Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud ( ar, عبد الله بن فيصل آل سعود ''ʿAbd Allāh bin Fayṣal Āl Suʿūd''; 18 June 1923 – 8 May 2007) was a Saudi Arabian businessman, politician, and poet who held multiple posts in the

Saudi government The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy along Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among t ...

throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Prince Abdullah was the eldest son of King Faisal. He served as the governor of

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

during the reign of his grandfather

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

, and as the

minister of health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

and interior during the reigns of his grandfather and his uncle

King Saud Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Suʿūd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969) was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 ...

. These positions made him one of the most powerful Saudi Arabian royals of his time.

Early life and education

Prince Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1923. However, some sources list his birth year as 1921 or 1922. He was the eldest son of King Faisal. His mother was Sultana bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, sister of

Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi ( ar, حصة بنت أحمد السديري; 1900–1969) was one of the wives of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, with whom she had seven sons and four daughters. Her sons included two future Saudi kings, Fahd and Sa ...

. It is believed that Prince Abdullah was the second grandson of

after Faisal bin Turki who was born in 1918. The marriage of Prince Faisal and Sultana bint Ahmed was prearranged while Prince Faisal was travelling abroad. They never saw each other until the marriage and later divorced. Abdullah bin Faisal completed his education in Mecca in 1939.

Career

Abdullah bin Faisal assumed a number of government positions. He started his political career in 1945 when he disputed his half-uncle Mansour's appointment as acting viceroy of Hejaz and actually assumed the office one year later. Prince Abdullah was the first minister of health of Saudi Arabia and appointed to the post in 1950. Then, he was named minister of interior in 1951, being the first interior minister of the Kingdom. He served in this post during the reign of King Abdulaziz and also, of

. His appointment as minister of health and of interior was a move to make him equal in status to then-minister of defense Prince Mishaal. His term lasted until March 1959 when he resigned, and he was replaced by his father, Crown Prince Faisal, in the post of interior minister.

Business activities

Following his retirement from government jobs Abdullah bin Faisal devoted his time to business and cultural activities. First he dealt with real estate business in Jeddah. He established Saudi Arabian Agricultural and Dairy Company which was a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

with Lebanese businessmen. Abdullah bin Faisal was the founder of

Al Faisaliah Group The Al Faisaliah Group ( ar, مجموعة الفيصلية), is a Saudi-based conglomerate established in 1970. Its name is derived from the name of its founder, Abdullah Al Faisal, eldest son of the late King Faisal. Al Faisaliah Group inclu ...

, which was established in Jeddah in 1971. He also owned the largest dairy farm in Saudi Arabia. In addition, he founded Abdullah Establishment for Trading and Industry in Jeddah in 1978 and the SIGMA (Saudi Investment Group and Marketing) company in 1979. The chairman and CEO of the latter was his son, Prince Saud. Prince Abdullah's business partners included the sons of

Rashad Pharaon Rashad Pharaon (1912–1990) was a Syrian-born Saudi Arabian medical doctor who served as the personal physician of Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia. He also held various official posts during the reigns of three consecutive Saudi kings, King Sa ...

, Ghaith and Mazen. He was one of the founders of the Dar Al Maal Al Islami Trust which was initiated by his half-brother

Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن فيصل آل سعود, ''Moḥammed bin Fayṣal Āl Saʿūd''; 1937–14 January 2017) was a Saudi prince and businessman. He was a son of King Faisal and was one of the pioneers in the establishm ...

in 1981.

Other positions

Abdullah bin Faisal was the founder of the King Faisal International Charity Foundation. He was the chairman of the

King Faisal Foundation The King Faisal Foundation ( ar, مؤسسة الملك فيصل الخيرية; ''KFF''), is an international philanthropic organization established in 1976 with the intent of preserving and perpetuating King Faisal bin Abdulaziz's legacy. The fo ...

. He was the cofounder and former chairman of Al Ahli football club.

