Majid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 19 October 1938 – 13 April 2003) was a Saudi royal and businessman who served as the governor of Mecca from 1980 to 1999.

Early life and education

Majid bin Abdulaziz was born in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

on 19 October 1938 to

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

and Muhdi. His mother was an Armenian woman. He had a full brother, Sattam bin Abdulaziz, and two full sisters, Sultana bint Abdulaziz and Haya bint Abdulaziz. Prince Majid received formal education in Riyadh.

Career

In 1960 Prince Majid began to involve in business. At the end of 1975, Majid bin Abdulaziz was appointed by King Khalid as minister of municipal and rural affairs, being the first minister. Prince Mutaib also joined the Saudi cabinet at that time, being appointed minister of public works and housing. These two appointments were a move to reduce the power of

Sudairi Seven The Sudairi Seven (, ''As Sudayriyyūn as Sabʿah''), also spelled ''Sudairy'' or ''Sudayri'', is the commonly used name for a powerful alliance of seven full brothers within the Saudi royal family. They are also sometimes referred to as the Suda ...

in the cabinet. On 3 March 1980, Prince Majid was appointed governor of the Mecca Region, replacing Prince Fawwaz in the post. Prince Majid's tenure lasted for nineteen years ending in 1999 when he resigned from office as a result of a scandal involving one of his staff. Prince Majid was one of the founders of the Dar Al Maal Al Islami Trust which was initiated by

Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud (, ''Moḥammed bin Fayṣal Āl Saʿūd''; 1937 – 14 January 2017) was a Saudi prince and businessman. He was a son of Faisal of Saudi Arabia, King Faisal and one of the grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder King Abd ...

, King Faisal's son, in 1981.

Views and allegiances

In the early 1960s Prince Majid joined

Free Princes Movement The Free Princes Movement () was a Saudi liberal political movement that existed from 1958 to 1964. Its members were known as the Young Najd (Najd al-Fattah in Arabic), Free Princes, and Liberal Princes. Establishment The movement was founded b ...

led by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz. However, he left the group the same year. In 1990 he argued that communism and other temporal ideologies were totally false and against human nature. Prince Majid was close to both then Crown Prince Abdullah and Sudairi Seven, acting as a floating voter in contests. However, during his tenure in Mecca governorship he was much closer to Crown Prince Abdullah.

Personal life

Prince Majid married Nouf bint Abdallah bin Fahd Al Muhanna Aba Al Khail. He had seven children, two sons and five daughters. His eldest son, Mishaal bin Majid, is the governor of Jeddah city. Other son Abdulaziz bin Majid is the former governor of the Medina Region. One of his daughters, Princess Jawaher bint Majid, is the first Saudi woman to have been granted the title of the patron of arts in Saudi Arabia. Another daughter, Princess Basma bint Majid, married Prince Bandar bin Faisal Al Saud. Prince Majid was fond of reading books on social history and culture and of learning foreign languages and learned English and French. The Society of Majid bin Abdulaziz for Development and Social Services (Society) was founded in 1998 by Majid bin Abdulaziz. Its name was “Makkah Al Mukarramah Association for Development and Social Services” at the founding stage. Later, it was changed into “The Society of Majid bin Abdulaziz for Development and Social Services”, and was registered as a “charity” in the register of charities at the ministry of social affairs in 2000. Mishal bin Majid is the chairman of the society. The Majid society was given by the Global Research Alliance (GRA) A+ rating for its achievements during 2011.

Death and funeral

Prince Majid died in Jeddah after suffering from a prolonged illness on 13 April 2003. His funeral prayers were performed in Grand Mosque on the same day, and he was buried in

Al Adl cemetery The Al-Adl cemetery () is one of the earliest and largest of the six cemeteries in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the second substantial cemetery in the city. History and location The graveyard was opened in 1926 and covers around 50,000 square metr ...

on Majed Street in Mecca. Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan, Prince Nayef, Prince Salman and other senior Saudi royals attended the funeral.

Honours

AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 2nd Class BAR

Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash (2nd Class) for Services to the Republic of Austria (2000). * ESP Isabella Catholic Order GC

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

(21 October 1977).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Majid Abdulaziz 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1938 births 2003 deaths Majid Abdelaziz Municipal affairs ministers of Saudi Arabia Governors of Mecca Province Saudi Arabian anti-communists Saudi Arabian people of Armenian descent Majid Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria