View source for Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

{{Short description|King of Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2015}}
{{redirect|Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|the Saudi governor of the same name|Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1931–2015)}}
{{Family name hatnote|lang=Arabic|[[Al Saud]]}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty|consort=yes
|name           = Abdullah
|title          = [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]]
|image          = File:King Abdullah bin Abdul al-Saud January 2007.jpg
|caption        = Abdullah in 2007
|alt            = Abdullah, aged 83, wears glasses and a traditional Arabian headdress. 
|succession     = {{nowrap|[[King of Saudi Arabia|King]] and [[Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia]]}}
|reign          = 1 August 2005 – {{nowrap|23 January 2015}}
|reign-type     = Reign
|cor-type       = [[Bay'ah]]
|coronation     = 2 August 2005
|predecessor    = [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]]
|successor      = [[Salman of Saudi Arabia|Salman]]
|succession1    = [[Regent of Saudi Arabia]]
|regent1        = Fahd
|reg-type1      = Monarch
|reign1         = 1 January 1996 – {{nowrap|1 August 2005}}
|succession2    = [[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]]<br>First Deputy Prime Minister
|reign2         = 13 June 1982 – {{nowrap|1 August 2005}}
{{labeldata|Monarch|Fahd}}
{{labeldata|Prime&nbsp;Minister|King Fahd}}
|predecessor2   = Fahd bin Abdulaziz
|successor2     = [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]]
|succession3    = {{nowrap|[[Second Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia]]}}
|reign3         = 25 April 1975 – {{nowrap|13 June 1982}}
{{labeldata|Monarch|[[Khalid of Saudi Arabia|Khalid]]}}
{{labeldata|Prime&nbsp;Minister|King Khalid}}
|predecessor3   = Fahd bin Abdulaziz
|successor3     = Sultan bin Abdulaziz
|succession4    = [[Saudi Arabian National Guard|Commander of the National Guard]]
|reign4         = 1963–2010
{{labeldata|Monarch|
{{Collapsible list|[[Saud of Saudi Arabia|Saud]]|[[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|Faisal]]|Khalid|Fahd|Himself}}}}
|successor4     = [[Mutaib bin Abdullah]]
|predecessor4   = [[Saad bin Saud]]
|spouses        = {{Collapsible list|[[Al Anoud Al Fayez]] (1972–2003; divorced)|Jawahir bint Ali Hussein|[[Aida Fustuq]] (divorced)|Munira Al Otaishan|Munira bint Abdullah Al Al Shaykh|Tathi bint Mishan al Faisal al Jarba|[[Hessa bint Trad Al Shaalan]]|(23 or more other wives)}}
|issue-link     = #Personal life
|issue          = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|36, including:}}|[[Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Khalid]]|[[Faisal bin Abdullah|Prince Faisal]]|[[Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Abdulaziz]]|[[Mishaal bin Abdullah Al Saud|Prince Mishaal]]|[[Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud|Prince Turki]]|[[Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud|Princess Adila]]|[[Abeer bint Abdullah Al Saud|Princess Abeer]]}}
|full name     = Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman
|house         = [[House of Saud|Al Saud]]
|father        = [[Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia]]
|mother        = [[Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim]]
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1924|8|1|df=y}}
|birth_place   = [[Riyadh]], [[Sultanate of Nejd]]
|death_date    = {{death date and age|2015|1|23|1924|8|1|df=y}}
|death_place   = Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
|burial_date   = 23 January 2015
|burial_place  = [[Al Oud cemetery]], Riyadh
}}
'''Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud'''{{efn|{{langx|ar|عبد الله بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود|ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd}}, {{IPA|ars|ʢæbˈdɑɫ.ɫɐ ben ˈʢæbdæl ʢæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʢuːd|link=yes}}}} (1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015) was [[King of Saudi Arabia|King]] and [[Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia]] from 1 August 2005 until his death in 2015. Prior to his accession, he was [[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]] since 13 June 1982. He was the tenth son of [[King Abdulaziz]], the founder of Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah was the son of King Abdulaziz and [[Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim]]. His mother was a member of the [[Al Rashid dynasty]], historical rivals of the [[Al Saud dynasty]]. Abdullah held important political posts throughout most of his adult life. In 1961 he became mayor of [[Mecca]], his first public office.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 October 2007 |title=Who's who: Senior Saudis |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7068977.stm |access-date=27 April 2012 |work=BBC}}</ref> The following year, he was appointed commander of the [[Saudi Arabian National Guard]], a post he was still holding when he became king. He also served as deputy defense minister and was named crown prince when his half-brother [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]] took the throne in 1982. After King Fahd suffered a serious stroke in 1995, Abdullah became the ''de facto'' ruler of Saudi Arabia until ascending the throne a decade later.

During his reign, Abdullah maintained close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom and bought billions of dollars worth of defense equipment from both states.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/10/20101020173353178622.html US confirms $60bn Saudi arms deal] ''[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]'' 20 October 2010.{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209101932/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/10/20101020173353178622.html|date=9 December 2013}}</ref> Abdullah maintained the status quo when there were [[2011–present Saudi Arabian protests|waves of protest]] in the kingdom during the [[Arab Spring]].<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/rizkhan/2010/10/201010198717987944.html  Saudi Arabia: Fundamental change?] ''Al Jazeera'' 19 October 2010 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129051127/http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/rizkhan/2010/10/201010198717987944.html|date=29 January 2014}}</ref> He held four of his daughters, which he fathered with [[Al Anoud Al Fayez]] whom he married when she was age 15, captive against their will.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Blake |first=Heidi |date=2024-10-10 |title=The Texan Doctor and the Disappeared Saudi Princesses |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-texan-doctor-and-the-disappeared-saudi-princesses |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Blake |first=Heidi |date=2023-06-28 |title=Saudi Arabia's Vanished Princesses |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/saudi-arabias-vanished-princesses |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>

The three crown princes during Abdullah's reign were among the [[Sudairi Seven|full brothers of King Fahd]]. Upon becoming king in 2005, Abdullah appointed his half-brother [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]] as crown prince. When Sultan died in 2011, Sultan's full brother [[Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Nayef]] was named heir to the throne, but Nayef himself died the next year. Abdullah then named [[Salman bin Abdulaziz]] as crown prince. According to various reports, Abdullah married up to 30 times and had more than 35 children. He was among the [[List of royalty by net worth|wealthiest royals]] in the world. Upon his death in 2015 at age 90, he was succeeded as King by his half-brother Salman, although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would become ''de facto'' ruler of Saudi Arabia.

==Early life==
Abdullah is said to have been born on 1 August 1924 in Riyadh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/KingAbdullah.aspx
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618150620/http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/KingAbdullah.aspx|work=Saudi Embassy|access-date=18 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2012|title=King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|url=http://www.mohe.gov.sa/en/studyinside/aboutKSA/Pages/kings-of-Saudi-Arabia.aspx|work=Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia
|access-date=28 June 2012|location=Saudi Arabia|date=4 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224212028/http://www.mohe.gov.sa/en/studyinside/aboutKSA/Pages/kings-of-Saudi-Arabia.aspx}}</ref> However, some sources state that this date is incorrect, and that he was approximately eight years older.<ref>{{cite web|title=Too Many Saudi Princes|page=1
|url=http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/long-lives-the-king-7820|work=The National Interest|access-date=9 April 2016|date=7 December 2012
|quote=King Abdullah’s advanced age—a leaked U.S. cable placed him at ninety-six, much older than the previously estimated eighty-eight or eighty-nine}}</ref> He was the tenth son of King Abdulaziz.<ref>{{cite journal|author2=Md. Muddassir Quamar|author1=P. R. Kumaraswamy
|title=More effective as regent than as monarch: Abdullah's reform legacy|journal=Contemporary Arab Affairs|year=2016|volume=9|issue=3
|pages=445–460|doi=10.1080/17550912.2016.1189108|issn=1755-0920 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Nabil Mouline|title=Power and generational transition in Saudi Arabia|doi=10.1080/17550912.2016.1238110|journal=Critique Internationale|date=April–June 2010|volume=46|pages=1–22}}</ref> His mother, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim, was a member of the Al Rashid dynasty, longtime rivals of the Al Saud dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Winberg Chai|title=Saudi Arabia: A Modern Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh4bENPP_HEC&pg=PA193|year=2005|page=193|publisher=University of Indianapolis Press|isbn=978-0-88093-859-4|location=Indianapolis, IN}}</ref> She was descended from the powerful [[Shammar]] tribe and was the daughter of former tribe chief [[Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari|Asi bin Shuraim]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Hassan Hanizadeh|title=Saudi Arabia without King Abdullah|url=http://criticalppp.com/archives/30509|archive-date=6 December 2010|work=PPP|access-date=29 April 2012|year=2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206193346/http://criticalppp.com/archives/30509|url-status=usurped}}</ref> She died when Abdullah was six years old.<ref name=nweek9>{{cite magazine|title=The Monarch who Declared His own Revolution|magazine=[[Newsweek]]
|date=30 March 2009|volume=153|issue=13|page=40|url=https://www.newsweek.com/saudi-king-abdullahs-sudden-push-reforms-76007|author=Christopher Dickey}}</ref> Abdullah had two younger full-sisters, [[Nouf bint Abdulaziz Al Saud|Nouf]] and [[Seeta bint Abdulaziz|Seeta]],<ref name=stig/> and two maternal half-brothers, [[Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Rashid|Abdulaziz]] and [[Mishaal bin Saud Al Rashid|Mishaal]], who were the children of his mother's first marriage to [[Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Talal Kapoor|title=Analysis: Al Rashid Opposition Group (part one)|work=Datarabia|date=1 February 2007|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/viewCommentary.do?id=20&pageNum=2}}</ref> [[Madawi Al-Rasheed]] argues that Abdullah's maternal roots and his earlier experience of a [[speech impediment]] led to delay in his rise to higher status among the sons of King Abdulaziz.<ref name=alrasheed09>{{cite journal|author=Madawi Al Rasheed|title=Modernizing authoritarian rule in Saudi Arabia|journal=Contemporary Arab Affairs|year=2009|volume=2|issue=4|pages=587–601|doi=10.1080/17550910903244976}}</ref>

==Commander of National Guard==
[[File:King Abdullah, Commander of Saudi Arabian National Guard.jpg|thumb|Abdullah as commander of [[Saudi Arabian National Guard|Saudi National Guard]]]]
In August 1963, Abdullah was made commander of Saudi National Guard replacing [[Saad bin Saud]], a son of [[King Saud]], in the post.<ref>{{cite thesis|author=Alexander Blay Bligh|title=Succession to the throne in Saudi Arabia. Court Politics in the Twentieth Century|year=1981
|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/303101806|location=Columbia University|page=192|degree=PhD|id={{ProQuest|303101806}}}}</ref> This post allowed him to secure his position in the House of Saud. SANG, which had been based on the [[Ikhwan]], became a modern armed force under his command. Beginning 1985, SANG also sponsored the Janadiriyah festival that institutionalized traditional folk dances, camel races and tribal heritage.<ref name=alrasheed09/>

==Second in line==
[[File:King Fahd 1946-83 2.jpg|thumb|Abdullah's two predecessors on the throne, [[King Khalid]] (left) and [[King Fahd]]]]
[[King Khalid]] appointed Abdullah as second deputy prime minister on 29 March 1975 just four days after his kingship<ref>{{cite journal
|author=Gulshan Dhanani|title=The King Is Dead, Long Live the King|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|date=19 June 1982|volume=17|issue=25
|pages=1021–1022|jstor=4371042}}</ref> which was a reflection of his status as second in the line of succession to the Saudi throne.<ref>{{cite book|author=Nadav Safran|title=Saudi Arabia: The Ceaseless Quest for Security|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSkIi_1T1FsC&pg=PR17
|year=1985|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-9484-0|page=218|location=Ithaca, NY; London}}</ref> Therefore, he became the number three in the Saudi administration.<ref>{{cite book|author1=P. Edward Haley|author2=Lewis W. Snider|author3=M. Graeme Bannerman
|year=1979|title=Lebanon in Crisis: Participants and Issues|url=https://archive.org/details/lebanonincrisis001945|url-access=registration
|isbn=978-0-8156-2210-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/lebanonincrisis001945/page/118 118]|publisher=Syracuse University Press
|location=Syracuse, NY}}</ref> However, his appointment caused friction in the House of Saud.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org">{{cite web
|author=Simon Henderson|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyFocus96.pdf|title=After King Abdullah
|work=Washington Institute|access-date=28 July 2012|format=Policy Paper|date=August 2009|archive-date=21 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021015030/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyFocus96.pdf}}</ref> Then-Crown Prince Fahd, together with his full-brothers, known as the [[Sudairi Seven]], supported the appointment of their own full brother, Sultan.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> Abdullah was pressured to cede control of SANG in return for his appointment as second deputy prime minister. In August 1977, this generated a debate among hundreds of princes in Riyadh.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> Abdullah did not relinquish authority of SANG in that he feared that this would weaken his authority.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> <!-- Please do not remove or change this Copyvio message until the issue is settled --><!-- I have corrected the copyright violations. User:Mni9791 ---><!--Perhaps Copyvio message should have been retained for posterity and future guidance?. User:BroVic -->

In March 1979 when Crown Prince Fahd left Saudi Arabia and stayed in Europe for a long time Prince Abdullah presided over the council of ministers and held a much more active role in diplomatic affairs of Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite book|author=Joseph A. Kéchichian|author-link=Joseph A. Kéchichian|title=Succession In Saudi Arabia|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSHIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA54
|year=2001|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-312-29962-0|page=54}}</ref> During the same period he was one of the members of the inner family council which was led by King Khalid and included Abdullah's half-brothers Prince Mohammed, Crown Prince Fahd, Prince Sultan and [[Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Abdul Muhsin]] as well as his uncles Prince Ahmed and [[Musaid bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud|Prince Musaid]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Gulshan Dhahani|title=Political Institutions in Saudi Arabia|year=1980|journal=International Studies|volume=19
|issue=1|pages=59–69|doi=10.1177/002088178001900104|s2cid=153974203}}</ref>

==Crown Prince and Regent==
[[File:Quayle desert storm.jpg|thumb|left|Abdullah with [[Dan Quayle]], 1990]]
On 13 June 1982 King Khalid died, and Fahd bin Abdulaziz became King. Abdullah became Crown Prince the same day who also maintained his position as head of the National Guard. During his years as crown prince, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was described as a supporter of accommodation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sherifa Zuhur|title=Saudi Arabia: Islamic Threat, Political Reform, and the Global War on Terror|publisher=DIANE Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lRwONIws0FEC&pg=PA17|isbn=978-1-4289-1011-9|page=17|year=2005}}</ref> He managed to group a large number of fringe and marginalized princes discontented with the prospect of the succession being passed among the Sudairi brothers one after the other. His control of the National Guard was also a key factor to his success in becoming crown prince.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Mai Yamani|author-link=Mai Yamani|title=From fragility to stability: A survival strategy for the Saudi monarchy|journal=Contemporary Arab Affairs
|year=2009|volume=2|issue=1|pages=90–105|doi=10.1080/17550910802576114}}</ref> When King Fahd was incapacitated by a major stroke in 1995,<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article550375.ece "King Fahd ibn Abdel Aziz Al Saud: Obituary"]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629142108/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article550375.ece|date=29 June 2011}}, ''Times Online'', 1 August 2005. Retrieved 29 March 2008.</ref> Crown Prince Abdullah acted as ''de facto'' [[regent]] of Saudi Arabia.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

On 4 June 2000, the Al Saud Family Council was established by Crown Prince Abdullah to discuss some private issues, including the business activities of House of Saud members and the marriages of princesses to nonroyals.<ref name="washingtoninstitute.org"/> In May 2001 he did not accept an invitation to visit Washington due to the US support for Israel in the [[Second Intifada]]. He also appeared more eager than King Fahd to cut government spending and open Saudi Arabia up economically. He pushed for Saudi membership of the [[World Trade Organization]], surprising some.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Daniel L. Byman|title=The Implications of Leadership Change in the Arab World|volume=120
|jstor=20202473|journal=[[Political Science Quarterly]]|date=Spring 2005|issue=1|pages=59–83|doi=10.1002/j.1538-165x.2005.tb00538.x}}</ref>

In August 2001, he ordered then Saudi Ambassador to the US, [[Bandar bin Sultan]], to return to Washington from Aspen to deliver a message. This reportedly occurred after Crown Prince Abdullah witnessed brutality inflicted by an Israeli soldier upon a [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] woman. "This is it. Those bastards!" Abdullah yelled over the phone, according to an account that Bandar has given associates. "Even women they're stepping all over them."<ref name=ban>{{cite magazine|author=Elsa Walsh|title=The prince|access-date=23 April 2012|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/_pvw37F68B18/files/PDF/03-ST-Bandar-0324-NewYorker.pdf|date=24 March 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126025250/http://www.saudiembassy.net/_pvw37F68B18/files/PDF/03-ST-Bandar-0324-NewYorker.pdf|archive-date=26 January 2012}}</ref> Later, he also condemned Israel for attacking families of suspects.<ref name=ban/>

In 2002, he developed the [[Arab Peace Initiative]], commonly referred to as the "Abdullah plan", to achieve a mutually agreed-on resolution of the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]].<ref name=bruce10>{{cite journal|author=Bruce Maddy-Weitzman|title=Arabs vs. the Abdullah Plan|journal=The Middle East Quarterly|date=Summer 2010|pages=3–12|url=http://www.meforum.org/2729/arabs-vs-abdullah-plan}}</ref> The initiative was adopted at the [[Arab League]]'s Beirut summit in March 2002.<ref name=bruce10/>

On the second anniversary of the [[September 11 attacks]], Crown Prince Abdullah wrote a letter to US President [[George W. Bush]], which ended with the following words:

<blockquote>
"God Almighty, in His wisdom, tests the faithful by allowing such calamities to happen. But He, in His mercy, also provides us with the will and determination, generated by faith, to enable us to transform such tragedies into great achievements, and crises that seem debilitating are transformed into opportunities for the advancement of humanity. I only hope that, with your cooperation and leadership, a new world will emerge out of the rubble of the World Trade Center: a world that is blessed by the virtues of freedom, peace, prosperity and harmony."<ref>{{cite web|title=Crown Prince sends message to America|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/2002/press/page18.aspx|work=Saudi Embassy
|access-date=18 August 2013|location=Jeddah|format=Press release|date=10 September 2002}}</ref></blockquote>

By late 2003, after the Saudi Arabian branch of [[al-Qaeda]] carried out a series of bombings that threatened to destabilize the country, Crown Prince Abdullah, together with other decision-making elites began to deal with political concerns. As Toby Jones wrote in ''[[Middle East Report]]'': <blockquote>One of such moves was his project to promote more tolerance for religious diversity and rein in the forces of politico-religious extremism in the kingdom, leading to the establishment of [[King Abdulaziz Center For National Dialogue|National Dialogue]]. In the summer of 2003, Abdullah threw his considerable weight behind the creation of a national dialogue that brought leading religious figures together, including a highly publicized meeting attended by the kingdom's preeminent Shi'i scholar Hasan al-Saffar, as well as a group of [[Sunni]] clerics that had previously expressed their loathing for the Shi'i minority.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Toby Jones|title=Saudi Arabia's not so New Anti-Shi'ism|journal=Middle East Report|year=2007|volume=242|issue=242|pages=29–32|jstor=25164776}}</ref></blockquote>

==King of Saudi Arabia==
[[File:Royal Standard of Saudi Arabia.svg|thumb|Royal Standard of the King]]
Abdullah succeeded to the throne upon the death of his half-brother King Fahd. He was formally enthroned on 2 August 2005.

