Oil ruler: what is King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia remembered for? Wives of the King of Saudi Arabia: photo Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: modern status of the state

On the night of January 23, the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah, died

It was the father of the late king who created the state called Saudi Arabia in 1932. Since the 13th century, Arabia was entirely under Egypt, and from 1517 to 1745 under the Ottoman Empire. In 1745, the ruler of the Najd Emirate, named Saud, began to fight the Turks for the unification of the country. Emir ibn Saud united most of the country in 1926 and proclaimed himself King of the Hejaz and Najd, and in 1932 the country was named Saudi Arabia after the Saudi dynasty.

Flag and coat of arms of Saudi Arabia. On the green flag there is an Arabic inscription "“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger” .

On November 9, 1953, the founder of the state died at the age of 72. After which his sons from the Saud dynasty began to rule the country.

It should be noted that there is a shortage of sons Abdul Aziz ibn Saud did not have, he had 45 boy children !!! Since 1953, five of his sons have been kings.

Sons became kings ibn Saud: Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd.

In general, Saudi Arabia, according to area ranks 13th among the countries of the world, and in terms of population only 50th place . Because more than 60% of the country has no permanent population except nomadic Bedouins, and even nomads do not penetrate into some desert places.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is a very rich country due to the production and sale of oil (3rd place in the world) and gas.

Died today (January 23), King Abdullah, was born August 1, 1924, in the capital Riyadh. As already noted, he is the son of the king and founder of the state. His father ibn Saud killed one of his enemies, the Emir of the Arabian Peninsula Saud Rashidi and his wife Fahd brought her to his palace and made her one of his many wives, and from her the king was born Abdullah. The king had 2 maternal sisters and 44 paternal brothers.

Abdullah received his first high position at the age of over 30, then he became mayor of the holy city Mecca . At the age of 38, his brother, King Faisal, appointed Abdullah Commander of the National Guard. At 51, Abdullah's other brother, King Khalid, makes him the country's second deputy prime minister. Another brother, Fahd, who ascended the royal throne, made Abdullah his heir and first deputy prime minister. Since 1982 (from the age of 58), Abdullah has been crown prince And held the title of heir for 23 years.

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August 3, 2005 , the coronation of King Abdullah took place, the new the king was 81 years old at that time!

Saudi Arabia has an absolute monarchy. The king, he is both the ruler of the country and the head of the government, he appoints all ministers and officials, he is also the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, he also appoints four governors in the province, he is also the highest Judge of the State . No one has the right to even say a word against the king and his laws under pain of death.

The king himself appoints his heir. It should be noted that in Saudi Arabia, the life expectancy of men and women is equal, 66 years, but King Abdullah turned out to be a long-liver, he lived for 91 years, of which the last 10 years he was king. Therefore, it is not surprising that he outlived his two younger brothers, the crown princes, who died before receiving the throne.

In 2011, an 83-year-old prince named Sultan, and in 2012 the prince Naif, who was also the Minister of Internal Affairs under Abdullah.

Maybe this is for the best, because the crown princes, especially Naif, did not particularly agree with their brother-king and wanted to drag the country into the distant past with a tough disposition.

King Abdullah, during his 10-year reign of the country, went down in history as Arab reformer. The first thing he did was to prohibit all of his blood close relatives from using the state treasury, and he had quite a few of them, not a few, about 7,000 people! and they are all princes and princesses holding high government positions. The king also issued a decree that now, when meeting him, he does not need to kiss his hand, as was the case before 2005, but must be greeted in a modern way, with a handshake!

For the first time, King Abdullah allocates money to the country's budget for state scholarships for students who will go to study abroad. 70,000 Arab students immediately took advantage of this.

Slavery in Saudi Arabia was abolished in 1962, but now King Abdullah has decided to make things easier for Arab women in the country. He allows women to drive and even a plane, allows girls to study at the University of the country in the same classroom with boys and even appoints a woman as the rector of the University. In addition, women began to have the right to participate in municipal elections and be elected to leadership positions. The woman took the post of Deputy Minister of Education for Girls' Affairs.

