Fahda bint Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari (Arabic: فهدة بنت العاصي بن شريم الشمري) (died 1934) was an Arab woman of the Shammar tribe who was first married to her kinsman Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid, Emir of Jabal Shammar, and later to King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. By her first marriage, she had two sons: Abdulaziz and Mishaal. By her second marriage, she was the mother of King Abdullah, Princess Nouf, and Princess Seeta.

Fahda bint Asi Al Shammari
Died1934
Spouses
(m. 1916; died 1920)
Issue
Names
Fahda bint Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari
House
FatherAsi bin Shuraim Al Shammari

Early life

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Fahda was a member of the Abde section of the powerful Shammar tribe.[1] She was the daughter of Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari,[2] who was the sheikh of the southern part of the tribe.[3][4] Fahda had three brothers, Mutani, Sultan and Ghazi, and one sister, Shima.[4]

Personal life

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King Abdullah, Fahda's son from her second marriage

Fahda bint Asi first married her kinsman and the tenth Al Rashid Emir, Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid.[5][6] Fahda had two children with Emir Saud: Abdulaziz and Mishaal.[5] They lived in Barzan Palace, Hail.[4] In 1920 one of Fahda and Saud's cousins, Abdullah bin Talal, assassinated Saud.[5]

Following her husband's killing, Fahda married Abdulaziz Al Saud in 1922[4][7] becoming his eighth spouse.[8] Abdulaziz adopted Fahda's two sons following the marriage.[4]

Fahda was one of the three Al Rashid women married to Abdulaziz.[9] The others were Noura bint Sibhan, former spouse of Emir Muhammad bin Talal Al Rashid and Jawaher, daughter of Emir Muhammad bin Talal.[9] The reason for these marriages is thought to build a truce with the Rashidis or to make them loyal elements in the country.[10] In other words, Abdulaziz married them to eliminate the potential problems caused by the Rashidis.[11] In addition, Fahda's father, Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari, became one of the most prominent supporters of King Abdulaziz, and joined his forces in several battles during the formation of Saudi Arabia, including the Battle of Sabilla in 1929.[4]

Fahda and King Abdulaziz had three children.[12] Her first child from this marriage was Abdullah, the sixth king of Saudi Arabia.[12][13] Her other two children were Nouf and Seeta.[4] Fahda died in 1934.[4]

Legacy

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King Abdullah inaugurated the Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim Secondary School for Qualification in Boskora, Morocco, in August 2009. The school is made up of eighteen classrooms for general training, nine science classrooms, three classrooms for preparation, a library, and special areas for sports.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Sultan Al Qassemi (1 February 2012). "Tribalism in the Arabian Peninsula: It Is a Family Affair". Jadaliyya. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  2. ^ Talal Kapoor (22 November 2010). "King Abdallah's Hospitalization - Succession Endgame?". Datarabia. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  3. ^ Talal Kapoor (8 June 2012). "Nayif's Departure: Spring Cleaning In The Royal Court". Datarabia. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Kholoud Al Abdullah (23 September 2014). "سعوديات خلدهن التاريخ". Rouge Magazine (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Talal Kapoor (1 February 2007). "Analysis: Al Rashid Opposition Group (part one)". Datarabia. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  6. ^ Madawi Al Rasheed (1997). Politics in an Arabian Oasis: Rashidis of Saudi Arabia. London; New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-86064-193-0.
  7. ^ Mark Weston (2008). Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-470-18257-4.
  8. ^ The Statesman's Yearbook Companion. The Leaders, Events and Cities of the World. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 2019. pp. 2–3. doi:10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9. ISBN 978-1-349-95840-5.
  9. ^ a b Henri Lauzière (2000). On the Origins of Arab Monarchy: Political Culture, Historiography, and the Emergence of the Modern Kingdoms in Morocco and Saudi Arabia (PDF) (MA thesis). Simon Fraser University. p. 67.
  10. ^ Robert Baer (May 2003). "The Fall of the House of Saud". The Atlantic. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  11. ^ Abdullah Mohammad Sindi. "The Direct Instruments of Western Control over the Arabs: The Shining Example of the House of Saud" (PDF). Social sciences and humanities. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  12. ^ a b Iris Wurm (March 2008). "Operation: Reforming the Kingdom External and Internal Triggers of the Reform Process in Saudi-Arabia" (Paper presented at the 49th ISA Annual Convention). Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  13. ^ Winberg Chai, ed. (2005). Saudi Arabia: A Modern Reader. Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-88093-859-4.
  14. ^ "Public Affairs". Saudi Embassy at Washington D.C. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2012.