Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Thunayan (; 1889–1923) was a Turkish-born Saudi royal and government official who was one of the advisors to Abdulaziz, Emir of Nejd, who later founded the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. He was the paternal uncle of

Iffat Al Thunayan Iffat bint Mohammad Al Thunayan ( ''ʿIffat bint Moḥammad Āl Ṯunayān'', or ; 1916 – 17 February 2000) was a Turkish people, Turkish-born education activist and Saudi princess who was the most prominent wife of King Faisal of Saudi Ara ...

, spouse of King Faisal.

Origins and early life

Prince Ahmed's family were the descendants of Thunayan, one of the brothers of

Muhammad bin Saud Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin Al Saud (; 1687–1765), also known as Ibn Saud, was the emir of Diriyah and is considered the founder of the First Saudi State and the House of Saud, Saud dynasty, named after his father, Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin. ...

, who is the patriarch of the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling ...

. Ahmed's father was Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Thunayan Al Saud, who was captured by the Ottomans in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

and sent to Istanbul in August 1880. He was appointed to the royal court there and was a member of the

Ottoman Council of State The Council of State (Ottoman Turkish: ''Şûrâ-yı Devlet'', شوراى دولت) was the high legislative institution in the Ottoman Empire that corresponds to the present-day Council of State of Turkey. It served between the years 1868 and 19 ...

in the 1880s and 1890s. Ahmed's mother was a Cherkess-origin Turkish woman named Tazeruh. His paternal grandfather, Abdullah bin Thunayan, ruled the

Emirate of Nejd The second Saudi state (), officially known as the Emirate of Najd, was a state that existed between 1824 and 1891 in the Najd region of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central (Najd) and Eastern Arabia after the first Sau ...

from 1841 to 1843. Prince Ahmed was born in 1889 in Istanbul and raised there. He had a twin-sister, Jawhara, and two brothers, Mohammed and Suleiman. Mohammed was the father of Iffat, who married the future King Faisal in the 1930s.

Career and activities

Just before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Prince Ahmed went to Arabia and became a private secretary of Emir Abdulaziz. In March 1913, he met with the Ottoman governor of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Cemal Pasha Ahmed Djemal (; ; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Djemal Pasha or Cemâl Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. As an officer of the II Corps, he was ...

, as an envoy of Abdulaziz to eliminate the tensions between Abdulaziz and

Sharif Hussein Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi ( ; 1 May 18544 June 1931) was an Arab leader from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after proclaiming the Great Arab Revolt against ...

. Prince Ahmed headed the Saudi delegations which met with Sharif Hussein's staff following the establishment of the

Kingdom of Hejaz The Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz (, ''Al-Mamlakah al-Ḥijāziyyah Al-Hāshimiyyah'') was a state in the Hejaz region of Western Asia that included the western portion of the Arabian Peninsula that was ruled by the Hashemite dynasty. It was self ...

in 1916. Over time, Prince Ahmed became Abdulaziz's chief foreign affairs advisor and acted as Saudi foreign minister. Prince Ahmed, together with Abdullah Al Qusaibi, another advisor of Abdulaziz, accompanied Prince Faisal (later King Faisal) during his official visit to London and Paris in 1919. Prince Ahmed's mission in this visit was to transmit the demands of Abdulaziz to British officials. Through Prince Ahmed, Abdulaziz asked the British to exert pressure on Sharif Hussain to allow Najdi people to go on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. Prince Ahmed and Sharif Hussain's son Abdullah managed to sign a peace and friendship agreement in February 1920 in Baghdad, which lasted only for a short time. Prince Ahmed was accompanied by

Abdullah Al Damluji Abdullah Al Damluji (; 1890–1970), also known as Abdullah Beg Al Damluji, was an Iraqi physician who served as one of Ibn Saud's advisers. He held several government positions, including the minister of foreign affairs of Najd and Hejaz and of ...

in this visit. On 1 May 1922, Prince Ahmed represented Abdulaziz in the Conference of Al Muhammarah, which was held to resolve the problematic Saudi-Iraqi border issues. Despite the objections of Abdulaziz, Prince Ahmed signed the treaty of al Muhammarah, which led to his dismissal from the post. Abdulaziz did not ratify the treaty and informed the British High Commissioner B. H. Bourdillon that Prince Ahmed had no authority to sign it. Following this incident, Prince Ahmed was replaced by Abdullah Al Damluji as chief foreign affairs advisor.

Personal life and death

Prince Ahmed was fluent in Turkish, Arabic, English and German. He died in Istanbul in 1923 shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia. However, Joseph A. Kechichian argues that he died in 1921 which contradicts with the fact that he participated in the Conference of Al Muhammarah in May 1922.

In popular culture

Prince Ahmed was featured by

Rubén Ochandiano Rubén Ochandiano de Higes (born 3 October 1980) is a Spanish actor. Life and career Rubén Ochandiano de Higes was born in Madrid on 3 October 1980. He is the nephew of actress and stage director . He trained as an actor under Juan Carlos Cor ...

in the 2019 film on King Faisal entitled '' Born a King''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thunayan, Ahmed Abdullah 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1889 births 1923 deaths Politicians from Istanbul Princes of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian twins Turkish people of Arab descent Turkish people of Circassian descent