Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh ( ar, طرفة بنت عبد الله آل الشيخ, translit=Ṭarfā bint ʿAbd Allāh Al ash Sheikh; 1884–1906) was one of the spouses of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, Emir of Nejd (later

King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia 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 the mother of Princess Noura and King Faisal.

Background and early life

Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh was born in 1884. Her mother was Haya bint Abdul Rahman Al Muqbel. Her family were from a village near Riyadh. Tarfa's father,

Abdullah bin Abdullatif Al Sheikh ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf Āl ash-Shaykh (1848–1921) was a scholar from Nejd in Arabia and was the grandfather of King Faisal. He was a descendant of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al Wahhāb. Background Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Latif Al ash-Shei ...

, was a member of the Al Sheikh family and one of the principal religious teachers and advisers to the

Emir of Nejd The Emirate of Nejd or Imamate of Nejd was the Second Saudi State, existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of D ...

, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman. However, until Emir Abdulaziz captured Riyadh, Abdullah was a supporter of Emir

Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid (, died 28 November 1897) was one of the Emirs of Jabal Shammar and is known for his defeat of the Saudi State in the battle of Mulayda which ceased to exist for a second time in 1891. His reign lasted from 1869 ...

. Tarfa was one of

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sulayman al-Tamimi ( ar, محمد بن عبد الوهاب بن سليمان , translit=Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Sulaymān al-Tamīmī; 1703–1792) was an Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, ac ...

's eighth generation direct descendants.

Personal life and death

Tarfa bint Abdullah married Emir Abdulaziz in 1902 immediately after he captured Riyadh. She was his third wife. Tarfa's sister Munira married Abdulaziz's half-brother

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 ...

, and her other sister, Sara, married Abdulaziz's full-brother

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 ...

. These marriages were strategic moves to strengthen the links between the Al Sauds and the Al Sheikhs. Abdulaziz and Tarfa's first child, Noura, was born in 1904. Their son, Faisal, was born in Riyadh in April 1906. Tarfa died in October 1906 when Faisal was just six months old. Her daughter Noura married a cousin, Khalid bin Muhammad, son of Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman. Tarfa's son Faisal would become

king of Saudi Arabia The king of Saudi Arabia is the monarchial head of state and ruler of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (), a ...

in 1964.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheikh, Tarfa Abdullah Tarfa Tarfa 1884 births 1906 deaths Tarfa