Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud (; 12 January 1943 – 21 August 2011) was a Saudi royal who served as the chairman of Al Faisaliah Group and

Al Ahly Al-Ahly Sporting Club (), commonly known as Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian professional sports club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is mainly known for its professional football team which currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest ...

football club. He was a grandson of King Faisal and a son of Abdullah bin Faisal.

Early life and education

Prince Mohammed was born in Mecca on 12 January 1943. He was the second child of Abdullah bin Faisal and Al Jawhara bint Khalid bin Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman. His maternal grandfather,

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

, was a nephew of

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'', ...

. Prince Mohammed had six full brothers, including

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

. Prince Mohammed completed his primary and secondary education in Taif. He attended a high school in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, and received a bachelor's degree in commerce and trade from the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1967.

Career

Prince Mohammed held various government positions at the

Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency The Saudi Central Bank (), previously known as the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA; ), established in 1952, is the central bank of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Despite the name change in 2020, the Saudi Central Bank has continued to use t ...

in Jeddah and at the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. First, he worked as an advisor in the monetary agency. In 1970 he was appointed director of overseas education at the ministry. He was the assistant deputy minister of education. He resigned from the office in 1983. Then Prince Mohammed served as the director of Al Faisaliah Group founded by his father, in 1970. In January 2004 Prince Mohammed introduced Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan to the

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

at the

Jeddah Economic Forum Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) () is a forum held annually since 1999 during winter in the city of Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Economic Forum is organized by the Jeddah Marketing Board, which is a part of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & I ...

. In addition, Prince Mohammed was the chairman of the board of directors of Al Takamul International Company for Commercial Investment, Qassim Cement Company and the National Takamul Foundation for Agriculture. He was the cofounder of the Arab Thought Foundation and a member of the board of trustees of

King Faisal Foundation The King Faisal Foundation (; ''KFF''), is an international philanthropic organization established in 1976 with the intent of preserving and perpetuating King Faisal bin Abdulaziz's legacy. The foundation was set up by the sons of King Faisal bi ...

. Prince Mohammed was also one of the presidents of Al Ahly football club.

Literary works and views

Like his father Prince Mohammed was a poet. He published several poetry books. Prince Mohammed openly criticised the Saudi education system arguing that it produced terrorists in a

television interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

Al Arabiya Arabiya (, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is a Saudi state-owned international Arabic news television channel. It is based in Riyadh and is a subsidiary of MBC Group. The channel is a flagship of the media c ...

Personal life and death

Mohammed bin Abdullah married twice. One of his spouses was Nouf bint Khalid, a daughter of

King Khalid Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 13 February 1913 13 June 1982) was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 25 March 1975 until his death in 1982. Before his death, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the fifth son of King Abdulaziz ...

, and they divorced. Then, he married Noura bint Bandar, a daughter of Bandar bin Mohammed and Al Bandari bint Abdulaziz. Children of Prince Mohammed include Turki, Noura, Khalid, Fahd, Talal, Saud, Sultan and Haifa. In 2017 Turki bin Mohammed became the president of Al Ahly football club. His son, Saud, is a businessman and a member of the board of trustees of Arab Thought Foundation. He is married to Basma bint Abdullah, a daughter of King Abdullah who ruled Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2015. Prince Mohammed died at the age of 68 in the United States on 21 August 2011. His body was brought to Jeddah, and funeral prayers were performed at the

Grand Mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

in Mecca on 24 August before 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 ...

, Mecca, where his parents had also been laid down.

Legacy

Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium was named after him in October 2011. His family established a charitable foundation, Foundation of Emir Mohammed Al Abdullah Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Mohammed Abdullah

Mohammed Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

1943 births 2011 deaths

University of Fribourg alumni