Omar Al Saqqaf (1923–1974) was a Saudi Arabian diplomat and politician who served as the minister of state for foreign affairs being the first Saudi to hold the post. He was among the leading officials of Saudi Arabia in

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through mu ...

and one of the trusted envoys of King Faisal. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

while serving as the minister of state.

Early life and education

Al Saqqaf was born in

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

in 1923. His grandfather, Sayyid Omar Al Saqqaf, was a merchant in Jeddah dealing with the pilgrim trade. He received a degree in political science from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

Career

Following his graduation Al Saqqaf started his career at the Foreign Office of Saudi Arabia as the third secretary in 1948. From 1951 he assumed the post of acting charge d'affairs with the rank of counselor in different cities, including Karachi, Rome, Jakarta and London. He became chief of protocol at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in 1956 and then, was named as the acting assistant undersecretary at the ministry. Next year, he was named as the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ethiopia, and after serving in the post for one year, he was appointed deputy minister of foreign affairs. In 1968 Al Saqqaf was named as the state minister for foreign affairs. He was one of the active Saudi Arabian officials during the establishment of the Gulf states as independent countries in 1971. Al Saqqaf was among the close advisors of King Faisal during his career. Al Saqqaf's term ended in November 1974 when he died, and he was succeeded by Prince Saud bin Faisal Al Saud in March 1975. In the period between November 1974 and March 1975 the ministry was headed by the acting minister Mohammed Ibrahim Massoud.

Personal life and death

Al Saqqaf was married and had three children. He had a good command of the English and French languages. Al Saqqaf was attending the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

on the Palestine issue in New York City when he died of a cerebral thrombosis at the

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Waldorf can have the following meanings: People * William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848–1919), financier and statesman * Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879–1952), businessman and politician * Pappy Waldorf (1902–1981), 1966 ...

on 14 November 1974 at age 51. His body was brought back to

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

for burial.

Awards

Al Saqqaf was the recipient of the Nile Sash of Egypt which awarded to him on 30 July 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saqqaf, Omar 20th-century diplomats

Omar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

1923 births 1974 deaths Government ministers of Saudi Arabia People from Medina Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia Deaths from cerebral thrombosis American University of Beirut alumni