===Domestic affairs===
In 2005, Abdullah declared that the [[Saudi National Day|national day]] of the country, 23 September, would be a public holiday in an attempt to reduce the influence of religious figures and some social restrictions.<ref name="eman">{{cite journal|author=Eman Alhussein|title=Saudi First: How Hyper-Nationalism is Transforming Saudi Arabia|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep21640|journal=European Council on Foreign Relations|date=June 2019}}</ref> It was criticized by the religious figures who argued that such celebration was not part of Islam.<ref name="eman"/>

Abdullah implemented many reform measures. He re-shuffled the ministry of education's leadership in February 2009 by bringing in his pro-reform son-in-law, [[Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud|Faisal bin Abdullah]], as the new minister. He also appointed [[Nora Al Fayez]], a U.S.-educated former teacher, as deputy education minister in charge of a new department for female students.<ref>{{cite news|author=Julian Borger
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/16/saudi-cabinet-woman-minister|title=Woman Saudi Education Minister|newspaper=The Guardian
|date=16 February 2009|access-date=23 October 2011|location=London}}</ref>

He promoted the construction of the [[King Abdullah University for Science and Technology]] (the country's new flagship and controversially co-ed institution for advanced scientific research). The Kingdom's 2010 budget reflected these priorities—about 25 percent was devoted to education alone—and amounts to a significant economic stimulus package.<ref>{{cite news
|author=Ursula Lindsey|url=http://chronicle.com/article/Saudi-Arabias-Education/124771/|title=Saudi Arabia's Education Reforms Emphasize Training for Jobs|newspaper=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]|date=October 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia 11-12 February 2007-1.jpg|thumb|left|King Abdullah with [[Vladimir Putin]] on 11 February 2007]]

The Saudi government's response to homegrown terrorism was a series of crackdowns including raids by security forces, arrests, torture and public beheadings.<ref>[[Colin Brown (political journalist)|Colin Brown]]. (31 October 2007). [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3112811.ece Shouts of 'murderers' and 'torturers' greet King Abdullah on Palace tour] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102060413/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3112811.ece|date=2 November 2007}}, ''The Independent'', Retrieved 17 May 2008.</ref>

In August 2010, Abdullah decreed that only officially approved religious scholars associated with the [[Senior Council of Ulema]] would be allowed to issue [[fatwa]]s. Similar decrees since 2005 were previously seldom enforced. Individual fatwas relating to personal matters were exempt from the royal decree. The decree also instructed the Grand Mufti to identify eligible scholars.<ref>{{cite web|author=Christopher Boucek |url=http://www.carnegieendowment.org/arb/?fa=show&article=41824|title=Saudi Fatwa Restrictions|work=Carnegie Endowment|date=23 October 2010|access-date=23 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607175656/http://www.carnegieendowment.org/arb/?fa=show&article=41824|archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref>

