Samira Khashoggi (, 1935 – March 1986) was a Saudi Arabian progressive author, as well as the founder of ''Al Sharkiah'' magazine. She was the sister of the Saudi businessman

Adnan Khashoggi Adnan Khashoggi (; 25 July 1935 – 6 June 2017) was a Saudi businessman and arms dealer known for his business dealings, extensive geopolitical influence, and opulent lifestyle, which earned him the moniker "''The Jay Gatsby, Great Gatsby ...

. She was the first wife of Egyptian businessman

Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed (; 27 January 192930 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and primary business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel R ...

and the mother of filmmaker Dodi Al-Fayed. She died of a heart attack in 1986 at the age of 51.

Early life and education

Samira Khashoggi was born in 1935. she was the daughter of Muhammad Khashoggi, King Abdulaziz Al Saud's personal doctor and Samiha Ahmed, a Saudi woman of

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

descent. She was educated in Egypt.

Career

Khashoggi wrote, under the pseudonym "Samirah, Daughter of the Arabian Peninsula". Her books include ''Wadda't Amali'' (''Farewell to my Dreams'', 1958), ''Thekrayāt Dām'ah'' (''Tearful Memories'', 1963), ''Wara' Aldabab'' (''Beyond the Cloud'', 1971), ''Qatrat Min ad-Dumu (''Teardrops'', 1979) and ''Barīq Aynaik'' (''The Sparkle of Your Eyes''). Since 1972, ''Al Sharkiah'' has been the leading monthly pan-Arab women's magazine. In 1962, Khashoggi began to head a women's welfare association, Al Nahda, which was based 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 ...

and was the first organization targeted towards women in Saudi Arabia. She was one of the Saudi women who supported the education of girls.

Personal life and death

Khashoggi met Mohamed Al Fayed on the beach in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

through her brother, Saudi billionaire

, and they married in 1954. The marriage lasted two years, and produced one child,

Dodi Fayed Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena'em Fayed (; 15 April 195531 August 1997), commonly known as Dodi Fayed, was an Egyptian film producer and the eldest child of the businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. He was romantically involved with Diana, Princess of W ...

. Khashoggi separated from Al Fayed just months after Dodi's birth and returned to Saudi Arabia. She then married Saudi ambassador Anas Yassin, and had her second child, Jumana Yassin, who is the editor in chief of ''Al Sharkiah'' magazine. Khashoggi was the aunt of actress and producer Nabila Khashoggi and political journalist

Jamal Khashoggi Jamal Ahmad Hamza Khashoggi (13 October 1958 – 2 October 2018) was a Saudi journalist, Saudi dissidents, dissident, author, columnist for ''Middle East Eye'' and ''The Washington Post'', and a general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab New ...

. Khashoggi died in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khashoggi, Samira 20th-century novelists 20th-century Saudi Arabian women writers 20th-century Saudi Arabian writers 20th-century women journalists 1935 births 1986 deaths Samira Samira Pseudonymous women writers Saudi Arabian novelists Saudi Arabian women journalists Saudi Arabian women novelists 20th-century pseudonymous writers Saudi Arabian magazine founders Saudi Arabian people of Syrian descent