Majid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud explained

Full Name:Majid bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud
Succession:Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs
Reign:1975–1980
Reign-Type:In office
Predecessor:Office established
Reg-Type:Monarch
Regent:King Khalid
Reign1:1980–1999
Reign-Type1:In office
Predecessor1:Fawwaz bin Abdulaziz
Successor1:Abdulmajeed bin Abdulaziz
Reg-Type1:Monarch
Regent1:King Khalid
Father:King Abdulaziz
Mother:Muhdi
Spouse:Nouf bint Abdallah bin Fahd Al Muhanna Aba Al Khail
Birth Date:19 October 1938
Birth Place:Riyadh
Death Place:Jeddah
Burial Date:13 April 2003
Burial Place:Al Adl cemetery, Mecca
House:Al Saud

Majid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: ماجد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; 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 on 19 October 1938[1] [2] to King Abdulaziz and Muhdi.[3] His mother was an Armenian woman.[3] He had a full brother, Sattam bin Abdulaziz,[3] [4] and two full sisters, Sultana bint Abdulaziz and Haya bint Abdulaziz.[5] Prince Majid received formal education in Riyadh.[1] [4]

Career

In 1960 Prince Majid began to involve in business.[3] At the end of 1975, Majid bin Abdulaziz was appointed by King Khalid as minister of municipal and rural affairs, being the first minister.[6] [7] Prince Mutaib also joined the Saudi cabinet at that time, being appointed minister of public works and housing.[8] These two appointments were a move to reduce the power of Sudairi Seven in the cabinet.[7] [8]

On 3 March 1980, Prince Majid was appointed governor of the Mecca Region,[1] [4] 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, King Faisal's son, in 1981.[9]

Views and allegiances

In the early 1960s Prince Majid joined Free Princes Movement led by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz.[10] [4] However, he left the group the same year.[3] [4]

In 1990 he argued that communism and other temporal ideologies were totally false and against human nature.[11] Prince Majid was close to both then Crown Prince Abdullah and Sudairi Seven, acting as a floating voter in contests.[12] 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.[13] He had seven children, two sons and five daughters.[4] 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.[14] 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.[15] Another daughter, Princess Basma bint Majid, married Prince Bandar bin Faisal Al Saud.[16] [17]

Prince Majid was fond of reading books on social history and culture and of learning foreign languages and learned English and French.[2]

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.[18] Mishal bin Majid is the chairman of the society.[1]

The Majid society was given by the Global Research Alliance (GRA) A+ rating for its achievements during 2011.[19]

Death and funeral

Prince Majid died in Jeddah after suffering from a prolonged illness on 13 April 2003.[1] His funeral prayers were performed in Grand Mosque on the same day, and he was buried in Al Adl cemetery on Majed Street in Mecca.[20] [21] Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan, Prince Nayef, Prince Salman and other senior Saudi royals attended the funeral.[20] [22]

Honours

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Majid bin Abdulaziz Biography. Majid Society. 3 May 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120617162020/http://www.majidsociety.org/e_cv.php. 17 June 2012. dmy-all.
  2. Book: Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. 2007. Publitec Publications. 9783598077357. 718. 18th. 10.1515/9783110930047. Beirut . Publitec Publications .
  3. Web site: Appendix 6. The Sons of Abdulaziz. Springer. 13 August 2020. 179.
  4. Web site: HRH Majid bin Abdulaziz. Governor of Mecca. 6 February 2023 . Arabian Gulf Digital Archive. British intelligence document. March 1985.
  5. Web site: Family Tree of Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al Saud. Datarabia. 18 April 2012.
  6. Don De Marino. Royal factionism and Saudi foreign policy. Foreign Affairs. 58. 1. 181–184. 1979. 20040345. 10.2307/20040345.
  7. Book: Mordechai Abir. Saudi Arabia in the Oil Era: Regime and Elites: Conflict and Collaboration. 1988. Croom Helm. Kent. 9780709951292.
  8. Ghassane Salameh. Vivian Steir. Political Power and the Saudi State. MERIP. October 1980. 91. 5–22. 10.2307/3010946 . 3010946.
  9. Book: Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud. Emmy Abdul Alim. Global Leaders in Islamic Finance: Industry Milestones and Reflections. 2014. Wiley. Singapore. 978-1-118-46524-0. 56. The Well of Influence. 10.1002/9781118638804.ch3. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118638804.ch3.
  10. Book: Yitzhak Oron. Middle East Record. 2. 1961. Israel Program for Scientific Translation. 420. GGKEY:4Q1FXYK79X8.
  11. News: Wealth keeps Saudi Kingdom stable. 7 August 2012. The News and Courier. 22 April 1990. Associated Press.
  12. Amir Taheri. Amir Taheri. Saudi Arabia: Change Begins within the Family. The Journal of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. 2012. 34. 3. 138–143. 154850947. 10.1080/10803920.2012.686725.
  13. Web site: Family Tree of Majid bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. Datarabia. 18 April 2012.
  14. Web site: Emirs of Al Madinah. Ministry of Interior. 3 May 2012.
  15. Web site: Princess Jawahir bint Majid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Arab Women. 4 May 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131018093959/http://www.whoswhoarabwomen.com/profiles.asp?a=949. 18 October 2013. dmy-all.
  16. Book: Sharaf Sabri. The House of Saud in commerce: A study of royal entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. 2001. I.S. Publications. New Delhi. 978-81-901254-0-6.
  17. News: Danna Lorch. The Ten-Minute Read: HRH Princess Basma's Birthday Art of Heritage Initiative. 3 July 2020. Vogue Arabia. 17 December 2017.
  18. Web site: The Society of Majid bin Abdulaziz for Development and Social Services. Arab Sustainability Leadership Group. 3 May 2012.
  19. News: the Global Research Alliance (GRA) has granted the society A+ rating for its achievements during 2011. 3 May 2012. Arab News. 14 March 2012. dead. 21 March 2012. dmy-all. https://web.archive.org/web/20120321174838/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article587604.ece.
  20. News: Thousands Attend Majed's Funeral. 10 August 2012. Arab News. 14 April 2003.
  21. News: Al-Adl: One of Makkah's oldest cemeteries. Saudi Gazette. 15 August 2012 . 18 June 2012. dead. 28 July 2013. dmy-all. https://web.archive.org/web/20130728183846/http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120618127307.
  22. News: Death of Prince Majid bin Abdulaziz. 18 September 2013. Saudi Embassy. 13 April 2003.
  23. Web site: Reply to a parliamentary question about "Decoration of Honour". de. 17 July 2013.
  24. Web site: Real Decreto 3153/1977, de 21 de octubre, por el que se concede la Gran Cruz de la Orden de Isabel la Católica a S. A. R. Majed Ben Abdulaziz Al-Saoud y otros. Boletín Oficial del Esfado. 23 October 2023 . 27210. es. 13 December 1977.