19]

In 1962, Prince Khalid was appointed deputy prime minister, indicating his prominence in the
line of succession.[20][21] During the rivalry between King Saud and Prince Faisal, Prince Khalid
supported the latter together with other princes who were members of Al Jiluwi branch of Al
Saud through maternal lineage or marriage.[22] The group was led by Prince Mohammed, Prince
Khalid and Prince Abdullah, who married to a woman from Al Jiluwi clan.[22]

Crown prince[edit]
Khalid bin Abdulaziz was named Crown Prince in 1965 to succeed King Faisal[23] after Khalid's
older full-brother Prince Muhammad declined a place in the succession.[24] Prince Khalid was
also appointed first deputy premier.[14][25] His main task was to govern all organisational and
executive powers of the Council of Ministers. He also dealt with the affairs of the Governorate of
Mecca on behalf of King Faisal.[14] However, Crown Prince Khalid was not active in daily
issues, but acted as a representative during King Faisal's absences in meetings or ceremonies.[20]
According to the declassified US diplomatic documents of 1971, he enjoyed the support of the
tribal chiefs, religious authorities and of Prince Abdullah, head of the National Guard, during this
period.[26]

One of the speculations about Prince Khalid's selection as heir designate was his lack of
predilection for politics. In short, by selecting him as heir designate the royal family could create
intra-familial consensus.[27]

Reign[edit]

King Khalid (1978)

King Khalid's reign began on 25 March 1975 when King Faisal was assassinated and
killed.[28][29] He was proclaimed king after a meeting of five senior members of Al Saud: his
uncle Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman and his elder brothers Prince Mohammed, Prince
Nasser, Prince Saad and younger brothers Prince Fahd and Prince Abdullah.[30][31] The meeting
occurred just hours after the assassination of King Faisal.[20] King Khalid also became the de
facto prime minister of Saudi Arabia.[32]

Although there are various reports, stating that King Khalid was only figurehead during his
reign, he was in fact not a figurehead, but the final decision-maker on all major policy issues
during his reign.[33] Because King Faisal established a system in which the king was the final
mediator in family problems.[34]
On the other hand, King Khalid was not an effective leader.[31] Although he seemed to be
reluctant to rule the country initially, he later warmed to the throne and displayed an apparent
interest in improving the education, health-care and infrastructure of the country during his seven
years reign.[35] King Khalid is also considered to be a genial caretaker during his reign.[36] On the
other hand, King Khalid failed to monopolize the power during his reign, leading to the
empowerment of the princes who had been in powerful posts in late King Faisal's reign.[37] King
Khalid had some personal characteristics that made him a respectedking. Although he did not
have an active interest in affairs of state and his health was not good, he was admired as an
honest man who managed to have good relations with the traditional establishment of Saudi
Arabia.[31] Therefore, he was granted support by other princes and powerful forces of the
country.[31]

Domestic affairs[edit]

King Khalid's reign was of massive development in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Saudi Arabia
became one of the richest countries. He primarily dealt with domestic affairs with special focus
on agricultural development.[32] The industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu – now huge complexes
– were created in his reign.[38][39] However, Simon Henderson argues that his period was, as can
be expected, undynamic.[40] On the other hand, the number of schools increased during his reign.
In 1975, there were 3,028 elementary schools, 649 secondary schools and 182 high schools. In
1980, there were 5,373 elementary, 1,377 secondary and 456 high schools.[41] The other
significant development in the field of education during his reign was the establishment of King
Faisal University.[14]

The strict financial policies of late King Faisal, coupled with the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis,
created a financial windfall that fueled development and led to a commercial and economic
boom in the country. Notable achievements in his reign included the institution of the second
"Five-Year Plan" in 1975, which aimed to build up Saudi infrastructure and health care.[13] King
Khalid also launched the Kingdom's third Development Plan with the planned budget of $250
billion in May 1980.[35][42]

