Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

King Salman in Riyadh. Image by Zeyad Al-Enezi-Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud was born on 31^st December 1935. He was proclaimed the seventh king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January 2015. This came after the passing of King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz.

He has reigned since 23 January 2015.  He had been the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 16 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and the sixth of his sons who have reigned as kings.

Riyadh urbanized and prospered, attracting tourism, trade, and investment under his leadership.

He maintained domestic order by whatever means necessary. His regime executed 47 people, including a prominent dissident.

Currently, he is old and ailing. He has undergone a couple of surgeries including the removal of his gallbladder and one to replace the battery of his pacemaker. The crown prince, his son, helps him out with the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom.

1. Salman is one of the seven sons called “Sudayri Seven”

King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Image by Jim Mattis – Wikimedia

 He was born to one of his father’s most favored wives, Hassa bint Ahmad Sudayri. The seven sons of Hassa are known as the “Sudairi Seven.”  They went on to become a powerful faction within the royal family, passing the throne from one to another.

Salman’s eldest full brother, Fahd, was king between 1982 and 2005, while two other brothers, Sultan and Nayef, were crown princes.

Salman, the second youngest of the seven, entered government as the deputy governor of Riyadh in 1954.

2. He gained more than 200,000 followers after his first Tweet

Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash

Salman bin Abdul-Aziz launched his account on Twitter in 2013. It attracted more than 200,000 followers after his first tweet. This shows how popular he is.

In his first post, he wrote: “This is the official and only account of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the crown prince of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi Arabia has millions of Twitter users. It has more users than any other country in the Middle East. The growth rate is 300 percent per year. This is according to a report by The Social Clinic, a Jeddah-based social media consultancy.

3. King Salman took office in the Emirate of Riyadh at the age of nineteen

Prince Salman takes part in the traditional Saudi Ardha dance. Image by Unknown Author – Wikimedia

His career has been long and important. He first took office in the Emirate of Riyadh at the age of nineteen. He then became the emir of the capital with the rank of minister. He led a series of development operations in the area.

Salman bin Abdulaziz became king in 2015 when his half-brother King Abdullah died at the age of 90.

Under his leadership of the Saudi monarch, a modern, consolidated Kingdom has been seen. The Kingdom has moved forward with a vision focused on economic, social, and institutional reform.

4. King Salman is also credited with a major fight against state corruption

Photo by Piotr Łaskawski on Unsplash

He became the secretary of the Royal Court and advisor to different Saudi kings and princes thanks to his great work in Riyadh.

He was able to know everyone’s profile from his position. This helped him detect those who were not behaving well. Up to fifty prominent personalities were arrested.

King Salman implemented what the World Bank described as the largest ‘record number of reforms in his first year.  This made Saudi Arabia one of the top 20 reforming countries in the world, and the second among the top high-income countries in the G20.

5. He helped consolidate Saudi Arabia as a major international reference point and a great symbol of the Sunni branch of Islam

L to R: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Melania Trump, and Donald Trump. Image by The White House from Washington, DC – Wikimedia

King Salman bin Abdulaziz together with his son Mohammed bin Salman, have helped push for national progress and modernization. Saudi Arabia has also become a great symbol of the Sunni branch of Islam.

They have made the country a great defender of stability in the Middle East. This is based on alliances with other nations to confront destabilization and interference from other countries such as Iran, which is the main Shiite standard-bearer.

This is evident in examples such as the war in Yemen, where the Saudi-led alliance is confronting the Houthi rebels. It is supported by Ayatollah’s regime and seeks to undermine the legally established government.

6. He took over reign at 79 years

King Salman. Photo by U.S. Department of State from United States-Wikimedia

Salman succeeded his half-brother, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on January 23, 2015, at age 79. this makes him a veteran of the country’s top leadership,

He was appointed minister of defense in 2011 and then heir apparent in 2012. This was after two elder full-brothers, Crown Princes Sultan and Nayef died within a year of each other.

He started his political career at a young age when he became the governor of Riyadh in 1963.  For nearly 50 years, he oversaw the development of the Saudi capital from a small desert town to a major metropolis.

7.  King Salman is the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

The Kaaba at al-Haram Mosque during the start of Hajj. Image by Al Jazeera English – Wikimedia

The title mainly refers to the ruler taking the responsibility of guarding and maintaining the two holiest mosques in Islam. these are Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s mosque in Medina. Both are in the Hejazi region, Saudi Arabia. 

Salman has a significant influence on the global Muslim community through this role. Salman, took the title after the death of King Abdullah, his half-brother, on 23 January 2015.

Makkah is the main pilgrimage site for 1.9 billion Muslims. Each year approximately 4 million pilgrims perform the Hajj. In addition to this, approximately 10 million pilgrims perform the umrah,’ the lesser Hajj’, throughout the year.

8. King Salman was a successful Governor

Riyadh Skyline in Riyadh province. Dated February 2018. Image by B.alotaby – Wikimedia

He was governor of Riyadh province for nearly 50 years before becoming defense minister in 2011 and crown prince a year later.

He oversaw Riyadh’s transformation from a small desert town into a crowded city of skyscrapers, universities, and Western fast-food chains.

He also played a major role in attracting capital projects and foreign investment into his country and improved political and economic relationships with the West. He built up a strong reputation for having an efficient and corruption-free administration.

9. He was the family disciplinarian

Salman was known as the family disciplinarian and purportedly maintained a royal family “jail” where unruly or errant royal family members were kept.

He was often the referee in disputes within the huge Saudi royal family, with its complex network of competing factions.

10. King Salman altered the Saudi line of succession

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. Image by Kremlin.ru – Wikimedia

Only the sons of Ibn Saud have been crown princes. This was the norm. The title of crown prince was to ready them for kingship.  When he assumed office as the new king,  he named a younger half-brother, Muqrin, the crown prince. This was expected.

However, in 2015, he defied the norm by enforcing a new plan that passes the crown to the next generation. He named his son Mohammed minister of defense and Nayef’s son, Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, and deputy crown prince. The latter became the first grandson of Ibn Saud to move on to the line of succession.

In 2017, King Salman ended months of speculation by replacing Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince in favor of his son. Mohammed bin Nayef was also removed as head of the interior ministry and reportedly placed under house arrest.