Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
( 1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015) was the King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques from 2005 to 2015. He ascended to the throne on 1
August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. According to Forbes,
in 2013, Abdullah was among the world's most powerful people, and was ranked
8th globally.
Abdullah, like Fahd, was one
of the many sons of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. Abdullah held
important political posts throughout most of his adult life. In 1961 he became
mayor of Mecca, his first public office. And, in 1962, he was appointed
commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when
he became king. He also served as deputy defense minister and was named crown
prince when Fahd took the throne in 1982. After King Fahd suffered a serious
stroke in 1995, Abdullah became the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia until
ascending the throne a decade later.
During his reign he maintained
close relations with United States and Britain and bought billions of dollars
worth of defense equipment from both states.[4] He also gave women the right to
vote and to compete in the Olympics. Furthermore, Abdullah maintained the
status quo during the waves of protest in the kingdom during the Arab Spring.]
In November 2013, a BBC report claimed that Saudi Arabia could obtain nuclear
weapons at will from Pakistan due to a longstanding relationship.
The King outlived two of his
crown Prince. Conservative Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was
named heir to the throne on the death of Sultan bin Abdulaziz in October 2011,
but Nayef himself died in June 2012. Abdullah then named the 76-year-old
defense minister, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as crown prince. According to a
2001 report, Abdullah "has four wives, seven sons, and 15 daughters".
The king had a personal fortune estimated at US$18 billion, making him the
third wealthiest head of state in the world. He died on 22 January 2015, aged
90, three weeks after being hospitalized for pneumonia.
Reference: wikipedia
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