King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 90, bringing to an end the rule of the worlds oldest monarch and casting new uncertainty on the future of one of the worlds most conservative but influential countries. The king, who succeeded to the Custodianship of the Two Holy Mosques, as the country terms its monarchy, in August 2005, died late on Thursday. He will be succeeded by his 79-year-old half-brother, Salman, the Royal Court announced. New King Salman immediately confirmed Prince Muqrin as Crown Prince and his heir, confirming the implicit decision of the royal Allegiance Council which made him deputy Crown Prince in a split vote last year. The king had been unwell for some time, and was taken to the King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on New Years Eve for what the palace said was pneumonia. After weeks of rumours, confirmation that he had died came shortly after 2am on Friday, Saudi time. Television stations cut immediately to readings from the Koran, and images of the Qubba, the holy heart of Islam in the Great Mosque at Mecca. Related Articles King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Worlds oldest monarch dies - obituary 22 Jan 2015 What are the 10 biggest risks facing the world in 2015? 06 Jan 2015 Saudi Arabia bets its future on Berlin or Bust oil strategy 02 Jan 2015 King Abdullah, like his predecessor King Fahd and successor Crown Prince Salman, was a son of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, who founded modern Saudi Arabia in 1932, before it became the oil-funded regional power it is now. The late king, who was born in Riyadh in 1924, is thought to have left behind four wives and many ex-wives, and at least 15 sons and 20 daughters. . Seen as a promising future leader from his youth, he was one of a number of Ibn Sauds sons to be groomed from an early age with important posts in the countrys hierarchy. He led and built the National Guard, the monarchys equivalent of a presidential guard, and turned it into a power base. He ruled the country as Crown Prince long before he succeeded to the throne, after his elder brother King Fahd suffered a crippling stroke in 1995. He surprised those who saw him as a religious and social conservative by pursuing a more open society, within Saudi Arabias strongly traditional bounds, allowing a greater freedom and education for women. However, his death comes at a difficult time for the country. Such attempts at reform he had made were put on hold in the face of the Arab Spring, leading to huge international scrutiny of the countrys traditionalist social attitudes, criminal justice system, and Wahhabi religious ideology, seen as a mainspring of jihadi thought. Ironically, it also finds itself under attack from those same jihadis. His support for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria backfired, leading to a backlash which has seen his adversary, Iran, expand its influence to Saudi Arabias borders. Meanwhile, a high-stakes gamble, allowing the oil price to decline rapidly apparently as a punishment to Iran, is also putting pressure on the national budget. Attention will now focus on the world leaders likely to attend the funeral, a sensitive diplomatic question. The Prince of Wales is the most likely candidate to represent Britain. The Prince is close to several members of the Saudi royal family, and most recently visited the country last February, his tenth official visit since he first toured in 1986.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 00:46:40 +0000
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