Works and awards

A composer of both classical and colloquial poetry, his works include the collection ''The Inspiration of Deprivation'' (Min Wahye al Hirman), 1980. Prince Abdullah's poems were put into music and sung by the Egyptian singer

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum ( ar, أم كلثوم, , also spelled ''Oum Kalthoum'' in English; born Fatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi, ar, فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي, Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī, link=no; 31 Dece ...

and many others. Some of them were translated into English, French and Russian. Abdullah bin Faisal received a number of international honors including an honorary doctorate degree in humanities. He was rewarded with French State Acknowledgement Award for Literature in 1984. In May 1989 he was given honorary doctorate degree, doctorate of humane letters, from

Shaw University Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...

Personal life

Prince Abdullah married three times. One of his spouses was Al Jawhara bint Khalid, a daughter of Khalid bin Muhammad and a granddaughter of

Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود ''Muḥammad bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd''; 1877 – 25 July 1943) was an Arabian soldier and politician who played a role in the conquests of his ha ...

, who was an uncle of Prince Abdullah's father King Faisal. Al Jawhara bint Khalid died at age 87 in 2005. Another spouse of Prince Abdullah was the granddaughter of

Saad bin Abdul Rahman Sa'ad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1890–1915) was the brother of Abdulaziz, Emir of Nejd (who later founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). He was one of Abdulaziz's most devoted supporters and a key lieutenant in his early military campaigns. Ear ...

, another of King Faisal's uncles. His third spouse was the daughter of a Bedouin tribe leader. Prince Abdullah had ten children: * Prince Khalid (1941—1985) *

Prince Mohammed George Nooks, Prince Mohamed, Prince Mohammed, or George Knooks (born c. 1958 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer who initially found fame as a deejay. Biography Nooks started his musical career in the youth choir at his church, and move ...

(1943—2011) who married Nouf bint Khalid, a daughter of

King Khalid Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Khalid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'' ; 13 February 1913 13 June 1982) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and politician who served as King and Prime Minister of ...

, and Noura bint Bandar, a daughter of Bandar bin Mohammed and

Al Bandari bint Abdulaziz Al Bandari bint Abdulaziz Al Saud (1928 – 8 May 2008) was a daughter of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. Early life Al Bandari was born in 1928. She was the daughter of King Abdulaziz and Jawhara bint Sa'ad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi. Her moth ...

. * Prince Bandar (deceased) * Prince Abdul Rahman who is married to Nouf bint Faisal, a daughter of

Luluwah bint Abdulaziz Luluwah bint Abdulaziz Al Saud (1928 – 17 September 2008) was a member of the House of Saud and a daughter of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmad Al Sudairi. Early life Luluwah bint Abdulaziz was born in 1928. Her parents were King Abdulaziz ...

. *

Prince Saud A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

(1946–2020) * Prince Talal (deceased) * Prince Sultan * Prince Turki * Prince Faisal * Princess Sultana

Death

Prince Abdullah died on 8 May 2007. Funeral prayers were performed at the

Masjid al Haram , native_name_lang = ar , religious_affiliation = Islam , image = Al-Haram mosque - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg , image_upright = 1.25 , caption = Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca , map ...

in Mecca. A number of royal family members attended the funeral, including his half-brothers

and Prince Khalid and the

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is the second-most important position in Saudi Arabia, second to the King, and is his designated successor. Currently, the Crown Prince assumes power with the approval of the Allegiance Council after he is nomi ...

Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (c. 5 January 1928 – 22 October 2011) (Arabic: سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Sulṭān ibn ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Suʿūd''), called ''Sultan the Good'' (Arabic: سلطان الخير ''Sulṭa ...

. Prince Abdullah was buried in

Al Adl cemetery The Al-Adl cemetery ( ar, مقبرة العدل, Maqbarat al-‘Adl, lit=Cemetery of Divine Justice) is one of the earliest and largest and of six resting places in Mecca. It is also the second substantial cemetery in the city. History and locat ...

in Mecca next to his first wife, Al Jawhara.

Legacy

In November 2018 the International Prize Prince Abdullah Al Faisal for Arabic Poetry was launched.

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Abdullah Faisal

Abdullah Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

1923 births 2007 deaths