Fahd of Saudi Arabia#Islamic activities

{{Short description|King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005}}

{{pp-sock|small=yes}}

{{Redirect|King Fahd}}

{{Family name hatnote|lang=Arabic|Al Saud}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox royalty

| name = Fahd

| title = Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

| full name = Fahd bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman

| image = Fahd of Saudi Arabia Portrait.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 1982

| alt = Official portrait of King Fahd

| succession = {{nowrap|King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia}}

| reign = 13 June 1982 – 1 August 2005

| cor-type = Bay'ah

| coronation = 13 June 1982

| predecessor = Khalid

| successor = Abdullah

| regent = Crown Prince Abdullah (1996{{nbnd}}2005)

| succession2 = Minister of Interior

| reign2 = 1962–1975

| reign-type2 = In office

| predecessor2 = Faisal bin Turki I

| successor2 = Nayef bin Abdulaziz

| regent2 = {{ubl|King Saud|King Faisal}}

| reg-type2 = Prime Minister

| succession3 = Minister of Education

| reign3 = 1953–1962

| reign-type3 = In office

| predecessor3 = Office established

| successor3 = Abdullah bin Saleh bin Obaid

| regent3 = King Saud

| reg-type3 = Prime Minister

| spouse = see list

| issue = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|10, including:}}|Prince Faisal|Prince Muhammad|Prince Saud|Prince Sultan|Prince Abdulaziz|Princess Latifa}}

| house = Al Saud

| father = King Abdulaziz

| mother = Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi

| birth_date = 1920, 1921 or 1923

| birth_place = Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd

| death_date = {{Death date and given age|2005|08|01|81–85|df=yes}}

| death_place = King Faisal Hospital, Riyadh

| burial_date = 2 August 2005

| burial_place = Al Oud cemetery, Riyadh

}}

Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ({{langx|ar|فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود}}; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. He was the eighth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.

Fahd was the eldest of the Sudairi Seven, the sons of King Abdulaziz by Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He served as minister of education from 1953 to 1962 during the reign of King Saud. Afterwards he was minister of interior from 1962 to 1975, at the end of King Saud's reign and throughout King Faisal's reign. He was appointed crown prince when his half-brother Khalid became king following the assassination of King Faisal in 1975. Fahd was viewed as the de facto leader of the country during King Khalid's reign in part due to the latter's ill health.

Upon the death of King Khalid in 1982, Fahd ascended to the throne. He is credited for having introduced the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia in 1992. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995, after which he was unable to continue performing his full official duties. His half-brother Crown Prince Abdullah served as de facto regent of the kingdom and succeeded Fahd as king upon his death in 2005. With a reign of 23 years, Fahd remains the longest-reigning Saudi king.

Early life and education

File:Ibn Saud.png, father of Fahd]]

Fahd bin Abdulaziz was born in the walled town of Riyadh in 1920,{{cite web|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22544789|title=Fahd ibn Abdal-Aziz, King of Saudi Arabia, 1920-2005|publisher=National Library of New Zealand|access-date=21 August 2022}} 1921{{cite book

|editor=Bernard Reich|title=Political leaders of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A biographical dictionary|isbn=978-0-313-26213-5

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3D5FulN2WqQC&pg=PA528|year=1990|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=528|location=New York; Westport, CT; London}} or 1923.{{cite journal|title=Riyadh. The capital of monotheism|journal=Business and Finance Group|url=http://www.bfg-global.com/pdfnw/pdf/eng/1-ensalman.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014223725/http://www.bfg-global.com/pdfnw/pdf/eng/1-ensalman.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2009}}{{Cite web|title=The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

|url=https://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/2005/news/page365.aspx|publisher=The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia}}{{Cite web|url=https://houseofsaud.com/profiles/fahd-of-saudi-arabia/|title=Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|date=30 July 2023}} He was the eighth son of King Abdulaziz,{{cite journal|author=Nabil Mouline|title=Power and generational transition in Saudi Arabia|volume=46|journal=Critique Internationale|date=April–June 2012|pages=1–22|doi=10.3917/crii.046.0125}} and his eldest son by Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi.{{cite book|editor=Winberg Chai|title=Saudi Arabia: A Modern Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh4bENPP_HEC&pg=PA193|year=2005|page=193

|publisher=University of Indianapolis Press|isbn=978-0-88093-859-4|location=Indianapolis, IN}} Fahd and his six full brothers are known as the Sudairi Seven.{{cite news|title=King Fahd|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=2 February 2013|date=2 August 2005

|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1495300/King-Fahd.html}} Fahd was Hassa's second son; his elder half-brother Abdullah bin Muhammad was his mother's only son from her previous marriage to Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman, Fahd's paternal uncle.

Fahd's education took place at the Princes' School in Riyadh, a school established by King Abdulaziz specifically for the education of members of the House of Saud. He received education for four years as a result of his mother's urging.{{cite news|author=Robin Allen|title=Obituary: King Fahd - A forceful but flawed ruler|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54d03842-0264-11da-84e5-00000e2511c8.html#axzz2Jlr7TK3t|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210211259/https://www.ft.com/content/54d03842-0264-11da-84e5-00000e2511c8#axzz2Jlr7TK3t|archive-date=10 December 2022|url-access=subscription|access-date=2 February 2013|newspaper=Financial Times|date=1 August 2005|url-status=live}} While at the Princes' School, Fahd studied under tutors including Sheikh Abdul Ghani Khayat.{{cite news|title=Biography of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|url=http://www.babnet.net/en_detail-1405.asp|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234551/http://www.babnet.net/en_detail-1405.asp|work=Babnet|date=1 August 2005|archive-date=4 October 2013|url-status=dead}} He then went on to receive education at the Religious Knowledge Institute in Mecca.{{cite news|title=Fahad played pivotal role in development|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=118446|access-date=2 February 2013|newspaper=Daily Gulf News|date=2 August 2005|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005035939/http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=118446|url-status=dead}}

Early political roles

Prince Fahd was made a member of the royal advisory board at his mother's urging.{{cite news|title=The Political Leadership - King Fahd

|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SAUDI+ARABIA+-+The+Political+Leadership+-+King+Fahd.-a057816188|access-date=16 March 2013|work=APS Review Gas Market Trends|date=29 November 1999}} In 1945, he traveled on his first state visit to San Francisco for the signing of the Charter of the United Nations.{{cite web|title=Saudi Foreign Policy|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/2001-Fall/Working.htm|date=Fall 2001|work=Saudi Embassy Magazine|access-date=18 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807160420/http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/2001-Fall/Working.htm|df=dmy-all}} On this trip, he served under Prince Faisal who was at the time Saudi Arabia's foreign minister. Fahd led his first official state visit in 1953, attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the House of Saud.{{cite journal|title=King Fahd - his first 20 years|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/2002-Winter/King%20Fahd.htm|journal=Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia|date=Winter 2002|volume=18|issue=4|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602002407/http://saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/2002-Winter/King%20Fahd.htm|archive-date=2 June 2012|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|title=King Fahd 1923-2005|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/2005/news/page365.aspx|work=Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia|access-date=29 June 2012|location=Washington DC|date=1 August 2005}} On 24 December 1953, he was appointed as Saudi Arabia's first education minister.{{cite web|title=Educational system in Saudi Arabia|work=Ministry of Higher Education|access-date=21 July 2013|url=http://www.sacm.org/Publications/58285_Edu_complete.pdf|year=2006}}{{cite web|author=Harvey Sicherman|title=King Fahd's Saudi Arabia|url=http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2005/0709/sich/sich_saudi.html|work=American Diplomacy|access-date=8 August 2013

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117071805/http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2005/0709/sich/sich_saudi.html|url-status=dead|date=August 2005|archive-date=17 November 2012}}

File:Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel and his wife with King Fahd.jpg, Saudi Ambassador to the United States]]

Prince Fahd led the Saudi delegation to the League of Arab States in 1959, signifying his increasing prominence in the House of Saud and his being groomed for a more significant role. In 1962, he was given the important post of interior minister. As interior minister, he headed the Saudi delegation at a meeting of Arab Heads of State in Egypt in 1965. At the beginning of King Faisal's reign, Prince Fahd became a member of the council which had been established by the king to guide the succession issues.{{cite book|author=David Rundell|title=Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0pLyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT63|year=2020

|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-83860-594-0|page=63|location=London}}

On 2 January 1967, Prince Fahd survived an assassination attempt when an explosion occurred in his private office at the ministry.{{cite journal|author=Joseph Mann|title=King Faisal and the Challenge of Nasser's Revolutionary Ideology|journal=Middle Eastern Studies|year=2012|volume=48|issue=5|page=753|s2cid=144629072|doi=10.1080/00263206.2012.706220}} He was not there during the incident, but the explosion injured nearly 40 staff of the ministry.

Prince Fahd was named second deputy prime minister in 1967 when King Faisal established the office.{{cite book|author=Nadav Safran|title=Saudi Arabia: The Ceaseless Quest for Security|location=Ithaca, NY; London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSkIi_1T1FsC&pg=PR17|year=1985|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-9484-0|pages=17,118|author-link=Nadav Safran}} The post was created upon the request of Crown Prince Khalid due to the fact that he himself did not want to continue to preside over the council of ministers.{{cite web|title=Saudi Arabia|url=https://adst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Saudi-Arabia.pdf|work=Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training|access-date=7 January 2021|page=77|format=Country Readers Series|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109115846/https://adst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Saudi-Arabia.pdf|url-status=dead}} King Faisal was not very enthusiastic about the appointment of Prince Fahd to the post. Between October 1969 and May 1970, Prince Fahd was on leave which was regarded by Nadav Safran as an indication of major confrontation in the government. One of the reasons for this confrontation was the disagreement between King Faisal and Prince Fahd concerning security policies.{{cite book|year=2020

|author=Brandon Friedman|title=The End of Pax Britannica in the Persian Gulf, 1968-1971|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=Cham|isbn=978-3-030-56182-6|page=119|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56182-6|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-56182-6}} King Faisal accused him of being late to implement severe measures to arrest those who had contacts with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP attacked and damaged the Saudi-owned Trans-Arabian Pipeline in the Golan Heights on 31 May 1969 and also was planning a plot against the King. During his absence which was reported by the officials as a medical leave, Prince Fahd stayed in London and then in Spain where he spent the time on gambling and leisure.{{cite thesis|pages=265–266|author=Gary Samuel Samore

|title=Royal Family Politics in Saudi Arabia (1953-1982)|location=Harvard University|id={{ProQuest|303295482}}|year=1984|degree=PhD

|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/303295482}} King Faisal sent him both Omar Al Saqqaf, his envoy, and several letters asking him to return to the country, but Prince Fahd did not follow his request.

Prince Fahd was made the head of the Supreme Council on Petroleum in March 1973 when it was established by King Faisal.{{cite thesis

|author=Nizar Madani|author-link=Nizar Madani|title=The Islamic Content of the Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia. King Faisal's Call for Islamic Solidarity 1965-1975|location=American University|page=54|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/302841281|degree=PhD|year=1977|id={{ProQuest|302841281}}}} However, the relations between King Faisal and Prince Fahd were still strained due to Prince Fahd's gambling visits to Monte Carlo, Monaco.{{cite book|author=Samuel E. Willner|title=Preserving the Saudi Monarchy. Political Pragmatism in Saudi Arabia, c.1973-1979|year=2023|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=Cham|isbn=978-3-031-30006-6|pages=100–103|doi=10.1007/978-3-031-30006-6|s2cid=259196372|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30006-6}} In addition, Prince Fahd was not a supporter of the oil embargo which he regarded as a potential threat to the relationships between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. Because of these and other disagreements, King Faisal had planned to remove Prince Fahd from the post of second deputy prime minister which was not materialized by the king.

Crown Prince

File:King Fahd 1946-83 2.jpg at a ceremony]]

File:Sadat_and_Khalid.jpg receives King Khalid and Crown Prince Fahd, Cairo in July 1975]]

File:Photograph of Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia and Jimmy Carter - NARA - 177429.tif and Crown Prince Fahd in 1978]]

After the murder of King Faisal in 1975 and the accession of King Khalid, Fahd was named first deputy prime minister and concurrently crown prince.{{cite web|author=Simon Henderson|title=After King Fahd|work=Washington Institute|access-date=2 February 2013

|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/after-king-fahd-succession-saudi-arabia-2nd-ed|format=Policy Paper|year=1994}}{{cite book|author=Anthony H. Cordesman|title=Saudi Arabia Enters the 21st Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGEJvqjn-1MC&pg=PA46|year=2003|publisher=Praeger|isbn=978-0-275-97997-3|page=46|location=Westport, CT}} Besides King Khalid, Prince Fahd had three elder half-brothers living at that time: Muhammad, Nasser and Saad. However, Prince Muhammad had denied appointment by King Faisal as crown prince a decade prior, while Princes Nasser and Saad were both considered unsuitable candidates.{{cite journal|author=A. R. Kelidar|title=The problem of succession in Saudi Arabia|journal=Asian Affairs|year=1978|volume=9|issue=1|pages=23–30|doi=10.1080/03068377808729875}} By contrast, Prince Fahd had served as minister of education from 1954 to 1962 and minister of interior from 1962 to 1975.

The appointment of Prince Fahd as both crown prince and first deputy prime minister made him a much more powerful figure in contrast to the status of King Khalid when he had been crown prince during King Faisal's reign.{{cite news|title=New Saudi king shuffles cabinet

|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4m9kAAAAIBAJ&pg=2381,3734868&dq=prince+fahd+interior+minister&hl=en|access-date=2 February 2013

|newspaper=Calgary Herald|date=29 March 1975|agency=Associated Press|location=Riyadh}} However, King Khalid had an influence over Fahd's activities and limited his powers, probably due to Fahd's very clear pro-Western views and hostile approach against Iran and the Shia population of Saudi Arabia.{{cite thesis|author=Caroline F. Tynan|title=Diversionary Discourse: A Historical Comparison of Saudi Interventions in Yemen|location=Temple University|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/3968|page=6|degree=PhD|date=May 2019|doi=10.34944/dspace/3968}} During this period, Crown Prince Fahd was one of the members of the inner family council led by King Khalid, which included Fahd's brothers Muhammad, Abdullah, Sultan and Abdul Muhsin and his uncles Ahmed and Musaid.{{cite journal|author=Gulshan Dhahani|title=Political Institutions in Saudi Arabia

|journal=International Studies|year=1980|volume=19|issue=1|pages=59–69|doi=10.1177/002088178001900104|s2cid=153974203}}

Reign

Image:DIMG 6359 (1874021030).jpg, at Europa Point Gibraltar, which opened in 1997, is one such mosque.]]

When King Khalid died on 13 June 1982, Fahd succeeded to the throne{{cite book|author1=Roger East|author2=Richard J Thomas|title=Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317639398|page=347}} being the fifth king of Saudi Arabia.{{cite news|author=Arnaud De Borchgrave|author-link=Arnaud De Borchgrave|title=Analysis: Arabian Medicis|date=27 December 2006

|url=http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2006/12/27/Analysis-Arabian-Medicis/UPI-28221167225848/|access-date=11 February 2013|work=United Press International|location=Washington DC}} However, the most active period of his life was not his reign, but when he was Crown Prince.{{cite news|title=King Fahd|url=http://www.economist.com/node/4246122|access-date=8 August 2013|newspaper=The Economist|date=4 August 2013}} King Fahd adopted the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" in 1986, replacing "His Majesty", to signify an Islamic rather than secular authority.

Unlike the reigns of King Faisal and King Khalid, his reign witnessed significant decrease in the oil price which sharply reduced the oil revenues of Saudi Arabia.{{cite thesis|author=Sang Hyun Song|title=Saudi Arabia as a "swing oil producer" in the first half of the 1980s|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1756662769|location=University of Utah|page=12|id={{ProQuest|756662769}}|degree=PhD

|year=2015}} Due to this, Madawi Al Rasheed described the reign of King Fahd as the era of austerity in contrast to the period of affluence experienced under his two predecessors.

=Foreign policy=

File:President George H. W. Bush and King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud share a laugh.jpg, Jeddah, 21 November 1990]]

Fearing that the 1979 Revolution in Iran could lead to similar Islamic upheaval in Saudi Arabia, Fahd spent considerable sums, after ascending the throne in 1982, to support Saddam Hussein's Baathist Iraq in its war with Iran.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/255097.stm Obituary: King Fahd], BBC News, 1 August 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2008. In fact, according to United States Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Fahd told Haig in April 1981 that he had been used as an intermediary by President Jimmy Carter to convey an official U.S. "green light to launch the war against Iran" to Iraq, although there is considerable skepticism about this claim.{{cite book|author=Chris Emery|title=The Iran-Iraq War: New International Perspectives|chapter=Reappraising the Carter Administration's response to the Iran-Iraq war|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=9780415685245|editor1=Nigel Ashton|editor1-link=Nigel J. Ashton|editor2=Bryan Gibson|location=London; New York}}{{cite book|author=James G. Blight|title=Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988|year=2012

|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-0830-8|display-authors=et. al.|pages=58–59,63–69,260–262,304–305|location=Lanham, MD}}

Fahd was a supporter of the United Nations. He supported foreign aid and gave 5.5% of Saudi Arabia's national income through various funds, especially the Saudi Fund for Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development. He also gave aid to foreign groups such as the Bosnian Muslims in the Yugoslav Wars, as well as the Nicaraguan Contras, providing "a million dollars per month from May to December 1984".{{cite web|title=Robert Busby: The Scandal that Almost Destroyed Ronald Reagan|url=http://hnn.us/node/136285|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171012095450/http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/136285|url-status=dead|work=History News Network

|archive-date=12 October 2017|access-date=3 June 2012}} King Fahd was also a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and an opponent of the State of Israel.{{cite web|title=Palestine-Israel Issue – King Fahd bin Abdulaziz|access-date=1 January 2009|url-status=dead

|url=http://www.kingfahdbinabdulaziz.com/main/l500.htm|archive-date=8 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208023728/http://www.kingfahdbinabdulaziz.com/main/l500.htm}} Towards the beginning of Fahd's reign, he was a staunch ally of the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.cia.gov|title=Welcome to the CIA Web Site|work=CIA|date=19 October 2012|access-date=3 October 2012}} However, Fahd distanced himself from the US throughout parts of his reign, declining to allow the US to use Saudi air bases to protect naval convoys after the attack on the USS Stark, and in 1988 agreed to buy between fifty and sixty nuclear-payload-capable CSS-2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles.Geoffrey Kemp. (2010). The East Moves West: India, China, and Asia's Growing Presence in the Middle East. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press. Print. {{ISBN|9780815703884}}

King Fahd developed a peace plan in order to resolve Arab differences particularly between Algeria and Morocco.{{cite news

|title=Legacy of a King|url=http://www.aawsat.net/2005/08/article55270537|access-date=5 April 2013|newspaper=Asharq Alawsat|date=2 August 2005

|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103024952/http://www.aawsat.net/2005/08/article55270537|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|author=John Duke Anthony|title=The role of the GCC in defense and geopolitical affairs|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url=http://ncusar.org/publications/Publications/1989-07-Role-of-GCC-in-Defense-and-Geopolitical-Affairs.pdf|date=July 1989

|access-date=11 April 2013}} In 1981, he formulated a peace plan for the Middle East to resolve the Arab–Israeli conflict, which was adopted by the Arab League the following year.{{Cite web |date=1981-08-07 |title=Eight Point Peace Plan by Crown Prince Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-209344/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=The United Nations |language=en-US}} The initiative, which offers peace to Israel in exchange for the return of Palestinian territories, was revived in almost the same form at a meeting of the League in 2002. He also actively contributed to the Taif accord in 1989 that ended conflict in Lebanon. In addition, he led the Arab world against the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. He developed a special bond with both Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Egyptian President Hosni Mobarak during his reign.{{cite journal|title=No news -- good news?|journal=Al Ahram Weekly|date=2–8 June 2005

|issue=745|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103142503/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/745/re8.htm

|url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/745/re8.htm|url-status=dead}} Due to King Fahd's support to Hafez al-Assad, Arab countries did not manage to realize their decision to end Syrian presence in Lebanon in the summit of the Arab League held in Casablanca, Morocco, in May 1989.{{cite book|author=Rola El-Husseini|title=Pax Syriana: Elite Politics in Postwar Lebanon|year=2012|publisher=Syracuse University Press|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/21282|location=Syracuse, NY|isbn=9780815651949|page=26}}

=Islamic activities=

He supported the conservative Saudi religious establishment, including spending millions of dollars on religious education, strengthened separation of the sexes and power of the religious police, publicly endorsed Sheikh Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz's warning to young Saudis to avoid the path of evil by not traveling to Europe and the United States.{{cite book|author=Alexei Vassiliev|author-link=Alexei Vassiliev|title=The History of Saudi Arabia|year=2013|location=London

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEIhBQAAQBAJ|publisher=Saqi|isbn=978-0-86356-779-7|page=465}} This further distanced him from his inconvenient past.Paul Wood. (1 August 2005). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4734505.stm Life and legacy of King Fahd], BBC News, Retrieved 10 June 2008.

=Gulf War, 1991=

{{main|Gulf War}}

File:Cheney meeting with Prince Sultan.jpg meets with Saudi Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdulaziz to discuss how to handle the invasion of Kuwait; December 1, 1990]]

In 1990, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army (then the largest in the Middle East) on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led coalition troops in his Kingdom and later allowed American troops to be based there.{{cite journal|author=Mordechai Abir|title=The Succession of Saudi King Abdullah, the Oil Market, and Regional Politics|journal=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs|date=3 August 2005|volume=5|issue=2|url=http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief005-2.htm|access-date=1 February 2013|archive-date=21 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721032621/http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief005-2.htm|url-status=dead}} This decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudi citizens, who objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil; this was a casus belli against the Saudi royal family prominently cited by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. His decision was also objected to by his full brothers or the Sudairi Seven. Another cause for criticism came when during an event with the British Royal Family, King Fahd was seen wearing a white decoration in the shape of a cross; in 1994 Bin Laden cited this as "abomination" and "clearly infidelity".{{cite web|title=Open Letter to Shaykh bin Baz on the Invalidity of his Fatwa on Peace with the Jews

|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Open_Letter_to_Shaykh_Bin_Baz_on_the_Invalidity_of_his_Fatwa_on_Peace_with_the_Jews#cite_note-2|author=Osama bin Laden|work=Wikisource}}

=Reform and industrialization=

King Fahd showed little tolerance for reformists. In 1992, a group of reformists and prominent Saudi intellectuals petitioned King Fahd for wide-ranging reforms, including widening political representation and curbing the royal family's wasteful spending. King Fahd first responded by ignoring their requests and when they persisted, reformists were harshly persecuted, imprisoned, and fired from their jobs.