In a reorganization of the council of ministers in March 1975, King Khalid named then-crown
prince Fahd deputy prime minister and Prince Abdullah second deputy prime minister.[43]
Appointment of Prince Fahd as both crown prince and first deputy prime minister made him
much powerful figure in contrast to the status of King Khaled when he was crown prince under
King Faisal reign.[44] The ministry of municipal and rural affairs was established in 1975, and
Prince Majid was appointed minister.[22] Additionally, Prince Mutaib was appointed minister of
public works and housing that was also established by King Khalid in 1975.[45] These two
appointments were a move to reduce the power of Sudairi Seven in the cabinet.[22] King Khalid
also appointed Prince Saud as the foreign affairs minister in March 1975.[46] Additionally, the
Ministry of Industry and Electricity was founded by King Khalid.[14] His elder brother Prince
Mohammad was one of his key advisors.[43] In fact, they acted together on almost all political
issues.[20]
He and Crown Prince Fahd relied less on technocrats and recentralized state apparatus. They
further evidenced a marked preference for Nejdis, reversing King Faisal's close links with
Hejazis. And ulema successfully pressed King Khalid to realize their intentions.[47]

Some foreign observers thought traditionalism was no longer a strong force in Saudi Arabia.
This idea was disproved when at least 500 dissidents invaded and seized the Grand Mosque in
Mecca on 20 November 1979.[48] When the first news of the attack in Mecca reached Riyadh, the
initial reaction of King Khalid was to consult the ulama, in order to get permission to use
military force to eject the attackers. The ulama hesitated and refrained from a definite answer.[48]
Only after the assault had been underway for 36 hours did some ulama allow the use of force.[48]
At the time of the event, Crown Prince Fahd was in Tunisia for a meeting of the Arab Summit
and then commander of National Guard Prince Abdullah was in Morocco for an official visit.
Therefore, King Khalid assigned the responsibility to Prince Sultan, then Minister of Defense
and Prince Nayef, then Minister of Interior, to deal with the incident.[49]

After regaining the mosque, 63 rebels were executed on 9 January 1980 in eight different
cities.[50] The executions were decreed by King Khalid after the edict issued by ulemas.[50]
Although the Saudi government under King Khalid executed the rebels, the religious
establishment that inspired them were given greater powers.[51]

In 1979, Shiite minority in the Eastern Province organized protests and several demonstrators
were arrested. They were freed in 1980. After releasing the demonstrators, King Khalid and
Crown Prince Fahd visited the Eastern region from town to town.[52] Saudi Arabia acquired full
control of Aramco in 1980 during his reign.[28]

International relations[edit]

Although King Khalid did not have an extensive interest in foreign affairs as much as King
Faisal had,[34] his reign witnessed many important international events, including the Iranian
revolution, the assassination of Anwar Sadat and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, all of which
were influential for Saudi Arabia.[53] Kamal Adham was his key counsellor on foreign policy
during his reign, from 1975 to 1982.[54][55]

In April 1975, his first diplomatic coup was the conclusion of a demarcation agreement
concerning the Al Buraymi Oasis, where the frontiers of Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Saudi Arabia
meet.[29] Claims and counterclaims over this frontier had exacerbated relations among them for
years. Therefore, King Khalid aimed at settling this long-standing boundary disputes.[32] The
conclusion of negotiations under King Khalid added to his stature as a statesman.[13]

King Khalid visited Damascus in December 1975 and met with then Syrian President Hafiz Asad
to discuss the ways to support Muslims in Lebanon that began to experience civil war.[34] He
declared the Saudi Arabia's support to Syria's role in the war.[56]

In April 1976, King Khalid made state visits to all the gulf states in the hope of promoting closer
relations with his peninsular neighbors.[13] He also called numerous summits and inaugurated the
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) in 1981 that is seen an outcome of his early visits.[13][28] Then
GCC was established along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates.[28]

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, King Khalid sent Khomeini a congratulatory
message, stating that "Islamic solidarity" could be the basis for closer relations of two
countries.[57] He also argued that with the foundation of the Islamic Republic in Iran there were
no obstacles that inhibited the cooperation between two countries.[58] However, his initiative was
unsuccessful, leading to Saudi's unofficial support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War in 1980.[57]

In April 1980, King Khalid cancelled the state visit to Britain as a protest over the broadcasting
of "Death of a Princess" that narrated the execution of Mishaal bin Fahd, the granddaughter of
Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz.[59] King Khalid had been invited by Queen Elizabeth in June
1979,[59] following the Queen's visit to Saudi Arabia in February 1979, during which King
Khalid gave her a diamond necklace.[60] The visit that had been cancelled in 1980 was realized
on 9 June 1981 for four days.[61] Upon meeting then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in
April 1981,[62] King Khalid is reputed to have said he would be happy to discuss falcons with
her, but for all matters of administration she should talk to Crown Prince Fahd.[40]

