Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd, Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [fæjsˤɑl ben ˈʕæbd ælʕæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʕuːd]; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Prior to his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.[note 1]
"Shah Faisal" redirects here. For other uses, see Shah Faisal (disambiguation).Faisal
2 November 1964 – 25 March 1975
2 November 1964
4 March 1964 – 2 November 1964
16 August 1954 – 21 December 1960
Saud bin Abdulaziz
Saud bin Abdulaziz
31 October 1962 – 25 March 1975
Saud bin Abdulaziz
Khalid bin Abdulaziz
9 November 1953 – 2 November 1964
Saud bin Abdulaziz
Khalid bin Abdulaziz
19 December 1930 – 22 December 1960
Office established
16 March 1962 – 25 March 1975
Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel
9 February 1926 – 22 September 1932
Khalid bin Abdulaziz
14 April 1906
Riyadh, Emirate of Riyadh
25 March 1975 (aged 68)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
26 March 1975
- Sultana bint Ahmed Al Sudairi
- Iffat bint Mohammad Al Thunayan
- Al Jawhara bint Saud Al Kabir
- Haya bint Turki Al Turki
- Hessa bint Muhammad Al Muhanna Aba Al Khail
- Munira bint Suhaim Al Thunayan Al Mahasher
- Fatima bint Abdulaziz Al Shahrani
- Politician
- diplomat
1917–1975
Faisal was the son of Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh. His father was still reigning as Emir of Nejd at the time of Faisal's birth,[note 2] and his mother was from the Al ash-Sheikh family which has produced many prominent Saudi religious leaders. Faisal emerged as an influential royal politician during his father's reign. He served as viceroy of Hejaz from 1926 to 1932. He was the Saudi foreign minister from 1930 and prime minister from 1954 until his death, except for a two-year break in both positions from 1960 to 1962. After his father died in 1953 and his half-brother Saud became king, Faisal became crown prince, and in that position he outlawed slavery in Saudi Arabia. He persuaded King Saud to abdicate in his favour in 1964 with the help of other members of the royal family and his maternal cousin Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
Faisal implemented a policy of modernization and reform. His main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-communism,[5][note 3] and pro-Palestinianism. He attempted to limit the power of Islamic religious officials. Protesting against support that Israel received from the West, he led the oil embargo which caused the 1973 oil crisis. Faisal successfully stabilized the Kingdom's bureaucracy, and his reign had significant popularity among Saudi Arabians despite his reforms facing some controversy. Following his assassination by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid in 1975, he was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid.
King Abdulaziz died on 9 November 1953, and Prince Faisal was at his side.[7][39][40] Faisal's elder half-brother, Saud, became king. Faisal was then appointed crown prince. On 16 August 1954 he was made prime minister.[41]
King Saud embarked on a spending program that included the construction of a massive royal residence on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. He also faced pressure from neighboring Egypt, where Gamal Abdel Nasser had overthrown the monarchy in 1952. Nasser was able to cultivate a group of dissident princes led by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, who defected to Egypt. Fearing that Saud's financial policies were bringing the state to the brink of collapse, and that his handling of foreign affairs was inept, senior members of the royal family and the ulema (religious leadership) pressured Saud into appointing Faisal to the position of prime minister in 1958, giving Faisal wide executive powers.[42]
A power struggle ensued between Saud and Faisal, and on 18 December 1960, Faisal resigned as prime minister in protest, arguing that Saud was frustrating his financial reforms. Saud took back his executive powers and, having induced Prince Talal to return from Egypt, appointed him as minister of finance in July 1958.[43][44] In 1962, however, Faisal rallied enough support within the royal family to install himself as prime minister for a second time.[42] Less than a month before this event Faisal held a secret meeting with US president John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., on 4 October 1962.[45][46] The same year, Faisal announced the Ten Point Program, which outlined Saudi Arabia's path to becoming an industrialized nation by implementing economic, financial, political, and legal principles. Among the highlights were:
Faisal founded the Economic Development Committee in 1958.[48] He was instrumental in the establishment of the Islamic University of Madinah in 1961. In 1962 he helped found the Muslim World League, a worldwide charity to which the Saudi royal family has reportedly since donated more than a billion dollars.[49] In 1963 he established the country's first television station, though actual broadcasts would not begin for another two years.[50]
Styles of
King Faisal
Your Majesty
Faisal has received numerous honours from the countries he visited both before and after assuming power.[182] The honours and awards given to Faisal are displayed at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh which was established by the King Faisal Foundation in 1983.[173][182] The awards are as follows:
