Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, died on the morning of 1 August 2005, at the age of 84,[a] in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. His funeral was held the next day.
Date | 1 August 2005 (date of death) 2 August 2005 (date of funeral) |
---|---|
Venue | King Faisal Specialist Hospital (death) Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (funeral) |
Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
Participants | Funeral attendees |
In response to Fahd's death, an emergency Arab League summit, which was originally planned to take place in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), was delayed with no rescheduled date confirmed.[2] Many world leaders offered condolences, and several countries declared a period of national mourning.[3][4]
Illness and death
editIn June 1982, Fahd ascended to the throne following the passing of his half-brother, Khaled. After experiencing a stroke in 1995, the king's health declined, leading to Crown Prince Abdullah assuming his half-brother's functions as regent.[5]
On 27 May 2005, Fahd was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital due to pneumonia and a high fever. He died there on 1 August at around 09:30 KSA time. The official announcement of his death was made by the Minister of Information, Iyad bin Amin Madani, and Saudi television interrupted regular programming with recitations of the Quran.[4]
Fahd's half-brother Abdullah, as crown prince, ascended the throne as king, and appointed Prince Sultan, Minister of Defense, as the new crown prince.[4] A formal bay'ah ceremony was held in which clerics, tribal leaders and government officials pledged allegiance to the new king.[6]
Funeral
editIn accordance with Islamic tradition, Fahd's funeral took place at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque the day after his death.[7] It was closed to non-Muslim dignitaries, who separately held meetings with the new king later.[6]
Attendees
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2024) |
Royalty
edit- The King of Bahrain
- The Sultan of Brunei
- The Crown Prince of Japan (representing the Emperor of Japan)
- Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait (representing the Emir of Kuwait)
- Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco (representing the King of Morocco)
- The Crown Prince of Norway (representing the King of Norway)
- The Sultan of Oman
- The Emir of Qatar
- The King of Sweden[6]
- The Prince of Wales (representing the Queen of the United Kingdom)[6]
Other
edit- Secretary-General Amr Moussa[7]
- President Hamid Karzai[7]
- President Abdelaziz Bouteflika[8]
- Governor-General Michael Jeffery
- President Ilham Aliyev
- President Iajuddin Ahmed
- Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adnan Terzić
- Vice premier Hui Liangyu (representing president Hu Jintao)
- President Václav Klaus
- President Ismail Omar Guelleh
- President Hosni Mubarak[8]
- President Jacques Chirac
- Vice president Jusuf Kalla
- First vice president Mohammad Reza Aref
- President Jalal Talabani
- Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari
- Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
- President Émile Lahoud[8]
- President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya[b]
- Vice president Atiku Abubakar
- President Pervez Musharraf
- President Mahmoud Abbas
- Vice president Noli de Castro
- Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan
- Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa
- President Samuel Schmid[6]
- President Bashar al-Assad
- Foreign minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon
- President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
- Foreign minister Abdullah Gül
- President Ali Abdullah Saleh[7]
- Vice president Dick Cheney[9]
- Former president George H. W. Bush[9]
Notes
edit- ^ His exact date of birth is unknown.[1]
- ^ Deposed in a coup d'état while attending the funeral.
References
edit- ^ Reed, Jennifer (2009). The Saudi Royal Family. Infobase. ISBN 978-1-4381-0476-8.
- ^ "Arab Summit Postponed after King Fahd's Death". Voice of America. 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "World leaders mourn King Fahd". Al Jazeera. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Sturcke, James (1 August 2005). "Saudi king dies". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Reed, Jennifer (2009). The Saudi Royal Family. Infobase. ISBN 978-1-4381-0476-8.
- ^ a b c d e "Clerics, chiefs pledge loyalty to new Saudi king". NBC News. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d "الملك فهد يوارى الثرى في الرياض بحضور عربي وعالمي". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 2 August 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "جثمان الملك فهد يُوارى الثرى بعد صلاة العصر". Radio Sawa (in Arabic). 2 August 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Cheney, elder Bush call on new Saudi king". NBC News. 5 August 2005.