King Khalid asked then US president Carter to sell advanced fighter planes to Saudi Arabia to
assist in countering communist aggression in the area.[63] The delivery of the first of sixty F-15s
under the agreement approved by Carter arrived in the kingdom in 1982. He purchased a Boeing
747 with an operating room should he be stricken while on his travels.[63] King Khalid initiated
the move to bring in foreign labor to help with the country's development.[63] Jimmy Carter in his
memoirs stated that both King Khalid and then Crown Prince Fahd assured him of 'their
unequivocal support for Sadat', but they would realize no concrete move in this direction, at least
not publicly.[64]

Health[edit]

Since King Khalid suffered from heart ailment for a long period of time, then Crown Prince Fahd
was in charge of ruling the country.[65] He had a massive heart attack in 1970 and had a heart
surgery in 1972 in Cleveland, the US.[66] On 3 October 1978, he underwent the second heart
surgery again in Cleveland.[66][67] He also had a hip operation in London in 1976.[68][69] In
February 1980, King Khalid had a minor heart attack.[36]

Personal life[edit]
King Khalid married four times. One of his wives, Latifa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, was the sister
of Hassa Al Sudairi.[70] His second wife was Tarfa bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.
Noura bint Turki bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Turki Al Saud was the mother of his elder
sons, Prince Bandar and Prince Abdullah. Noura bint Turki died at age 95 on 12 September
2011.[71] Sita bint Fahd Al Damir[72] was the mother of his daughters and Prince Faisal. Sita bint
Fahd was from the Ujman tribe in Al Badiyah and a niece of Wasmiyah Al Damir, wife of
Abdullah bin Jiluwi.[73] She died on 25 December 2012 at the age of 90.[74]
King Khalid had four sons and six daughters.[1] His youngest son Prince Faisal is the governor of
Asir Province and a member of the Allegiance Council. One of his daughters, Hussa bint Khalid,
married Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki, great grandson of Turki I.[75][76] She died at the age of 59
in November 2010.[77] Another, Princess Moudi, is the general secretary of the King Khalid
Foundation and the Al Nahda Foundation, and a member of the Consultative Assembly.[78][79]

King Khalid was warm, cheerful and adored by his sisters and brothers. He was also kind,
attentive and devout, and a tall person.[36] Falconry and horse riding were King Khalid's favourite
activities,[4][80] leading to describing him as man of desert.[31] He bought the first Toyota
Landcruiser in 1955 for falconry.[81] In December 1975, King Khalid bought then longest and
fanciest Cadillac which was 25 feet, 2 inches long.[82]

Death and funeral[edit]

The seven-year reign of King Khalid ended on 13 June 1982 at 10 am with his death due to a
heart attack in Taif.[65][83] On the same day, his body was brought from Taif to Mecca. After
funeral prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, King Khalid was buried in Al Oud cemetery in
Riyadh.[65][84] Leaders of Qatar, Kuwait, Djibouti, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain[65] as
well as then Egypt President Hosni Mubarak participated in the funeral.[85]
 King of Saudi Arabia
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

King of Saudi Arabia

13 June 1982 – 1 August 2005 (23 years,

Reign
49 days on throne)

Predecessor Khalid

Successor Abdullah

Abdullah
Regent
(21 February 1996 – 1 August 2005)

1st Minister of Education

In Office 1954–1962

Successor Abdulaziz bin Mohammad Al al-Shaikh

 6th Minister of Interior

In Office 1962–1975

Predecessor Faisal bin Turki Al Saud

Successor Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Early life and education[edit]

Fahd bin Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh in 1921.[1][2] He is the eighth son of Ibn Saud.[3] His
mother was Hassa Al Sudairi[4] and he was the eldest member of the Sudairi Seven.[5]

Fahd's education took place at the Princes' School in Riyadh, a school established by Ibn Saud
specifically for the education of members of the House of Saud.[6] He received education for four
years as a result of his mother's urging.[7] While at the Princes' School, Fahd studied under tutors
including Sheikh Abdul-Ghani Khayat.[8] Then he went on to receive education at the Religious
Knowledge Institute in Mecca.[6][9]

Early political positions[edit]

Prince Fahd was made a member of the royal advisory board at his mother's urging.[10] In 1945,
Prince Fahd traveled on his first state visit to San Francisco for the signing of the UN charter.[11]
On this trip he served under his brother, Prince Faisal, who was at the time Saudi Arabia's
foreign minister.[9] In 1953, Fahd led his first official state visit, attending the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the House of Saud.[8][12][13] On 24 December 1953, Prince Fahd
was appointed education minister, being the first person holding this post in the country.[14][15]

Prince Fahd led the Saudi delegation to the League of Arab States in 1959, signifying his
increasing prominence in the House of Saud — and that he was being groomed for a more
significant role. In 1962, Fahd was given the important post of interior minister.[7] As interior
minister he headed the Saudi delegation at a meeting of Arab Head of States in Egypt in 1965.[9]
He was named second deputy prime minister in 1967, which was created for the first time by
King Faisal.[9][16]

Crown Prince[edit]
After the death of King Faisal in 1975, Fahd was named first deputy prime minister and
concurrently crown prince in 1975.[17][18] Although Prince Fahd had two elder brothers, Prince
Nasser and Prince Saad, who had prior claims to the throne, but both were considered unsuitable
candidates.[17] By contrast, Prince Fahd had served as minister of education from 1954 to 1960
and minister of interior from 1962 to 1975.[17]

Appointment of Prince Fahd as both crown prince and first deputy prime minister made him a
much more powerful figure in contrast to the status of King Khaled when he had been crown
prince during King Faisal's reign.[19]

Reign[edit]

King Fahd gave money for building mosques throughout the world. The Ibrahim-Al-Ibrahim Mosque, at
Europa Point Gibraltar, which opened in 1997, is one such mosque.

When King Khalid died on 13 June 1982, Fahd succeeded to the throne. He was the fifth king of
Saudi Arabia.[20] However, the most active period of his life was not his reign, but when he was
Crown Prince.[21] He adopted the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" in 1986, replacing
"His Majesty", to signify an Islamic rather than secular authority.[9]

Foreign policy[edit]

Fahd was a supporter of the United Nations. He supported foreign aid and gave 5.5% of Saudi
Arabia's national income through various funds especially the Saudi Fund for Development and
the OPEC Fund for International Development. He also gave aid to foreign groups such as the
Bosnian Muslims in the Yugoslav Wars, as well as the Nicaraguan Contras, providing "a million
dollars per month from May to December 1984".[22] King Fahd was also a strong supporter of the
Palestinian cause and an opponent of the State of Israel.[23] Fahd was staunch ally of the United
States, and once said "After Allah, we can count on the United States."[24]

King Fahd developed a peace plan in order to resolve Arab differences particularly between
Algeria and Morocco.[25][26] He also actively contributed to the Taif accord in 1989 that ended
conflict in Lebanon.[15][25] In addition, he led the Arab world against the invasion of Kuwait by
Iraq.[25] He developed a special bond with both Syrian President Hafez Assad and Egyptian
President Hosni Mobarak during his reign.[27]
Islamic activities[edit]

Fearing that the 1979 Revolution in Iran could lead to similar Islamic upheaval in Saudi Arabia,
Fahd spent considerable sums, after ascending the throne in 1982, to support Saddam Hussein's
Iraq in its war with Iran.[28] He also changed his royal title to "Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques", and took steps to support the conservative Saudi religious establishment, including
spending millions of dollars on religious education, further distancing himself from his
inconvenient past.[29]

Recreational activities[edit]

At the same time as King Fahd presided over a more strict Islamic policy at home he was known
to enjoy luxurious living abroad, even in ways that would not be allowed in his own kingdom.
He visited the ports of the French Riviera, in his 147-metre (482 ft) yacht, the $100 million
Abdul Aziz. The ship featured two swimming pools, a ballroom, a gym, a theatre, a portable
garden, a hospital with an intensive-care unit and two operating rooms, and four American
Stinger missiles.[30] The king also had a personal $150 million Boeing 747 jet, equipped with his
own fountain. In his visits to London he reportedly lost millions of dollars in the casinos and was
even known to circumvent the curfew imposed by British gaming laws by hiring his own
blackjack and roulette dealers to continue gambling through the night in his hotel suite.[31]

Persian Gulf War, 1991[edit]

In 1990, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army (then the
largest in the Middle East) on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led
coalition troops in his Kingdom, and later allowed American troops to be based there.[32] This
decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudi citizens, who
objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil;[33] this was a casus belli against the
Saudi royal family prominently cited by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. His decision was also
objected to by his full brothers or the Sudairi Seven.[32]

Reform and industrialization[edit]

In regard to reform, King Fahd showed little tolerance for reformists. In 1992, a group of
reformists and prominent Saudi intellectuals petitioned King Fahd for wide ranging reforms,
including widening political representation, and curbing the royal family's wasteful spending.
King Fahd first responded by ignoring their requests and when they persisted, reformists were
harshly persecuted, imprisoned and fired from their jobs.