During King Fahd's rule, the royal family's lavish spending of the country's wealth reached its height. In addition, the biggest and most controversial military contract of the century, the Al-Yamamah arms deal was signed on his watch.{{cite book|author=Michael J.H. Taylor

|title=Flight International World Aircraft and Systems Directory|edition=3rd|year=2001|publisher=Reed Business Information|location=United Kingdom|isbn=0-617-01289-X|pages=189–190}} The contract has cost the Saudi treasury more than $90 billion. These funds were originally allocated to building hospitals, schools, universities, and roads. As a result, Saudi Arabia endured a stagnation in infrastructure development from 1986 until 2005 when the new King, Abdullah, fully came into power.

Like all the countries bordering the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia under King Fahd focused its industrial development on hydrocarbon installations. Up to this day, the country is reliant on imports for nearly all its light and heavy machinery.

King Fahd established a Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs directed by senior family members and technocrats in 1994. The council was planned to function as an ombudsman of Islamic activity concerning educational, economic, and foreign policy matters. The chairman of the council was Prince Sultan. Prince Nayef, Prince Saud Al Faisal and technocrat Mohammed bin Ali Aba Al Khail were appointed to the newly established council. One of the covert purposes of the council was thought to be to reduce the power of the Ulemas Council that had been increasing its power.{{cite news|author=Youssef M. Ibrahim|title=Saudi King Trying to Dilute Islamic Radicalism|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=4 June 2012

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/06/world/saudi-king-trying-to-dilute-islamic-radicalism.html?src=pm|date=6 October 1994}}

=Succession mechanism=

In an effort to institutionalize succession, King Fahd issued a decree on 1 March 1992.{{cite journal|author=Paul Michael Wihbey

|title=Succession in Saudi Arabia: The not so Silent Struggle|journal=IASPS Research Papers in Strategy|date=July 1997|issue=4

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523155715/http://www.iasps.org/strategic4/SA.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2012

|url=http://www.iasps.org/strategic4/SA.htm}} The decree expanded the criteria for succession, which had been only seniority and family consensus, and led to speculations. The most significant change by the edict was that the King did acquire the right to appoint or dismiss his heir apparent based on suitability rather than seniority and that the grandsons of Abdulaziz became eligible for the throne.

=Increasing disparity in Saudi society=

With a growing population during King Fahd's rule, the already weak local education system saw a lot more strain being put into it. Due to the decline in oil prices during the early years of his reign, previous initiatives by Faisal and Khalid before him to modernise the education system saw significant setback. The local Saudi education system remained better equipped to teach humanities, with Islamic studies getting more preference under increasing pressure from clerics. As a result, a significant proportion of Saudis would end up studying abroad, typically majoring in the sciences and/or management.{{cite book |last1=Al-Rasheed |first1=Madawi |title=A History of Saudi Arabia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=052176128X |pages=145-150}}

Another consequence of this was the formation of two distinct and increasingly polarised spheres amongst university-educated Saudis. Foreign educated returnees from American and European universities typically occupied well-paid jobs in prestigious ministries with high salaries added with the prestige of being the vanguard of the civil service and government-owned corporations keeping the kingdom on its feet. This was due to such graduates having acquired technical and linguistic skills necessary for such jobs. Meanwhile, local educated Saudis, often having graduated from humanities, found themselves working low-ranking, clerical jobs in the civil service with modest salaries.

Overtime, this lead to growing resentment amongst local graduates. Anti-western rhetoric and a call to return to an ultra-orthodox and more religious lifestyle by Wahhabi clerics grew more popular amongst this segment of Saudi society. This was further worsened by increased competition as oil prices continued to drop and more foreign workers kept being issues visas to work in the kingdom.

During this period, the phenomenon of having the same family being divided amongst these lines become more common. The archetype of the ultraconservative Saudi man preaching to his family and friends, showing strong distaste for Western culture, listening to religious cassettes and refusing to take pictures would begin to be cultivated. The term mutawwa' would often be used pejoratively by more liberal Saudis to describe such conservative Saudis.{{cite book |last1=Al-Rasheed |first1=Madawi |title=A History of Saudi Arabia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=052176128X |pages=145-150}}

=1995 stroke and aftermath=

File:Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.jpg assumed some of the duties of government after King Fahd's stroke in 1995.]]

King Fahd was a heavy smoker, overweight for much of his adult life, and in his sixties began to suffer from arthritis and severe diabetes. He suffered a debilitating stroke on 29 November 1995 and became noticeably frail, and decided to delegate the running of the Kingdom to Crown Prince Abdullah on 2 January 1996.{{cite news|title=King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies|date=1 August 2005|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4734175.stm|access-date=2 February 2013|work=BBC}}{{cite news|title=Saudi Crown Prince to Take over while King Rests|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2 January 1996|access-date=26 August 2013

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/02/world/saudi-crown-prince-to-take-over-while-king-rests.html|author=Youssef M. Ibrahim}} On 21 February, King Fahd resumed official duties.{{cite news|author=Simon Henderson|title=The Saudi Royal Family: What Is Going On?|access-date=3 April 2013|url=https://www.hudson.org/content/researchattachments/attachment/346/henderson_--_saudi_royal_family.pdf|archive-date=5 August 2022