In 2011, King Abdullah founded $37 billion new social spending program , including new unemployment benefits, education and housing subsidies, debt relief, and a new sports channel. He also promised to spend a total of $400 billion by the end of 2014 to improve the kingdom's education, health and infrastructure.

And a completely invisible thing, to Arol Abdullah, became the first ruler of Saudi Arabia to came to the Vatican to meet with the Pope to talk about cooperation with the Christian world!

It should be taken into account that King Abdullah professes Wahhabi Islam and is the Custodian of the two Islamic holy sites, Mecca and Medina . This is a very holy, if not the holiest, spiritual duty in the Islamic world.

The king, of course, was a very religious man; they spoke of him as a gentler ruler, a very energetic and serious person. However, in the American magazine he was called one of the most brutal dictators of our time, ranking 4th among the dictators of our time, after the leaders of North Korea, Sudan and Manyama.

Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world that maintains public executions. And in the square in the middle of Riyadh, people are executed. The fact that a woman cannot go anywhere without a man’s accompaniment... If a single woman or a woman with small children is encountered on the streets of Saudi Arabia, then she falls under the article of a prostitute and the Arabs can immediately kill her.

The king had a capricious character, but he loved women very much. The king got married and divorced 30 times!!! Yes, he had several wives at once, but never more than four of them at once, because the Koran forbids having more wives. They say that there were very few divorces; more often than not, his wives died. Among the king's wives there were Syrians, Moroccans and Palestinians. Abdullah was a father of many children - 15 sons and 20 daughters .

Moreover, the youngest son Badr born when his father the king was already 79 years old!!!

Moreover, all the king’s children are well-off people and hold major government positions.
His second son is Prince Mutaib is the commander of the National Guard.
Another son, prince Mishaal, has been the governor of Makkah province since 2013.
Prince Khaled al-Faisal, holds the post of Minister of Education. His son is the prince Abdul Aziz has been Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2011.
Another son, prince Faisal, is the head Red Crescent Saudi Arabia.
His eldest son, Prince Khaled was deputy commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard until 1992.
His daughter is a princess Adilya married to Faisal bin Abdullah, who was appointed Minister of Education in 2009. She is one of the few Saudi princesses who is a prominent advocate for women's rights in government..
His other daughter, princess Aliya, is the chair of the social service program.
His youngest daughter, princess Sahab, born in 1993 and married fifth son of the King of Bahrain Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in 2011.

The king himself was also not a poor man, only in 2013 his personal fortune amounted to 18 billion US dollars!!!

His wealth and the wealth of the country of Saudi Arabia are clearly demonstrated by these photographs of the king’s plane taken inside the royal airliner.

Well, from the topic of the personal royal plane, let's move on to the public metro in Riyadh, in my opinion it is no worse!

King Abdullah personally financed with his own money the construction of a metro station in the capital Riyadh made of gold!!! ABOUTthe total area of ​​the station will be over 20 thousand sq. meters, and it will be located in one of the fashionable areas of the capital of Saudi Arabia. It will be located on a new metro line, which will be built in the coming years. The station will be made of marble with inserts of gold plates that will serve as its ornament.

Well, if we talk about the capital city Riyadh, or city Jeddah - These are completely modern cities with developed urban infrastructure. You will hardly see pedestrians on the street, because there people travel only by car. Modern hotels are equipped with everything and everything. Another thing is that a whole series of rules provided for by the Koran and Sharia are strictly observed.

Saudi Arabia has always been considered a breeding ground for global Islamic terrorism. This is where Osama bin Laden came from. 14 of the 19 terrorists who attacked New York on September 11, 2001 were also from Saudi Arabia. However King Abdullah openly promoted himself as a fighter against Islamic terrorism. The king emphasized that he, as the custodian of two Islamic shrines, confirms that terrorism is contrary to the Koran.He proposed creating a global anti-terrorist center in Saudi Arabia, in particular in Riyadh.. He was ready to finance it, ready to train special people to fight terrorism.Moreover, he caught and eliminated several leaders of such Islamist organizations in Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah also struggled with drugs; for finding them, a person immediately faced the death penalty.

In general, the USSR became the first country to recognize the independence of Saudi Arabia. At one time, from Stalin to Gorbachev, relations were spoiled and Saudi Arabia came under the influence of the United States, but now relations have been established, but relations with the United States have worsened, the current deceased king removed American military bases from the territory of his country.

Saudi Arabia has the greatest influence on the Arab world and the king, who died today, has repeatedly spoken out in favor of improving relations with Israel.

In May 2013, King Abdullah was already on the verge of death. The 88-year-old king's kidneys and lungs failed, he was connected to artificial respiration, he experienced clinical death, but came out of this state and returned to leading the country.

December 31, 2014, the king was hospitalized with pneumonia. The disease worsened on January 20, 2015. On the night of January 23, the king’s heart stopped beating and on the same day, guided
According to Islamic traditions (to bury the day of death before sunset), the king was buried.

King Abdullah has many orders and highest awards of states Saudi Arabia, Argentina, England, South Africa, Austria, Kazakhstan, Poland, Pakistan, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Lebanon.
In Saudi Arabia, during his lifetime, a university was named after him.. The king was a lover of camel racing and organized his own equestrian club in the country.

On the night of January 22-23, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died. He was more liberal than his predecessor Fahd, but never decided on fundamental reforms after the Arab Spring. But Abdullah managed to maintain friendly relations with the United States, while not being afraid to develop ties with China and Russia

Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz (Photo: REUTERS 2015)

King Abdullah was born in 1924. The exact date of birth is unknown, but open sources call it August 1. On the same day in 2005, he ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia. The monarch was considered the "Guardian and Protector of the Two Holy Mosques" [In Mecca and Medina]. This title was introduced by his predecessor, Fahd, in order to emphasize the religious authority of the rulers of Saudi Arabia. Abdullah did not receive a formal education. In his youth he spent several years among the Bedouins. It was then, according to the official version, that he “had a desire to help the development of his people.”

Abdullah's rise to power began in 1962, when he was appointed head of the National Guard, the armed forces tasked with protecting the Saudi royal family. The relatively late development of the late monarch’s career was associated with his lack of oratorical talents (Abdallah suffered from speech impediments), as well as with his origin. Abdullah's mother was from the Rashid clan, which rivaled the Saudis. The marriage of the parents of the future king was a political union organized by the then ruling king in the country, Abdul Aziz.

In 1975, Abdullah was appointed second deputy prime minister, in 1982 he became heir to the throne under King Fahd, and since 1995, when the latter suffered a stroke, he has been regent and de facto ruler of the kingdom.

Numerous obituaries describe King Abdullah as a “reformer” and “diplomat.” The specific attitude towards his personality and achievements on the throne depends on the position of the publication. But many experts agree that the Saudi monarch managed to maintain his power, prevent the rampant extremism and maintain relations with leading Western states.

For example, despite the origins of most of the organizers and perpetrators of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, who were citizens of Saudi Arabia or even maintained contacts with the ruling family, Washington and Riyadh remained allies. The monarchy provided behind-the-scenes assistance to American troops during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Eleven years later, the Saudi Air Force is taking part in the fight against the Islamic State of ISIS. In 2007, Abdullah became the first Saudi monarch to meet with the Pope (at that time he was Benedict XVI).

Good relations with the United States have not prevented the kingdom from establishing ties with countries that compete with the United States on the world stage - China and Russia. Before the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, Riyadh even managed to establish contacts with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Friendship with Western states was one of the factors that allowed Abdullah to remain an absolute monarch without carrying out major changes in the country. Another reason for the relatively stable domestic politics was the difference between the more liberal Abdullah and his conservative, authoritarian and not very popular predecessor. Abdullah tried to remain more modest. It is alleged that he even asked not to address him as “Your Majesty” and forbade his subjects to kiss their hands.

Western media have repeatedly written about human rights problems in Saudi Arabia, including in connection with the situation of women. During Abdullah's entire reign, no serious steps were taken towards liberalization.