During King Fahd's rule, the royal family's lavish spending of the country's wealth reached its
height. In addition, the biggest and most controversial military contract of the century, the Al-
Yamamah arms deal was signed on his watch.[34] The contract has cost the Saudi treasury more
than $90 billion. These funds were originally allocated to building hospitals, schools, universities
and roads. As a result, Saudi Arabia endured a stagnation in infrastructure development from
1986 till 1999 when the new King, Abdullah, fully came into power.
Like all the countries bordering the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia under King Fahd has focused its
industrial development on hydrocarbon installations. Up to this day, the country is reliant on
imports for nearly all its light and heavy machinery.

King Fahd established a Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs directed by senior family members
and technocrats in 1994. The council was planned to function as an ombudsman of Islamic
activity concerning educational, economic and foreign policy matters. The chairman of the
council was Prince Sultan. Prince Nayef, Prince Saud and a technocrat Mohammed Ali Aba al
Khayl were appointed to the newly established council. One of the covert purposes of the council
was thought to be to reduce the power of the Ulemas Council had been increasing its power.[35]

Succession mechanism[edit]

In an effort to institutionalize succession King Fahd issued a decree on 1 March 1992.[36] The
decree expanded the criteria for succession, which had been only seniority and family consensus,
and led to speculations.[36] The most significant change by the edict was that the King did acquire
the right to appoint or dismiss his heir apparent based on suitability rather than seniority and that
the grandsons of Abdulaziz became eligible for the throne.[36]

Rule after the 1995 stroke[edit]

King Fahd was a heavy smoker, overweight for much of his adult life, and in his sixties began to
suffer from arthritis and severe diabetes.[5] He suffered a debilitating stroke on 29 November
1995[15] and became noticeably frail, and decided to delegate the running of the Kingdom to
Crown Prince Abdullah on 2 January 1996.[36][33][37] On 21 February, King Fahd resumed official
duties.[38]

After his stroke King Fahd was partly inactive and had to use a cane and then wheelchair,[39]
though he still attended meetings and received selected visitors. In November 2003, according to
government media, King Fahd was quoted as saying to "strike with an iron fist" at terrorists after
deadly bombings in Saudi Arabia, although he could hardly utter a word because of his
debilitating stroke and deteriorating health. However, it was Crown Prince Abdullah who took
official trips; when King Fahd traveled it was for vacations, and he was sometimes absent from
Saudi Arabia for months at a time. When his oldest son and International Olympic Committee
member Prince Faisal bin Fahd died in 1999, the King was in Spain and did not return for the
funeral.[40]

In a speech to an Islamic conference on 30 August 2003, King Fahd condemned terrorism and
exhorted Muslim clerics to emphasize peace, security, cooperation, justice, and tolerance in their
sermons.[41]

Wealth[edit]
Fahds's wealth was estimated to be $25 billion in 2002.[42] Fortune Magazine reported that his
wealth in 1988 was $18 billion, making him the second richest person in the world.[43] In
addition to residences in Saudi Arabia he had a palace on Spain's Costa del Sol which made
Marbella a famous place.[44]

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

King of Saudi Arabia

Abdullah delivers remarks to the press inside the Marine

One hangar at the Crawford Ranch in Crawford, Texas,
following his meeting with the President George W. Bush
on 25 April 2002.

King of Saudi Arabia

1 August 2005 – present (8 years,

Reign
110 days on throne)

Bayaa 2 August 2005

Predecessor Fahd

Heir apparent Salman

 Prince Regent

2 January 1996 – 1 August 2005

Tenure
(9 years, 211 days)

Monarch Fahd

Chief of the National Guard

26 January 1963 – 16 November 2010

In office
(47 years, 294 days)

Predecessor Saad bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud[1]

Successor Mutaib bin Abdullah

Saud
Faisal
Monarch Khalid
Fahd
Himself

Full name

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal bin

Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud

House House of Saud

Father Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia

Mother Sheikha Fahda Al Shuraim[2]

Born 1 August 1924 (age 89)

 Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd

Religion Sunni Islam

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Crown Prince
First Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Defense

Prince Salman at the Pentagon (April 2012)

Crown Prince
Deputy Prime Minister

Tenure 18 June 2012 – present

Predecessor Nayef

Monarch Abdullah
 Minister of Defence

Tenure 5 November 2011 – present

Predecessor Sultan

Monarch Abdullah

Governor of Riyadh Province

Tenure 25 February 1963 – 5 November 2011

See list[show]
Monarch


Predecessor Badr bin Saud

Successor Sattam

Full name

Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin

Turki bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud

House House of Saud

Father King Abdulaziz

Mother Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi

31 December 1935 (age 77)

Born
Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin
Muhammad bin Saud (Arabic: ‫ عبد هللا بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‬ʻAbd Allāh ibn ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz Āl Sa‘ūd,
Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [ʢæbˈdɑɫɫɐ ɪbn ˈʢæbdæl ʢæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʢuːd], 1 August 1924)[3][4][5] is
the King of Saudi Arabia. He ascended to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his
half-brother, King Fahd.

Abdullah, like Fahd, was one of the many sons of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah has held important political posts throughout most of his adult life. In 1961 he became
mayor of Mecca, his first public office.[6] And, in 1962, he was appointed commander of the
Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when he became king. He also served
as deputy defense minister and was named crown prince when Fahd took the throne in 1982.
After King Fahd suffered a serious stroke in 1995, Abdullah became the de facto ruler of Saudi
Arabia until claiming the throne a decade later.

Abdullah is the sixth king of the oil rich Saudi Arabia, controlling worlds 18% percent oil has
made him worlds 8th most powerful person and worlds most influential Muslim. During his
regime, as of 2013, the kingdom boosts a GDP of over $900 billion making it among 20 richest
countries worldwide. The kingdom has been categorized as a high income economy along with
high human development. Abdullah has during his regime maintained close relations with United
States and Britain and bought billions of dollars worth of defense equipment from both states.[7]
Abdullah also pushed towards more rights for women in the kingdom by giving them right to
vote and to compete in the Olympics but at the same time maintaining a driving ban on them.[8]
Furthermore, Abdullah successfully maintained the status quo during the waves of protest in
kingdom during the Arab Spring.[9] On November 2013, a BBC report claimed that Saudi Arabia
could obtain nuclear weapon at will from Pakistan due to a long standing relationship.[10]

The King has already outlived two of his crown princes. Conservative Interior Minister Nayef
bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was named heir to the throne on the death of Sultan bin Abdulaziz in
October 2011, but Nayef himself died in June 2012. Abdullah then named the more liberal 76-
year-old defense minister, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as crown prince. According to a 2001
report, Abdullah "has four wives, seven sons, and 15 daughters". To placate Saudi Islamists, the
king disallowed U.S. Iraq War forces to use bases in Saudi Arabia.[11] The king has a personal
fortune estimated at US$18 billion, making him the third wealthiest head of state in the world.[12]

Succession to the throne[edit]

Further information: Succession to the Saudi Arabian throne

King Abdullah's heir-apparent was his half brother Crown Prince Sultan until the latter's death on
22 October 2011. The title of Crown Prince then passed to Prince Sultan's full brother, Prince
Nayef until his death in Geneva, Switzerland, on 16 June 2012, while undergoing medical tests
for an undisclosed ailment. His third heir-apparent is Prince Salman who was named as Crown
Prince on 18 June 2012.[82]

In 2006, Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council, a body that is composed of the sons and
grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future
kings and crown princes. The council's mandate was not to have started until after the reigns of
both King Abdullah and late Prince Sultan were over. It was not clear what was to happen when
Prince Sultan died before the end of Abdullah's reign, leaving a question as to whether the
council would vote for a new crown prince, or whether Prince Nayef would automatically fill
that position. Despite such concerns, Prince Nayef was appointed Crown Prince on 27 October
2011 after consultation with the Allegiance Council by Abdullah.[83]

In November 2010, Prince Nayef chaired a cabinet meeting because of the deterioration of the
King's health.[84] During the same month, King Abdullah transferred his duties as Commander of
the Saudi National Guard to his son Prince Mutaib. King Abdullah is credited with building up
the once largely ceremonial unit into a modern 260,000-strong force that is a counterweight to
the army. The Guard, which was Abdullah's original power base, protects the royal family. This
was suggested as an apparent sign that the elderly monarch is beginning to lessen some of his
duties.[85]

Various positions[edit]
King Abdullah was Commander of the Saudi National Guard from 1963 to 2010. He was
Chairman of the Saudi Supreme Economic Council until 2009.[86] He is President of the High
Council for Petroleum and Minerals, President of the King Abdulaziz Center For National
Dialogue, Chairman of the Council of Civil Service, and head of the Military Service Council.