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805040458/https://www.hudson.org/content/researchattachments/attachment/346/henderson_--_saudi_royal_family.pdf|url-status=dead|work=Hudson}}

After his stroke, King Fahd was partly inactive and had to use a cane and then a wheelchair,{{cite news|author=Douglas Martin|title=King Fahd; Saudi Arabian ruler's reign was turbulent|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050807/news_mz1j07fahd.html|access-date=8 August 2013|newspaper=UT San Diego|date=7 August 2005}} though he still attended meetings and received selected visitors. In November 2003, according to government media, King Fahd was quoted as saying to "strike with an iron fist" at terrorists after deadly bombings in Saudi Arabia, although he could hardly utter a word because of his deteriorating health. However, it was Crown Prince Abdullah who took official trips; when King Fahd traveled, it was for vacations, and he was sometimes absent from Saudi Arabia for months at a time. When his oldest son and International Olympic Committee member Prince Faisal bin Fahd died in 1999, the King was in Spain and did not return for the funeral.[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/01/international/01cnd-fahd.html Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Dies; Abdullah Named New Leader], The New York Times, 1 August 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2008.

In a speech to an Islamic conference on 30 August 2003, King Fahd condemned terrorism and exhorted Muslim clerics to emphasize peace, security, cooperation, justice, and tolerance in their sermons.{{cite web|author=Alfred B. Prados|title=Saudi Arabia: Current Issues and U.S. Relations|url=http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/IB93113_20030915.pdf|work=CRS Issue Brief for Congress|access-date=22 April 2012|year=2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104112532/http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/IB93113_20030915.pdf|archive-date=4 November 2013|df=dmy}}

Wealth

Fortune Magazine reported his wealth in 1988 at $18 billion (making him the second-richest person in the world at that time).{{cite news|title=Princes are glue of nation|access-date=7 August 2012|newspaper=The News and Courier|date=22 April 1990|agency=AP

|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WYRJAAAAIBAJ&pg=1913,2195616&dq=prince+turki+king+khalid&hl=en}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Forbes estimated Fahd's wealth to be $25 billion in 2002.{{cite news|title=Royal Flush|work=Forbes|date=4 March 2002|url=https://www.forbes.com/2002/03/04/royalsphotoshow_print.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020618084705/http://www.forbes.com/2002/03/04/royalsphotoshow_print.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2002|access-date=18 November 2010}} In addition to residences in Saudi Arabia, he had a palace on Spain's Costa del Sol which made Marbella a famous place.{{cite news|author=Justin Coe|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0213/oking2.html|title=To Saudis, King Fahd falls short of ideal|access-date=8 August 2013|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=13 February 1985|location=Riyadh}}

=Recreational activities=

King Fahd was known to enjoy luxurious living abroad and a lavish lifestyle. He visited the ports of the French Riviera in his {{convert|147|m|ft|adj=on}} yacht, the US$100 million Prince Abdulaziz. The ship featured two swimming pools, a ballroom, a gym, a theatre, a portable garden, a hospital with an intensive-care unit and two operating rooms, and four American Stinger missiles.Geoff Simons. (1998). Saudi Arabia, St Martins, p.28 The king also had a personal $US150 million Boeing 747 jet, equipped with his own fountain. In Fahd's younger years, he engaged in activities considered un-Islamic, such as drinking and gambling. Fahd reportedly lost millions of dollars in casinos and attempted to regain this money through illegal methods.Marie Colvin. (29 August 1993). "The Squandering Sheikhs", Sunday Times. When Fahd's brothers found out about his habits, which were considered a disgrace to the House of Saud, he was summoned to King Faisal's palace. Upon arrival, King Faisal slapped Fahd across the face. From then on, Fahd ceased indulging in these habits.{{Cite news|title=King Fahd Obituary|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/obituary/2005/08/04/king-fahd|date=4 August 2005}}

Personal life

King Fahd was married at least thirteen times. The spouses of King Fahd were as follows:

  • Al Anood bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Saud, mother of his eldest five sons, Prince Faisal, Prince Mohammed, Prince Saud, Prince Sultan and Prince Khalid.{{cite news|title=Al Anoud bint Abdulaziz; King Fahd's Wife|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-16-mn-17849-story.html|access-date=9 February 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=16 March 1999}}{{cite news|title=First wife of King Fahd dies|work=Associated Press News|url=https://apnews.com/0113dc8399a0764765e1092ffc311451|access-date=9 February 2013|date=9 May 1999}}{{cite book|page=26

|author=Yousef Othman Al Huzaim|title=An Exceptional Woman Wife of a King|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QyEoCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT26

|publisher=Darussalam Publishers|id=GGKEY:D6ZEE3WS95S}}

  • Al Jawhara bint Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, mother of Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd
  • Noura bint Turki bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Faisal Al Saud, who died in September 2018.{{cite news|title=Princess Noura bint Turki bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Faisal Al Saud passed away, Royal Court Announces|url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T004&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=566&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=14&docId=GALE%7CA556512009&docType=Brief+article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZNEW-FullText-Exclude-FT&prodId=STND&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA556512009&searchId=R5&userGroupName=wikipedia&inPS=true|access-date=19 May 2021|work=SPA|date=1 October 2018|location=Riyadh}} King Fahd and Noura had a daughter, Al Anoud bint Fahd.
  • Jawza bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (Divorced){{cite web|title=Family Tree of Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/famtree.do?id=176534|work=Datarabia|access-date=7 August 2013}}
  • Al Jowhara bint Abdullah Al Sudairi (Deceased)
  • Joza'a bint Sultan Al Adgham Al Subaie (Divorced)
  • Tarfa bint Abdulaziz bin Muammar (Divorced)
  • Watfa bint Obaid bin Ali Al Jabr Al Rasheed (Divorced)
  • Lolwa al Abdulrahman al Muhana Aba al Khail (Divorced)
  • Fatma bint Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Aldakhil
  • Shaikha bint Turki bin Mariq Al Thit (Divorced)
  • Seeta bint Ghunaim bin Sunaitan Abu Thnain (Divorced)
  • Janan Harb (Widowed){{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-king-and-i-nsdc7ggblkd|title=The King and I|date=8 August 2007|access-date=25 May 2012|work=The Times}}