The discussion about the role of women in Saudi society received a new continuation last spring. Then the British media published an interview with Abdullah’s daughter, Princess Saara. She claimed that, together with her sister Javakhi, she had been under house arrest imposed on her by the monarch for 13 years in London. Abdallah's two other daughters are being held in London, Saara said.

The king's supporters respond to this criticism by saying that women can study at the Technological University, which bears the name of Abdullah, and together with men. In 2012, women were included in the Olympic team for the first time. In 2011, the monarch promised to give women the right to vote in local elections due this year. Abdullah's reluctance to move towards greater conservatism allowed 10-25% of Saudi women to somehow get a job. However, they can only get there by public transport or accompanied by men, since women still are not issued driver’s licenses. Finally, the monarch has repeatedly expressed his mercy to those convicted of violating Sharia law, both women and men.

The restraint of Abdullah’s policy and unwillingness to reform was manifested in the kingdom’s reaction to the “Arab Spring” - a series of mass street protests in a number of states in the Middle East and North Africa, as a result of which the government was overthrown in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen. After the events of 2011-2012, Saudi Arabia did not carry out political reforms, focusing instead on increasing social spending. In 2015, Saudi budget expenditures will amount to $229 billion. Most of this amount will be spent on education, healthcare and infrastructure development.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East. And the country with the largest oil reserves. Unfortunately, ordinary residents do not get to enjoy oil money - it all ends up in the pockets of members of the ruling Saudi dynasty (Al Saud). The family is large: approximately 25,000 people. But “only” 2000 of them control all the power and all the wealth of the country. And what are they doing... As they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

459 tons of luggage for a 9-day trip

84-year-old Alman ibn Abdul Aziz Al, the current king of Saudi Arabia, is a very rich man. It feels like money means nothing to him at all - he throws it away so easily. For example, in 2017, he needed to go on a visit to Indonesia for 9 days, so he ordered 459 tons of luggage to be taken with him. Why does he need 459 tons of luggage for 9 days? It is impossible to understand this. Yes, and what was included in the luggage? A sofa, a suitcase, a travel bag... In fact, a bunch of different equipment, including two Mercedes-Benz s600 limousines and two electric elevators. As if you couldn't find all this in Indonesia.

Game of the Saudi throne

Back in 1975, the people's favorite King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud reigned. It was under him that oil production increased incredibly and enormous wealth appeared in the country. He invested in the modernization of the country, took care of the needs of the population, under him Saudi Arabia became the leader of the Muslim world and began to dictate its rules to all countries (using oil leverage).

On March 25, 1975, Faisal was shot and killed by his nephew, Prince Faisal ibn Musaid, who had returned to the country after studying at an American university. The prince approached the king, bent down for a kiss, pulled out a pistol and fired three times at point-blank range. He was found guilty of regicide and his head was cut off (although the dying King Faisal asked to spare his nephew). Faisal ibn Musaid Al Saud was beheaded with a blow from a gold-plated sword, after which his head was displayed on a wooden stake for 15 minutes for the crowd to see. These are the passions.

Hypocrisy and alcohol at parties

Consumption of alcohol in Saudi Arabia is prohibited and severely punished by law. Of course, if you belong to the royal family and you really want it, then you can do anything - including alcohol. People who worked at parties thrown by Saudi princes said that alcohol, drugs, and what not were in use there. The two-faced Al-Saids party at alcohol parties, and the next day they frantically and zealously talk about how important it is to comply with Sharia law.

In the next episode of “Game of the Saudi Throne” we will see how Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd kidnaps his cousin Sultan ibn Turki because he wanted to tell the world the whole truth about the royal family. No joke, the Saudi royal family is corrupt to the extreme and, one might say, rotten from the inside. However, they have plenty of money and power to get rid of anyone stupid enough to open their mouth on this topic.

During a visit to Geneva in 2004, Prince Sultan bin Turki said that he was going to reveal the secret plans (or rather, evil intentions) of the Saudi government. The next day, his cousin Prince Abdul Aziz ordered Turki to be sent back to Saudi Arabia immediately. Sultan ibn Turki never again complained about the family or spoke about its crimes. After all, the one who talks a lot does not live long.

In 1977, 19-year-old Saudi Princess Mishaal bint Fahd al Saud, the niece of then-King Khalid, was accused of adultery and executed. At the same time, her lover - the son of the kingdom's ambassador in Lebanon - was beheaded (the head was cut off with a saber and this was only possible with the fifth blow). The execution was supervised by the princess's own grandfather. So the Saudis can be very, very cruel to their own people.

It seems like the members of the royal family don’t have a lot of money anyway, why should they try to earn more, and at that in an illegal way? However, in 2004, Prince Nayef ibn Fowaz Al Shalaan tried to smuggle 2 tons of cocaine from Colombia to Europe in his private Boeing. He planned to launder the money through Kanz Bank (which he also owns).

In general, the plan was quite cunning, but it failed because the French police caught Nayef red-handed. But that's not the most interesting thing. When he was caught, the Al Sauds intervened and ordered France to release the prince. They even threatened to reject several important commercial deals with France if she did not comply. Therefore, Prince Nayef's accomplices are still rotting in prison, while the prince himself walks free and enjoys the sun of Saudi Arabia.

When Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud brutally murdered his gay lover at a luxury London hotel in 2010, his main concern at trial was to prove that he himself was not gay. After all, homosexuality in Saudi Arabia is one of the worst crimes and can be punishable by death.

According to police, before the fatal attack on his servant, the prince drank champagne, as well as six Sex on the Beach cocktails. This happened on February 14, when the couple celebrated Valentine's Day. Shortly before midnight, the lovers returned to the hotel, where they had an argument that ended in murder. Everything happened in the UK and it was impossible to wriggle out of court. The prince was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was soon sent to Saudi Arabia in exchange for five British men. There is no doubt that he is free.

Residents of Saudi Arabia are required to obey all laws of their country, no matter how absurd or strict they may be. The main thing is to obey, pray and not try to adopt anything from the rotten West. Here's a typical example: In 2013, 21-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Khayal watched a YouTube video about a man who went out into the street and began offering random passers-by a hug - if they wanted one. Abdulrahman decided that this was a cool idea and that he should try to do the same at home, in Saudi Arabia. He wrote a “Hugs” poster, went out into the street with it and began hugging passers-by. Very soon he was arrested for criminal activities. What happened to him next is unknown. I would like to hope that he was not imprisoned, but released.

Everything related to the world's oldest profession is, of course, prohibited in Saudi Arabia. And there's nothing special about it. However, it would be nice if members of the royal family also followed this law. But this, alas, is not the case.

For example, in Saudi Arabia it is illegal to celebrate Halloween due to its “un-Islamic” nature. But Prince Faisal Al-Thunayan threw a huge Halloween party at his residence. Approximately 150 men and women attended the party. With one single difference: the men came there of their own free will, and the women had no other choice. They were brought there to be sold.

And how did the royal family react when it turned out that Prince Faisal had broken several laws that night? But no way - they ignored the event. And they even threatened to kill anyone who spoke on this topic.

WikiLeaks has exposed the secrets of thousands of the world's most powerful people, including members of the ruling Al-Saud dynasty. Many have tried to fight WikiLeaks and somehow censor the information posted there, but no one has succeeded in this more than the Saudis. They simply banned WikiLeaks in their country. You can’t even pronounce the name of this organization if you don’t want problems.

Yes, we are talking about one of the richest countries in the world in the 21st century. There is simply no such thing as freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia. The royal family controls everything there. It is interesting that family members are not completely free: before doing anything, they must consult and ask permission from King Salman. He is still in charge.

With their money they could probably buy up the whole world. But few of the large companies want to deal with them. Why? Yes, because it is not clear what to expect from these people. And also because these are the type of clients who do not always pay their bills. For example, Princess Maha al-Ibrahim refused to pay $1.5 million to a limousine rental company in Geneva (even though all the princess's demands were fully satisfied). Well, it only ended with the company representatives saying, “We are no longer working with this family for obvious reasons.” And there are plenty of such cases.

