Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud (12 January 1943 – 21 August 2011) was a Saudi royal who served as the chairman 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 includ ...

and

Al Ahly AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

football club. He was a grandson of King Faisal and a son of

Abdullah bin Faisal 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 ...

Early life and education

Prince Mohammed was born in Mecca on 12 January 1943. He was the second child of Abdullah bin Faisal and Al Jawhara bint Khalid bin Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman. His maternal grandfather,

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.

, was a nephew of

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 ...

. Prince Mohammed had six full brothers, including

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 Mohammed completed his primary and secondary education in Taif. He attended a high school in Lausanne, and received a bachelor's degree in commerce and trade from the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1967.

Career

Prince Mohammed started his career at Saudi government and held various positions at the

Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency The Saudi Central Bank ( ar, البنك المركزي السعودي), previously known as the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA; ar, link=no, مؤسسة النقد العربي السعودي), established in 1952, is the central bank of ...

in Jeddah and at the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. First he worked as an advisor in the monetary agency. In 1970 he was appointed director of overseas education at the ministry. He was the assistant deputy minister of education. He resigned from the office in 1983. Then Prince Mohammed served as the director of Al Faisaliah Group which was founded by his father, Abdullah bin Faisal, in 1970. In January 2004 Prince Mohammed introduced Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan to the

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Bill Clinton at the

Jeddah Economic Forum Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) ( ar, منتدى جدة الإقتصادي) is a forum held annually since 1999 during winter in the city of Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. It has become the region's Middle East strategic think tank focusing on regiona ...

. In addition, Prince Mohammed was the chairman of the board of directors of Al Takamul International Company for Commercial Investment, Qassim Cement Company and the National Takamul Foundation for Agriculture. He was the cofounder of the

Arab Thought Foundation The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, N ...

and a member of the board of trustees of

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 ...

. Prince Mohammed was also one of the presidents of Al Ahly football club.

Literary works and views

Like his father Prince Mohammed was a poet. He published several poetry books. Prince Mohammed openly criticised the Saudi education system arguing that it produced terrorists in a television interview on

Al Arabiya Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC. The channel is a fla ...

Personal life and death

Mohammed bin Abdullah married twice. One of his spouses was 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 they divorced. Then, he married Noura bint Bandar, a daughter of Bandar bin Mohammed and Al Bandari bint Abdulaziz. Children of Prince Mohammed include Turki, Noura, Khalid, Fahd, Talal, Saud, Sultan and Haifa. In 2017 Turki bin Mohammed became the president of Al Ahly football club. His son, Saud, is a businessman and a member of the board of trustees of Arab Thought Foundation. He is married to Basma bint Abdullah, a daughter of King Abdullah who ruled Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2015. Prince Mohammed died at the age of 68 in the United States on 21 August 2011. His body was brought to Jeddah, and funeral prayers were performed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on 24 August before he 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 ...

, Mecca, where his parents had also been laid down.

Legacy

Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium was named after him in October 2011. His family established a charitable foundation, Foundation of Emir Mohammed Al Abdullah Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Mohammed Abdullah

Mohammed Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

1943 births 2011 deaths

University of Fribourg alumni