File:Faisal bin Fahd in 1978.jpg, in 1978]]

King Fahd had six sons and four daughters. His sons are:

  • Faisal bin Fahd (1945–1999) Died of a heart attack. Director-general of youth welfare (1971–1999), director-general at ministry of planning and minister of state (1977–1999)
  • Muhammad bin Fahd (January 1950 - January 2025), former governor of the Eastern province
  • Saud bin Fahd (born 8 October 1950), former deputy president of the General Intelligence Directorate
  • Sultan bin Fahd (born 1951), retired army officer and former head of Youth Welfare
  • Khalid bin Fahd (born February 1958){{cite book|author=Sharaf Sabri|title=The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia|year=2001|publisher=I. S. Publication|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-901254-0-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51Bb8Ix7xw8C&pg=PA151|pages=151,301}}
  • Abdulaziz bin Fahd, (born 16 April 1973), Fahd's favourite and youngest son and former minister of state without portfolio. He is the son of Princess Jawhara Al Ibrahim, Fahd's reportedly favourite wife.{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/baer|title=The Fall of the House of Saud|work=The Atlantic|date=12 September 2001|access-date=18 November 2010}}

His daughters are:

  • Al Anoud bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
  • Princess Lulwa bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. was married to Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and had two children: Prince Faisal and Princess Sarah. Princess Lulwa bint Fahd died on 18 April 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/04/19/Saudi-Princess-passes-away-neighboring-rulers-send-condolences|title=Saudi Princess passes away, neighboring rulers send condolences|date=19 April 2022|website=Al Arabiya English}}
  • Princess Latifa bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. She was married to Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and had one son, Prince Faisal. Remarried to Prince Khalid bin Saud bin Muhammad bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Saud and had one son, Prince Saud. Latifa bint Fahd died at age 54 in Geneva in late December 2013.{{cite news|author=Luigino Canal|title=Le prince Mishaal fait la joie du Kempinski et des commerces genevois|url=https://www.bilan.ch/opinions/luigino-canal/le_prince_mishaal_fait_la_joie_du_kempinski_et_des_commerces_genevois|access-date=13 August 2020|work=Bilan|date=10 July 2014|language=fr|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925012006/https://www.bilan.ch/opinions/luigino-canal/le_prince_mishaal_fait_la_joie_du_kempinski_et_des_commerces_genevois|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Princess Latifah bint Fahd passes away|url=https://www.arabnews.com/news/499766|access-date=3 July 2020|work=Arab News|date=28 December 2013}}
  • Princess Al-Jawhara bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. She was married to Prince Turki bin Muhammad bin Saud Al Kabir and has children: Prince Sultan, Prince Fahd, Prince Muhammad, and four daughters. Al Jawhara bint Fahd died in June 2016.{{cite news|title=Saudi Royal Court announces death of Princess Al Jawhara bint Fahad bin Abdulaziz|work=Big News Network|date=13 June 2016|url=https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/244914585/saudi-royal-court-announces-death-of-princess-al-jawhara-bint-fahad-bin-abdulaziz|access-date=15 July 2020}}

Death

{{main|Death and state funeral of Fahd of Saudi Arabia}}

King Fahd was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh on 27 May 2005 in "stable but serious condition" for unspecified medical tests.{{cite news|author=Hasan M. Fattah|title=Saudi King Hospitalized; Condition Is Called Serious|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 May 2005

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/28/international/middleeast/28saudi.html?_r=0|access-date=2 February 2013|location=Beirut}} An official (who insisted on anonymity) told the Associated Press unofficially that the king had died at 07:30 on 1 August 2005 at age 84.{{cite journal|author=Rasheed Aboul Samh|title=Smooth succession|journal=Al Ahram Weekly|date=4–10 August 2005|volume=754

|url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/re1.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326183017/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/re1.htm|archive-date=26 March 2013|df=dmy-all}} Official statement was announced on state television at 10:00 by Information Minister Iyad Madani.

=Funeral=

King Fahd was buried in the last thawb (traditional Arab robe) he wore. Fahd's body was carried to Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, and funeral prayers were held at around 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on 2 August. The prayers for the late monarch were led by the Kingdom's grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh.

The King's son Abdulaziz carried the body to the mosque and to the Al Oud cemetery, Riyadh, some two kilometres away, a public cemetery where Fahd's four predecessors and other members of the Al Saud ruling family are buried.{{cite news|author=Abdul Nabi Shaheen|title=Sultan will have simple burial at Al Oud cemetery|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/sultan-will-have-simple-burial-at-al-oud-cemetery-1.916706|access-date=29 July 2012|newspaper=Gulf News|date=23 October 2011}}{{cite news|author=James Sturcke|title=Saudi king dies|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/01/saudiarabia.jamessturcke|access-date=8 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=1 August 2005}}

Arab and Muslim dignitaries who attended the funeral were not present at the burial. Only ruling family members and Saudi citizens were on hand as the body was lowered into the grave.

Muslim leaders offered condolences at the mosque, while other foreign dignitaries and leaders who came after the funeral paid their respects at the royal court.

