Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

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Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
King Abdulaziz
MotherMunaiyir

Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (

Arabic: نواف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, Nawwāf bin 'Abd al 'Azīz Āl Su'ūd; 16 August 1932 – 29 September 2015) was a Saudi Arabian businessman and politician. A member of the House of Saud, he became a close ally of King Abdullah.[1]
In different periods Prince Nawwaf held significant government posts, including the director of Saudi intelligence agency.

Early life and education

King Abdulaziz
, father of Nawwaf

Prince Nawwaf was born in

He was a full brother of

Unayzah in 1921, she converted to Islam.[6] Their first child, Talal, was born in 1924. Following the tradition, Munaiyir became known as Umm Talal, "mother of Talal".[6] However, in 1927, the three-year-old Talal died.[6]

It is reported by her family that Munaiyir remained illiterate all her life.[6] Munaiyir was regarded by British diplomats in Saudi Arabia as one of King Abdulaziz's favourite wives. She was as known for her intelligence as for her beauty.[7] Munaiyir died in December 1991.[3]

During the reign of King Saud, his relations with his full-brother Prince Talal became negative, even leading to contesting their inheritances.[8]

Education

Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz received his primary Arabic and Islamic education at a special school for royal family members.

the United States.[11]

Career

Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz was the commander of the royal guard from 1952 to 1956.[12] In May 1961 Prince Nawwaf did not accept the proposal of King Saud to name him as minister of interior.[13] Then, he served briefly as chief of the royal court in 1961,[3] and he resigned from the office in July 1961.[13] Prince Nawaf was appointed minister of finance by the king, and served in the post from September 1961 to March 1962.[3][14][15] He succeeded Prince Talal in the post.[13]

On 1 February 1968, following the evacuation of the British forces from the Persian Gulf region, King Faisal named him as one of his special advisors for Persian Gulf affairs which he held until 1975.[15][16] In view of his experience in various spheres, King Faisal sent him to participate in official delegations of the Kingdom at various meetings, including Arab and Islamic summits and meetings of non-aligned countries. He also led the Kingdom's delegations on behalf of King Faisal or work as his special envoy. Prince Nawwaf was thoroughly familiar with international policy and law, and was also an expert on the Middle East affairs. He did his best to unify the ranks of the Arab emirates and to integrate these emirates into one state following their partitions into seven tiny states during the colonial rule.[11] In view of his rich experience in economic and political spheres, Prince Nawwaf was delegated to serve as the Saudi Government's official spokesman and its special envoy on several occasions. He visited the four corners of the world and positively contributed to the settlement of numerous disputes in Africa and the Middle East as well as in other parts of the world. He also accompanied Crown Prince Abdullah during his official foreign trips.[11] However, Prince Nawwaf did not hold any official position from 1975 to 2001.[17][18]

Prince Nawwaf was appointed director general of Saudi intelligence agency

Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah following Prince Turki's resignation on 1 September 2001.[19][20][21] His appointment did not result in significant power change in the royal family, since King Fahd's son, Saud bin Fahd, continued to serve as deputy director which he had been serving since 1985.[22] However, through this move Crown Prince Abdullah attempted to reduce the power of Interior Minister Prince Nayef who had been the chair of a commission consisting of the heads of the organizations, including Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah.[18] Given that Prince Nawwaf was older than Prince Nayef the latter's power through this commission was at least challenged due to seniority of the former.[18]

Prince Nawwaf's tenure ended on 26 January 2005 when he resigned due to health concerns.

Other activities

Prince Nawwaf was one of the supporters of the Free Princes Movement led by his brother Prince Talal in the early 1960s.[27] At the beginning of King Faisal's reign in 1964 Prince Nawwaf became a member of the council which had been established by the king to guide the succession issues.[28]

He contributed to the establishment of some industrial projects inside and outside the Kingdom to serve the

Sydney University in Australia to enable it to conduct research and studies in this field.[11]

Views

A Saudi survey conducted shortly after the

US sanctions against Iran in 2000, Prince Nawwaf said "Iran is being treated unfairly by some countries, and this is not in the interests of the Arabia Gulf or even the US."[17]

Personal life

Prince Nawwaf was married to Jawahir Al Sheikh, together they had three children: Abdulaziz (born 1979), Faisal (born 1984) and Sarah (born 1989).

Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, pursuing a degree in international communications.[31] Mohammed bin Nawwaf was his eldest son who served as Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland between 2005 and 2018.[32]

Illness and death

In March 2002, Prince Nawwaf was admitted to the American University hospital in

the Arab League summit meeting.[33][34] He was reported to have suffered a brain haemorrhage.[23][34] Then he underwent a surgery in 2002.[4] He was confined to a wheelchair following his health problems.[35]

Prince Nawwaf died on 29 September 2015 at the age of 83.[1] The funeral took place at Grand Mosque in Mecca on 30 September.[1]

Honours

Foreign honours

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Saudi Prince Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud dies at age 83". Al Bawaba. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Shubra Palace: An architectural treasure house in Taif". Saudi Gazette. Taif. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ a b c d "HRH Prince Nawaf bin Abdulaziz". General Intelligence Presidency. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  5. ^ David Hearst (1 January 2018). "Senior Saudi royal on hunger strike over purge". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e John Rossant (19 March 2002). "The return of Saudi Arabia's red prince". Online Asia Times. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2020. Six years earlier, in 1915, the family had been forced to flee in terror before the vast anti-Armenian massacres of that year.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. S2CID 153320942
    .
  8. .
  9. . Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  10. .
  11. ^ a b c d e "Prince Nawaf ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud". Global Security. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  12. .
  13. ^ a b c Yitzhak Oron, ed. (1961). Middle East Record. Vol. 2. Jerusalem: Israel Programs for Scientific Translations. pp. 419–420. GGKEY:4Q1FXYK79X8.
  14. ^ "About Ministry of Finance". www.mof.gov.sa.
  15. ^ a b "Prince Nawaf new intelligence chief". Arab News. 1 September 2001. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  16. ^ "New Appointments". Arabian Gulf Digital Archive. 7 February 1968. Retrieved 6 February 2023. British intelligence document
  17. ^ a b "Saudi Prince Criticizes Washington's Policy against Tehran". Al Bawaba. 1 September 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  18. ^
    S2CID 219693859
    .
  19. ^ "Who's Who in the House of Saud". The New York Times. 22 December 2002. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  20. ^ Patrick E. Tyler (24 September 2001). "A Nation challenged: Arab Ally. Saudis Feeling Pain of Supporting U.S." New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  21. .
  22. .
  23. ^ a b c "Saudi accepts resignation of intelligence chief". Daily Times. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  24. ^ "New Saudi spymaster marks shift in policy" (Special Report). UPI. Riyadh. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  25. .
  26. ^ "Prince Moqrin head of Saudi intelligence". UPI. Riyadh. 22 October 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  27. .
  28. .
  29. .
  30. .
  31. ^ "Travels with Lacie and a Saudi princess". Mercer Island Reporter. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  32. ^ "Committee Members". The Saudi British Society. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  33. ^ "Mideast Turmoil; Saudi Suffers a Stroke". The New York Times. 28 March 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  34. ^ a b "No. 2 Saudi Delegate Suffers Stroke". Los Angeles Times. Beirut. AP. 28 March 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  35. ^ Simon Henderson (24 July 2012). "The Prince and the Revolution". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  36. ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat" (in Burmese).
  37. ^ "Decreto 534" (PDF). boe.es (in Spanish). 27 February 1974. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah

2001–2005
Succeeded by
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz