Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Ibrahim bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel ( ar, الشيخ إبراهيم بن عبد الله بن عبد العزيز بن عبد الله السويّل ''Ash-Sheikh Ibrāhīm bin ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbdulʿazīz bin ʿAbdullāh Al Suwaiyel''; 1916 – 22 January 1977) was a Saudi Arabian statesman, diplomat, and military officer who served as the

Saudi Arabian minister of foreign affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA; ar, وزارة الخارجية ''Wizārat al-Khārijīyah'') is the ministry responsible for handling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's external relations. The ministry oversees "political, cultural and fina ...

from 1960 to 1962. Appointed on 22 December 1960 by

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 ...

, he succeeded the future king

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was ...

and was succeeded by him again on 16 March 1961. He was noted for being the first non-royal to hold the position of foreign minister. He also served as the Saudi Arabian ambassador to both the United States and Iraq, as the minister of agriculture, and later as a member of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

and an advisor to the Royal Court.

Early life and education

Al Sowayel was born in

Unaizah Unaizah ( ar, عنيزة ) or officially The Governorate of Unaizah (also spelled Onaizah, Onizah, or Unayzah; ar, محافظة عنيزة ) is a Saudi Arabian city in the Al Qassim Province. It lies south of the province capital Buraydah and n ...

Al Qassim Province The Qassim Province ( ar, منطقة القصيم ' , Najdi Arabic: ), also known as the Qassim Region, is one of the 13 Regions of Saudi Arabia, provinces of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country near the geographic center of the Ar ...

. His father was Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Sowayel, an

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

at a Unaizah

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. He graduated from

Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

, and he was the first

Najd Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...

i person to attend a university.

Career

Early career

Al Sowayel began his career teaching at a mission school in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, before joining the diplomatic corps of the ministry of foreign affairs. He later served as a political advisor to King Saud, and a diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Cairo,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. From 1958 to 1960, before being appointed foreign minister, he was the

Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Iraq An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Al Suwaiyel was appointed minister of foreign affairs by King Saud, and took office on 22 December 1960. His predecessor was Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (later King Faisal), who was a close friend of Al Suwaiyel. With Faisal having been responsible for the Saudi domains' foreign policy since 1930 (two years before the proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Al Suwaiyel became the country's second foreign minister, and the first minister who was not a member of the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), an ...

. Al Suwaiyel held the office of foreign minister briefly, for less than two years, before returning it back to Faisal, whom he had asked to succeed him. He left office on 16 March 1962.

Later career

Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel and his wife with King Fahd

On 31 October 1962, Al Suwaiyel took office as the

minister of agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

, serving until 29 August 1964. When Faisal became the king, Al Suwaiyel was appointed

ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

, serving until King Faisal's assassination in 1975. In June 1974 during an informal conversation between US Foreign Minister

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

and senior Saudi officials, including

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

, Prince Fahd,

Prince Sultan 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 ...

and Prince Musaid Kissinger stated that Al Suwaiyel was very devoted to Saudi Arabia. Following the reign of King Khalid Al Suwaiyel left his ambassadorship and returned to Riyadh to help aide the new monarch. From 1975 until his death in 1977, he served as an advisor to the Saudi Royal Court and as a member of the Council of Ministers.

Death

Al Suwaiyel died of complications from

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

at dawn on 21 May 1977 in Riyadh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suwaiyel, Ibrahim Abdullah 20th-century diplomats 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1916 births 1977 deaths Advisors Agriculture ministers Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Iraq Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to the United States Cairo University alumni Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia Government ministers of Saudi Arabia Major generals People from Unaizah Saudi Arabian educators Saudi Arabian Muslims