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
(Arabic: ‫سلمان بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‬, Salmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ʾĀl Saʿūd; ; [salʰman bin Abdˤulaʔziʔz aɫ sa.ud]
(born 31 December 1935) is the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of
Saudi Arabia. He is a member of the House of Saud.

Early life and education[edit]

Prince Salman was born on 31 December 1935.[1] He is reported to be the 25th son of King
Abdulaziz.[1][2] His mother is Hassa Al Sudairi.[3] Therefore, Salman bin Abdulaziz is a member
of the Sudairi Seven.[4] He was raised in Murabba Palace.[5]

Salman bin Abdulaziz received his early education in the Princes' School in Riyadh which was
established by King Abdulaziz to provide education to his children.[6] He studied religion and
modern science.[7]

Governor of Riyadh[edit]
Salman bin Abdulaziz was appointed governor of Riyadh Province on 4 February 1963.[6] His
tenure lasted for forty-eight years from 1963 to 2011.[7] As governor, he contributed to the
development of Riyadh from a mid-sized town into a major urban metropolis. He attracted
tourism, capital projects, and foreign investment inside his country. He favored geopolitical and
economic relationships with the West.[8]

He was advised by young well-qualified technocrats recruited from King Saud University during
his governorship.[9] In January 2011, he ordered action against Riyadh beggars "who try to take
advantage of the generosity of people". All foreign beggars were deported and Saudi beggars
were placed in a rehabilitation program by the Ministry of Social Affairs.[10]

Defence Minister[edit]
On 5 November 2011, Prince Salman was appointed Minister of Defence, replacing his full
brother late Crown Prince Sultan,[11] and late Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz was named as the
governor of the Riyadh Province. Prince Salman was also named as a member of the National
Security Council (NSC) on the same day.[12]

It is speculated that his appointment as defence minister occurred due to his qualities. First, he
has a conciliatory and diplomatic nature. It is well known that he actively deals with internal
family problems and mediates disputes between family members. Second, Prince Salman
belongs to the middle generation in the royal family; therefore, he could develop close ties with
both generations socially and culturally. Last, as a result of his long-term governorship, he
developed a network of relationships within Arab and international circles.[13]

Prince Salman visited both the US and the United Kingdom where he met with U.S. President
Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2012.[14][15] In June 2012, he met
Spanish defence minister Pedro Morenés.[15]

Crown Prince[edit]

Styles of
Crown Prince Salman

Reference style His Royal Highness

 Spoken style Your Royal Highness

On 18 June 2012, Prince Salman was appointed the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia shortly after
the death of his brother and former Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.[16][17] Prince Salman was
also made deputy prime minister.[18] His nomination as crown prince and deputy prime minister
is considered by Reuters to be a signal that King Abdullah's cautious reforms are likely to
continue.[18] On the other hand, Saudi reformists stated that Prince Salman takes a more
diplomatic approach towards the opposition figures in contrast to other Saudi royals, but he
cannot be considered to be a political reformer.[19] They also argued that like King Abdullah,
Prince Salman mostly focuses on economic improvement rather than on political change.[19]

Royal court announced on 27 August 2012 that Prince Salman was in charge of state affairs since
King Abdullah was out of the country due to personal holiday.[20] Prince Salman launched a
Twitter account on 23 February 2013.[21]

Other positions[edit]
Prince Salman heads the family council, called The Descendants’ Council (Majlis al Uthra in
Arabic), that was established by King Fahd in 2000 to solve family matters, realizing consensus
and to reduce publically embarrassing behaviour of some family members.[22][23] He is also the
chairman of the following organizations: King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives
(KAFRA),[24] King Abdulaziz Museum,[25] the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research and
the Prince Fahd bin Salman Charitable Society for the Care of Kidney Patients. In September
2012, Prince Salman was named as the deputy chairman of the military service council.[26] He is
a strong advocate for philanthropy in poor Muslim nations such as Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.[8] His financial support to Bosnia also contributed to
radical Islamists in the region.[27]