In total, the Al-Saud family numbers 25-30 thousand people. And all the boys need to be assigned to the most prestigious jobs, so that they “earn” a lot of money and maintain the honor of the family. It is clear that they are taken without any interviews to wherever they want. Their knowledge and experience do not play any role. The surname is everything. It’s a pity for worthy people who cannot get a job because of this, and it’s a pity for a country in which inexperienced specialists are allowed to solve important issues.

According to information from WikiLeaks, using their name, the princes receive money in various ways - for example, by borrowing from banks and not repaying the loans. Having learned from bitter experience, Saudi banks routinely reject loan requests from members of the royal family unless they have a good credit history.

Another favorite way of taking money is the confiscation of land on which it is planned to build something and which can be resold at a great profit. So when the royal brats don't have enough money to party hardcore, they just go and borrow it from the banks or take it from the public.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive regimes in the world. There are no elections, political parties or parliament. The country belongs to King Salman and his family. They can do whatever they want with complete impunity. The rest of the world is afraid to interfere and somehow try to limit the power of the Saudis, because Saudi Arabia is control over the distribution of oil. Everyone knows that people there have a hard time, but no one can do anything about it. When it comes to civil and political freedoms, Saudi Arabia is the worst country in the world and can only be compared with North Korea and a couple of African dictatorships.

Everyone in Saudi Arabia is afraid of the Islamic morality police “Hayaa”, which is supposedly supposed to protect the country and people from moral decay, etc. For example, moral guards once invaded the house of a local resident and found young people dancing there. Just. However, by Hayaa standards, these men were caught in “a compromising situation in the dance, making shameful gestures.” This definition was enough to arrest everyone immediately. Moreover, the parents of these “criminals” were told that they needed to better monitor their children “because this could lead to immorality and even homosexuality.” Well, you understand, right? If you dance, it means you're gay.

Moscow, January 17 - "Vesti.Ekonomika". Since Salman took the throne 4 years ago, Saudi Arabia appears to have taken a number of wrong steps. Will he be able to make the right decision that will turn the country in the right direction?

Four years ago, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His reign had a profound impact on the state of the kingdom: it became more repressive and unpredictable than ever, and probably less stable than it had been for the last half century. And now the kingdom is going through a series of important and complex transformations.

Salman was governor of Riyadh province for almost half a century before his half-brother, King Abdullah, made him crown prince. Since becoming the head of the capital, Salman has watched it transform from a remote desert town into a modern city that has become the center of the country. He did this while carefully opening the way for the Wahhabi clergy.

Half a century before his ascension to the throne, the situation with succession in the kingdom was predictable and understandable: Ibn Saud's sons would inherit the throne as they grew older. The issue of succession is the Achilles heel of absolute monarchies.

Salman broke the line of succession twice without explaining anything. Two crown princes were removed, paving the way for the king's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is under house arrest. Apparently, the king and crown prince consider Mohammed bin Nayef a potential rival.

The fate of the former crown prince is a vivid example of the repression of the Saudi system under Salman. The kingdom has never been a symbol of human rights, especially for women or Shiites. But over the past 4 years it has turned into a brutal and repressive dictatorship. Women's rights defenders were detained, tortured and insulted. Hundreds of Saudi business leaders, including members of the royal family, were arrested and stripped of money and property in 2017. Dozens of them are still in prison. The most famous journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was killed. This appears to have been done on the orders of the Crown Prince in Istanbul, although the King was protecting his son.

Salman traveled widely during the first 3 years of his reign, including extensive trips to East Asia and annual holidays to Morocco. In 2018, he did not travel at all. The reason for this is his health. However, he does not explain why he did not take his usual vacation. Perhaps the king feels that the unstable situation in the kingdom due to issues of succession will prevent him from leaving the country. The crown prince is due to visit Pakistan next month.