In accordance with regulations and social traditions, Saudi Arabia declared a national mourning period of three days during which all offices were closed. Government offices remained closed for the rest of the week. The state flag was not lowered (since the flag of Saudi Arabia bears the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, the flag's protocol requires the flag not to be lowered).{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4736935.stm|work=BBC News|title=Saudi King Fahd is laid to rest|date=2 August 2005}}

After Fahd's death, many Arab countries declared mourning periods.{{cite web|title=King Fahd Brought Vision of Progress

|url=http://www.aramcoexpats.com/articles/2005/08/king-fahd-brought-vision-of-progress/|work=Aramco ExPats|location=Riyadh|date=5 August 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104003432/http://www.aramcoexpats.com/articles/2005/08/king-fahd-brought-vision-of-progress/|archive-date=4 November 2013|df=dmy}} Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Yemen, the Arab League in Cairo, and the Palestinian Authority all declared three-day mourning periods. Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates declared a seven-day mourning period and ordered all flags flown at half-staff.{{cite news|author=G. Parthasarathy|title=Global terrorism The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia nexus|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/global-terrorism-the-pakistansaudi-arabia-nexus/article2185845.ece?ref=archive|access-date=12 April 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=10 August 2005}} In Jordan, a national three-day mourning period was declared and a 40-day mourning period was decreed at the Royal Court.

Honours

{{Infobox royal styles

| name = King Fahd

| image = File:EmblemSA.svg

| image_size = 80

| reference = Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

| spoken = Your Majesty}}

=Foreign honours=

class="wikitable"

! Ribbon !! Country !! Honour !! Year

File:İstiqlal ordeni-lent.pngAzerbaijanFirst Class of the Istiglal Order7 March 2005{{cite web|url=http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=9650&doctype=0

|title=Notice|work=E-qanun |access-date=20 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424015414/http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=9650&doctype=0|archive-date=24 April 2012}}

File:Wisam al-Khalifa 1st class.gifBahrainCollar of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa1995
File:Order of the Elephant Ribbon bar.svgDenmarkKnight of the Order of the Elephant1984
50pxEgyptCollar of the Order of the Nile1989
50pxIraqGrand Cordon Order of the Two Rivers1987
File:Cordone di gran Croce di Gran Cordone OMRI BAR.svgItalyKnight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic19 July 1997{{cite web|url=https://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/11788|title=Bin Abdulaziz Saud S.M. il Re Fahad Decorato di Gran Cordone|year=1997}}
50pxKuwaitCollar of the Order of Mubarak the Great1991
50pxKuwaitCollar of the Order of Kuwait1994
50pxMalaysiaHonorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm1982{{cite web|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/1982.pdf|title=Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1982.|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731045027/http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/1982.pdf|url-status=dead}}
50pxMoroccoGrand Cordon Order of the Throne1994{{cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/photo-d%27actualit%C3%A9/le-roi-king-fahd-jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah-et-le-roi-photo-dactualit%C3%A9/967725156?phrase=Hassan%20II&adppopup=true|title=Le roi King Fahd, Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah et le roi Hassan II lors du sommet islamique à casablanca|date=20 January 1984|language=fr}}
50pxSpainCollar of the Order of Civil Merit1977{{Cite web|url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1977/07/02/index.php?e=7110|title=BOE.es - Sumario del día 2 July 1977|website=www.boe.es}}
| File:Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar.svgSwedenKnight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim1981
50pxTaiwanGrand Cordon of the Order of Propitious CloudsJuly 1977{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/print/Politics/Taiwan-Review/5413/President-Yen-visits-Saudi-Arabia|title=President Yen visits Saudi Arabia|newspaper=Taiwan Today|date=1977-08-01|access-date=2025-03-22}}
File:Order of Independence v. 1959 (Tunisia) - ribbon bar.gifTunisiaCollar of the Order of Independence1994
File:Ribbon bar of the Order of the Union (United Arab Emirates).svgUnited Arab EmiratesCollar of the Order of Etihad (Order of the Federation)1994
File:Royal Victorian Chain Ribbon.gifUnited KingdomRecipient of the Royal Victorian Chain1987{{cite journal|author=HL Deb|title=British honours and orders of Chivalry held by overseas heads of state|journal=Hansard|date=14 March 1999|volume=505|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/mar/14/british-honours-and-orders-of-chivalry|access-date=28 March 2015|archive-date=13 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113211354/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1989/mar/14/british-honours-and-orders-of-chivalry|url-status=live}}{{cite news|author=Owain Raw-Rees|title=Honours and awards |url=http://www.sbtd.co.uk/RGBBNEWS/Spring%202003/rgbnspg03%20pg%2012.pdf|access-date=18 July 2013|work=RGBB News |date=Spring 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103014502/http://www.sbtd.co.uk/RGBBNEWS/Spring%202003/rgbnspg03%20pg%2012.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2013|df=dmy}}
File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svgUnited KingdomKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George1999

In 1984, King Fahd received the Faisal Prize for Service to Islam awarded by the King Faisal Foundation.{{cite book|editor1=Haim Shaked|editor2=Daniel Dishon|title=Middle East Contemporary Survey 8, 1983-84|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t32OO3DkDikC&pg=PA166|year=1986|isbn=978-965-224-006-4|page=166|publisher=The Moshe Dayan Center }}

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

|2= 2. Abdulaziz ibn Saud

|3= 3. Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi

|4= 4. Abdul Rahman bin Faisal

|5= 5. Sara bint Ahmed Al Sudairi

|6= 6. Ahmed bin Muhammed Al Sudairi

|7= 7. Sharifa bint Ali bin Mohammed Al Suwaidi

|8= 8. Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud

|9= 9. Sara bint Mishari bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Saud

|10= 10. Ahmed Al Kabir bin Mohammed bin Turki Al Sudairi

|12= 12. Muhammed bin Ahmed Al Kabir Al Sudairi

|14= 14. Ali bin Mohammed Al Suwaidi

}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}