Influence[edit]
Prince Salman is well regarded as intelligent and hard-working. He is a trusted mediator in
settling royal conflicts among the extended Al Saud – estimated at 4,000 princes. His
administration of Riyadh Province was reportedly corruption-free. He is a prominent figure of
the royal council, which allows him to select which princes will be delegated which
responsibilities of the Kingdom.[8]

Prince Salman and his family own a media group, including pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat
and Al Eqtisadiah.[28][29] Though he owns only 10% of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group
(SRMG), he is often referred by auditors as its owner.[28] He reportedly controls the organization
through his son Prince Faisal,[28] who was the chairman. The SRMG publishes such daily papers
as Arab News, Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Eqtisadiah through its subsidiary Saudi Research and
Publishing Company (SRPC).[30]
In a similar vein, Prince Salman is reported to have some strong alliances with significant
journalists. He is said to be close to Al Arabiya TV director and Asharq Al-Awsat journalist
Abdelrahman Al Rashid and to Othman Al Omeir, who launched and is the owner of the liberal
e-newspaper Elaph. Prince Salman is thought to have connections with the Elaph website.[31]

Views[edit]
In November 2002, Prince Salman said that his country was not responsible if "some change the
work of charity into work of evil".[32] He stated that he had personally taken part in the activities
of those organizations.[32] He also added "I know the assistance goes to doing good. But if there
are those who change some work of charity into evil activities, then it is not the kingdom's
responsibility, nor its people, which helps its Arab and Muslim brothers around the world.”[32]

Prince Salman was close to political conservatism according to a 2007 U.S. diplomatic cable.
There he argues against introducing democracy to Saudi Arabia because of regional and tribal
divisions.[33]

Personal life[edit]

Salman in his youth

Salman bin Abdulaziz married three times.[34] He firstly married Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi,[35]
who died at the age of 71 in late July 2011.[36] She was a daughter of Prince Salman's maternal
uncle, Turki bin Ahmad Al Sudairi,[36] who was one of the former governors of Asir Province.[37]
Sultana Al Sudairi supported the Prince Fahd bin Salman Charitable Society for the Care of
Kidney Patients and other charitable organizations in the country.[38] His children from this
marriage are Prince Fahd, Prince Ahmed, Prince Sultan, Prince Abdulaziz, Prince Faisal and
Princess Hussa (born 1974).[38]

His child from his second marriage with Sarah bint Faisal Al Subai'ai is Prince Saud. His
children from his third marriage with Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithalayn are Prince
Mohammed, Prince Turki, Prince Khalid, Prince Nayif, Prince Bandar and Prince Rakan.[39]
His oldest son Fahd bin Salman died of heart failure at the age of 47 in July 2001.[40]

Salman in his 30s

Another son, Ahmad bin Salman, died after a heart attack in July 2002 at the age of 43.[41] His
second son, Sultan bin Salman, became the first person of royal blood, the first Arab, and first
Muslim to fly in outer space when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-G) in
June 1985.[42] He is the chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiques (SCTA).
Abdulaziz bin Salman, another son, has been the deputy minister of oil since 1995.[43] Faisal bin
Salman is the governor of Madinah province. One of his younger sons, Mohammad, is his
private advisor at the ministry of defense and at the Crown Prince Court.[44] Turki bin Salman
became the chairman of the Saudi Research and Media Group in February 2013, replacing his
elder brother Faisal bin Salman.[45]

Prince Salman was the closest brother to the late Crown Prince Sultan, having remained at his
side during his constant illness and recovery in New York and Morocco, nearly from 2008 to
2011.[13] Prince Sultan described him as "the prince of loyalty" in a letter sent to him.[46] Prince
Salman was also late King Fahd’s most trusted advisor during his reign.[47][48]

His legal counsel was William Jeffress Jr, of US-based Baker Botts LLP in a lawsuit filed by
families of victims of 11 September terrorist attacks from 2002 to 2010.[49]

Health[edit]

In August 2010, Prince Salman underwent spine surgery in the United States and remained out of
the kingdom for recovery.[50] He had one stroke and despite physiotherapy, his left arm does not
work as well as his right.[51] After his appointment as Crown Prince various analysts including
Simon Henderson argue that he is suffering from dementia.[52]
Awards[edit]

Prince Salman received Lifetime Achievement Award of Al Turath Charity Foundation in the
field of urban heritage.[5]