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CROWN PRINCE SAUD BIN ABDULAZIZ. photo by Unidentified Photographer-

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat. He was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964, until his assassination on 25^th March 1975.

He was born on 14^th April 1906. He was the third son of King Abdulaziz. His father was the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. He was the second of Abdul-Aziz鈥檚 six sons who were kings.

He served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964 before he was king. He was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964.

King Faisal fought in the military campaigns in the 1920s and 鈥�30s that helped forge modern Saudi Arabia. He later served as Saudi ambassador to the United Nations and in 1953 he was made premier upon the ascension of his older brother, Saud.

1. Faisal鈥檚 mother died when he was only six months old

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His mother was Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh. Tarfa was a descendant of the religious leader, Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab

She died in 1906 when Faisal was six months old. He then began to live with his maternal grandparents. They were responsible for his education and made sure he completed reading the Quran and Islamic law and doctrines.

His father was a busy man but he still influenced him militarily and politically at a young age. He later chose Faisal to represent his father in international forums.

2. He was the first Saudi Arabian royal to visit England

Abdulaziz thoroughly engaged his eldest sons many. Faisal being one of the oldest was given numerous responsibilities.

In 1919 the British government invited Abdulaziz to visit London. He could not go but he assigned his eldest son, Turki, as his envoy. Unfortunately, Prince Turki died due to Spanish flu before the visit.

Faisal was sent to London in his place. The visit to London made him the first-ever Saudi Arabian royal to visit England. His visit lasted five months, and he met with British officials.

During the same period, he also visited France. This made him again to be the first Saudi Arabian royal to pay an official visit there.

3. He was the favorite son

Prince Mashour bin Saud al Saud. image by Unknown photographer-

Parents tend to favor the most promising child. They might not show it but they do tend to have a favorite. King Ibn Saud鈥檚 favorite son was Faisal. He at one time uttered that he would have loved to have three of Faisal.

Faisal showed intelligence from an early age. He was the most brilliant of his 39 sons. King Ibn Saud recognized this and gave him delicate missions in war and diplomacy. He would have loved for Faisal to succeed him but it was against the traditions and would result in protests.

Reluctantly, he kept Saud as the crown prince. The royal family would also have preferred Faisal to take over. They were especially embarrassed by Saud鈥檚 involvement in a plan to assassinate United Arab Republic president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

4. King Saud overthrew his brother as king

King Saud was not the best of kings. He had caused the country too much debt due to his spendthrift ways. Faisal with the backing of the royal family attempted to overthrow Saud several times.

With the backing of the elders of the royal family, he finally succeeded in the coup. In 1964, Faisal became the absolute ruler of Saudi Arabia. As king, he sought to modernize his nation, and lent financial and moral support to anti-Israeli efforts in the Middle East.

Saud then went into exile, finding refuge in Egypt before eventually settling in Greece.

5. He abolished slavery in Saudi Arabia

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In many ways, Saudi Arabia was a medieval nation. There were still thousands of slaves imported from Africa. Under the strict Wahabi code, a thief could expect to have his hands cut off; public executions for adultery or other offenses were commonplace.

Faisal finally issued a decree for slavery鈥檚 total abolition in 1962. About 1,682 slaves were freed at that time, at a cost to the government of $2,000 each.

The US probably began to raise the issue of slavery after the meeting between King Abdulaziz and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945. John F. Kennedy finally persuaded the House of Saud to abolish slavery in 1962.

6. King Saud was humble

Faisal was an anomaly in the Saudi royal family. While the others spent their millions on cars, air鈥恈onditioning, gambling sprees, and strings of wives and concubines, he embraced simplicity.

He was a devout Moslem. He dined on boiled vegetables and stewed fruits, prayed the obligatory five times daily toward Mecca, shunned smoking, drinking, and gambling, and worked most days from 8 A.M. to midnight.

He had one wife for most of his life even though he was permitted four under Islamic law and though his father had more than 30.

He was known for his integrity, extreme humility, kindness, and tact with everyone.  He avoided displays of extravagance and luxury.

7. He was assassinated by his nephew

Faisal had just come from visiting the United States. He was sited at a Majlis, a place where he entertained guests when Prince Faisal approached him.

The Prince went to embrace King Faisal. King Faisal leaned to kiss his nephew by Saudi custom. At that instant, Prince Faisal took out a pistol and shot him. The first shot hit the King’s chin and the second one went through his ear.  

King Faisal was quickly taken to a hospital but died on the operating table. Riyadh mourned for three days. He was buried in Al Oud cemetery on 26 March 1975.

It is said that the Prince was avenging the death of his brother, Prince Khalid bin Musaid, who had been shot by a policeman during protests. It was also said that King Faisal had been informed of the assignation plan but dismissed it by saying if it was Allah鈥檚 will then it was bound to happen.

He had been distant days before his death and had even had a premonition of his death by dreaming of his dead father. According to Islamic beliefs, if a dead person takes a living person in a dream, the living person will most likely die within a short amount of time.

Prince Faisal bin Musaid was captured after the attack. He was convicted of regicide and sentenced to execution. He was publicly beheaded in Deera Square in Riyadh.

8. King Saud was conservative when it came to women’s rights

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Faisal鈥檚 second wife, Iffat, was very educated. She had done her studies in Turkey and was a feminist.

Through the encouragement of her husband, she gradually moved to improve the status of women, founding girls’ schools and permitting women to appear on television.

Even with these reforms, he remained a conservative on women’s rights. He believed that women have their domain by nature. He said that they are at their best bringing up the new generation of teaching or nursing. He did not believe they should work in offices or on airplanes.鈥�

9. King Saud was a strict Muslim

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Faisal observed Islam laws strictly. He neither smoked nor used intoxicants. Even though he was entitled to four wives under Moslem law, he had only one at a time.

Unlike many other Arab leaders who wear a Western dress when in the West, King Faisal was always attired in his desert clothing of flowing robes, a white burnoose, and the golden-crusted legal, or headband.

10. He rarely smiled after the Six Day War in 1967

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Image by an unknown author-

Faisal implemented a policy of modernization and reform. His main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-communism, and pro-Palestinianism.

The Six Day War began on June 5, 1967, when Israeli airplanes attacked the Egyptian air force and destroyed many airfields. Israeli Defence Forces led onslaughts against Egyptian forces in Sinai and Gaza, and the Jordanian military in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On June 10, 1967, a United Nations-brokered ceasefire took effect and the Six-Day War came to an abrupt end. It was later estimated that some 20,000 Arabs and 800 Israelis had died in just 132 hours of fighting. The leaders of the Arab states were left shocked by the severity of their defeat.

Jerusalem was reunified under Israeli rule as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War launched against Israel by the Arab world.

This war took a toll on King Faisal. The fall of Jerusalem to the Israelites was a hard pill to swallow. He never smiled again, he became very quiet and contemplative, and mostly he would spend his time listening rather than speaking himself.