Salman also recently reshuffled his cabinet. The most interesting change has been made to the Saudi National Guard, which protects the monarchy from internal threats. This has traditionally been the domain of Salman's predecessor, Abdullah, who remained chief of the guard for decades. He handed over the post to his eldest son, Prince Mitab. Mitab was removed in November 2017 when he was placed under arrest at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Now the king has appointed a new minister of the Saudi National Guard - Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, who is now 32 years old. He was previously deputy governor of Mecca. The prince has no military experience or training, but neither does the crown prince, who is also defense minister.

One of the crown prince's initiatives is the catastrophic war in Yemen, which has devastated the Arab world's poorest country and caused the world's worst humanitarian disaster. The Saudis have spent a fortune to defeat the Houthi rebels, who are backed by a penniless Iran.

The fragile UN-brokered truce in the port city of Hodeidah is the first tangible step in years to end the war. The international community urgently needs to support the UN process and establish a strong local presence in Yemen to oversee prisoner exchanges, lifting of the blockade and ceasefire.

The kingdom faces serious challenges as it tries to diversify its economy, improve social spaces, reduce gender discrimination and change leadership. Khashoggi's murder has complicated the situation and increased uncertainty. The king must end the war in Yemen and ease repression within the country so that difficulties can be overcome.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is quickly becoming the most important figure in his country and one of the most powerful people in the world.

The 32-year-old ruler is changing Saudi Arabia's military and foreign policy, its economy and even daily religious and cultural life.

In addition, it is known that it is he who is behind the recent anti-corruption purge that took place in the kingdom - the heir to the throne is strengthening his power in an unprecedented way for the country.

So, let's get to know this powerful prince, who holds much of the fate of the Middle East in his hands.

Little is known about Mohammed's early years. He is the eldest son of King Salman's third wife and has reportedly spent most of his life in his father's shadow.

A 2015 New York Times article said his rise came as a surprise "because his three older brothers had their own merits and were considered frontrunners for top government positions."

The Crown Prince received a Bachelor of Laws from King Saud University in Riyadh and assisted his father in various endeavors as an adviser.

According to the New York Times, Mohammed enjoys water sports, including water skiing, as well as the iPhone and other Apple products. The article also notes that his favorite country is Japan, and that he spent his honeymoon there.

Despite some lack of experience, he reportedly always planned for a government career. A person familiar with the royal family told the New York Times that Prince Mohammed never smoked, drank alcohol or was seen on nights out.

However, this does not mean that he cannot give in to the impulse. It is known that while vacationing in France, the Crown Prince saw the Serene yacht and immediately bought it for about half a billion euros - the former owner, Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shefler, packed up the same day.

Mohammed first made the news in January 2015 when he took over as defense minister following the death of King Abdullah, a position previously held by his father, now ascended to the throne.

At this moment he was 29 years old, but now, at 32 years old, he is still the youngest Minister of Defense.

In this capacity, he supports the ongoing war Saudi Arabia is waging against the Hathi rebels in Yemen.

In addition, it was reported that it was he who encouraged the Gulf countries to unite the boycott of Qatar.

In addition, the prince appears to have played a large role in the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri this weekend while the latter was in Saudi Arabia.

Each of these steps can be seen as part of a campaign to increase pressure on Iran, which remains Saudi Arabia's main regional rival.

Along with his role as defense minister, Mohammed also gained control of the kingdom's state oil company, Saudi Aramco.

In 2016, he announced a long-term economic plan, Vision 2030, which aims to reduce the country's economic dependence on oil revenues.

Most recently, in October, he announced a $500 billion, 100% renewable energy-powered city called Neom.

Recently, the crown prince also tried to influence the religious side of his subjects' lives, calling on them to return to a "more moderate Islam."

In addition, he had a hand in the law passed earlier this year allowing women to drive.

Expanding his influence, Mohammed began to gradually push aside some of the country's major political figures.

Until June 2017, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was Crown Prince and Minister of the Interior, but this post was taken over by Mohammed bin Salman.

In addition, one of the most prominent figures arrested during the recent anti-corruption campaign was Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, head of the Saudi National Guard.

Now that those two have been eliminated, Crown Prince Mohammed controls three parts of Saudi Arabia's security apparatus - the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Interior and the National Guard - in an unprecedented concentration of power in the country.