Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

Biography

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on August 1, 1924, in Riyadh. He was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from August 1, 2005, until he passed away on January 23, 2015. He was the tenth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and his mother, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim, was part of the Al Rashid dynasty, who had historically been rivals of the Al Saud family. This background gave Abdullah a unique position in the royal family and influenced his political views throughout his life.

Abdullah's ascent in Saudi Arabia's power circles was steady and deliberate. His public service began in 1961 when he became the mayor of Mecca. A year later, he took command of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a position he held for many years, giving him a strong independent power base in the kingdom. He was appointed deputy defense minister and became Crown Prince in 1982 when his half-brother Fahd became king. After King Fahd had a debilitating stroke in 1995, Abdullah effectively ran Saudi Arabia for a decade before officially becoming king.

As king, Abdullah implemented cautious domestic reforms while keeping conservative religious and social practices intact. He allowed women to vote in municipal elections and to be appointed to the Consultative Assembly, the Shura Council, marking small but significant changes in a traditional society. He invested heavily in education and helped establish King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. However, his time as king was not without controversy. There were credible reports of him holding four of his daughters captive and marrying one of his wives, Alanoud Al-Fayez, when she was just fifteen years old.

Internationally, Abdullah kept strong strategic ties with the United States and the United Kingdom, buying billions of dollars in defense equipment from both countries. During the Arab Spring that began in 2011, he managed to keep the political situation stable in Saudi Arabia while many neighboring regimes fell. Throughout his reign, he appointed several crown princes, including Sultan bin Abdulaziz, then Nayef bin Abdulaziz after Sultan's death in 2011, and finally Salman bin Abdulaziz after Nayef passed in 2012. Salman succeeded Abdullah after his death in Riyadh in January 2015 at the age of ninety.