Princess: Stepping Out of the Shadows, стр. 69
‘Remember this after your grandmother is no longer able to sit and talk with you: I would want my granddaughters to help Saudi Arabia to be known as a brilliant desert kingdom that did not end in tragedy because the men of the country discovered a world view too late.’
With a big smile, I said, ‘It is up to you, girls!’ I was as happy as I could remember being in a long time. ‘It’s up to you! I know that the new generation of young girls can successfully change and challenge the world’s view of Saudi Arabia. Where once we were considered a joke – a backward kingdom where women were treated like children for their entire lives – you girls can show the world what Saudi Arabia can accomplish. I feel in my heart that with young women like my three granddaughters the day will come when the world will think of Saudi Arabia as the bright morning of civilization.’
Appendices
Appendix One
King Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud
King Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud is the grandfather of Princess Sultana.
Born: 15 January 1876 in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd
Family
His father, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, was the last ruler of the second Saudi state. His mother was Sarah al-Sudairi. His closest sibling was his sister, Noura bint Abdul Rahman al-Sa’ud, and the two remained close for their entire lives. His family, the House of al-Sa’ud, had been a major power in the centre of Arabia for more than a hundred years at the time of his birth.
Significant Events in His Life
The al-Rashid tribe were the main rivals of the House of al-Sa’ud. The al-Rashids conquered Riyadh in 1890 and Abdul Aziz’s family fled their homeland. The family sought refuge in a Bedouin tribe in the southern desert of Arabia before moving to Bahrain for a short stay. The family then travelled to Kuwait, where they were in exile for nearly ten years.
Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud grew up to be a physical giant of a man, with a passion for regaining his homeland. This he did in the year 1902. He continued to fight the Arabian tribes until he finally consolidated his dominions into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He became the King of Saudi Arabia on 23 September 1932.
After consolidating his rule, he moved his court from the Masmak Fort to the Murabba Palace in 1938. He lived in the Murabba Palace for the rest of his life.
Wives and Children
Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud married numerous women, partly in order to consolidate the tribes. No one knows for certain how many women he married, but it is thought that the number is close to one hundred. The most well known of his wives was Hassa al-Sudairi, the mother of the famous seven Sudairi brothers, most of whom held high positions in the government, with Fahd and Salman becoming king, and Naif and Sultan becoming Crown Prince.
Abdul Aziz fathered many children, including forty-five sons and fifty-eight daughters. The most famous of his sons are King Saud, King Faisal, King Khalid, King Fahd, King Abdullah, King Salman, Prince Turki of the Najd and Crown Prince Muhammad.
Death
A victim of heart problems, Abdul Aziz became seriously ill in late 1953. He suffered a heart attack on 9 November and died in Taif. He is buried in Riyadh at the Al Oud Cemetery.
Appendix Two
Saudi Arabia Timeline
570
19 January
. Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, is born in Mecca.
632
8 June
. Prophet Mohammed dies in Medina. After his death, his companions compile his words and deeds in a work called the Sunna, which contains the rules for Islam. The most basic are the Five Pillars of Islam, which are 1) profession of faith 2) daily prayer 3) giving alms 4) ritual fast during Ramadan 5) hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
1400s
The Sa’ud dynasty is founded near Riyadh.
1703
Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab (d.1792), Islamic theologian and founder of Wahhabism, is born in Arabia.
1710
Muhammad bin al-Sa’ud is born.
1742–65
Muhammad bin al-Sa’ud joins the Wahhabists.
1744
Muhammad bin al-Sa’ud forges a political and family alliance with Muslim scholar and reformer
Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab. The son of bin Sa’ud marries the daughter of Imam Muhammad.
1804
The Wahhabis capture Medina.
1811
Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali overthrows the Wahhabis and reinstates Ottoman sovereignty in Arabia.
1813
The Wahhabis are driven from Mecca.
1824
The al-Sa’ud family establishes a new capital at Riyadh.
1876
Sultana’s grandfather, Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud, founder of the kingdom, is born.
1883
20 May.
Faisal bin Hussein is born in Mecca. He later becomes the first king of Syria (1920) and Iraq (1921).
1890
Muhammad bin Rashid captures Riyadh, forcing the al-Sa’ud family out of the area.
1890–1902
The al-Sa’ud family leave the area to live in exile (from Qatar to Bahrain and finally to Kuwait) until 1902, when they regain control of Riyadh.
1901
Abdul Aziz leaves Kuwait to return to Arabia with family and friends, with plans to attack Riyadh.
1902
January
. Abdul Aziz attacks Mismaak fort and recaptures Riyadh.
Saud bin Abdul Aziz, son of Abdul Aziz, is born. At his father’s death, he will rule Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964.
1904
Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, who one day will be a king of Saudi Arabia, is born.
1906
Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud regains total control of the Nejd region.
1906–26
Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud and his forces capture vast areas and unify much of