In light of the [[Arab Spring]], Abdullah laid down a $37 billion (€32.8 billion) programme of new spending including new jobless benefits, education and housing subsidies, debt write-offs, and a new sports channel. There was also a pledge to spend a total of $400 billion by the end of 2014 to improve education, health care and the kingdom's infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ambrose Evans-Pritchard|location=London
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/8344421/Saudi-ruler-offers-36bn-to-stave-off-uprising-amid-warning-oil-price-could-double.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 February 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Saudi ruler offers $36bn to stave off uprising amid warning oil price could double|date=24 February 2011|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227154445/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/8344421/Saudi-ruler-offers-36bn-to-stave-off-uprising-amid-warning-oil-price-could-double.html}}</ref> However, Saudi police arrested 100 Shiite protesters who complained of government discrimination.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jason Benham|title=Saudi arrests 100 Shi'ite protesters – rights group|work=Reuters
|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/oukwd-uk-saudi-arrests-idAFTRE72M24G20110323|access-date=16 January 2013|date=23 March 2011}}</ref> Later during the [[2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests]], in September 2011, the King announced [[Women's suffrage#Saudi Arabia|women's right to vote]] in the [[2015 Saudi Arabian municipal elections|2015 municipal council elections]], a first significant reform step in the country since the protests. He also stated that women would become eligible to take part in the unelected [[Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia|shura]].<ref>Asma Alsharif. (25 September 2011). [https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-king-women-idUSL5E7KP0IB20110925 "Saudi king gives women right to vote"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017003258/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/25/saudi-king-women-idUSL5E7KP0IB20110925|date=17 October 2015}}, ''Reuters''. Retrieved 25 September 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Women in Saudi Arabia 'to vote and run in elections'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15052030|access-date=25 September 2011|work=BBC News|date=25 September 2011}}</ref>

In January 2012, Abdullah dismissed the head of Saudi Arabia's powerful religious police, replacing him with a more moderate cleric, state news agency SPA reported, without giving reasons. Abdullatif Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh was named, in place of Sheikh Abdulaziz al Humain, to head the [[Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice]]. Abdullah had appointed Humain in 2009 to head the "mutaween," which ensures the strict application of the country's ultra-conservative version of Islam, as a step towards reforming it. Humain hired consultants to restructure the organisation, met local human rights groups and consulted professional image-builders in a broad public relations campaign. Under his leadership the commission also investigated and punished some "out-of-control" officers for misbehaviour.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hilmxu5fp7aQrM3MMylBtpkx_sKw?docId=CNG.99b68c356d880250606ce3d7cc9eb233.ac1
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124224135/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hilmxu5fp7aQrM3MMylBtpkx_sKw?docId=CNG.99b68c356d880250606ce3d7cc9eb233.ac1
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=24 January 2013
|title=Saudi king dismisses religious police head|work=Google News|date=13 January 2012|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref>

[[File:KAUST laboratory buildings and town mosque.jpg|thumb|[[King Abdullah University of Science and Technology]]]]
In July 2012, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow its women athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time and that the country's Olympic Committee would "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify". The decision ended speculation that the entire Saudi team might have been disqualified on grounds of gender discrimination. The public participation of women in sport was still fiercely opposed by many Saudi religious conservatives. There had been almost no public tradition of women participating in sport in the country. Saudi officials said that, if successful in qualifying, female competitors would be dressed "to preserve their dignity".<ref>{{cite news|author=Frank Gardner|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18571193|title=London 2012 Olympics: Saudis allow women to compete|work=BBC|date=24 June 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> On 11 January 2013, Abdullah appointed thirty women to the Consultative Assembly or Shura Council and modified the related law to mandate that no less than 20 percent of 150 members would be women.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia's Timid Flirtation With Women's Rights|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/01/saudi-arabias-timid-flirtation-with-womens-rights/267245/|access-date=16 January 2013|newspaper=The Atlantic|date=16 January 2013}}</ref>

In August 2013, the Saudi cabinet, for the first time, approved a law making domestic violence a criminal offence. The law calls for a punishment of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 riyals (€11,500/US$13,000).<ref name="BBC Usher">{{cite news|work=BBC
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23872152|title=Saudi Arabia cabinet approves domestic abuse ban|author=Sebastian Usher
|access-date=1 September 2013|date=28 August 2013}}</ref> The maximum punishments could be doubled for repeat offenders. The law criminalizes psychological, [[sexual abuse|sexual]] as well as physical abuse. It also includes a provision obliging employees to report instances of abuse in the workplace to their employer.<ref>{{cite news|author=Lisa Anderson|title=Saudi Arabia passes historic domestic abuse legislation
|url=http://www.trust.org/item/20130828043037-kacqu|agency=Reuters|date=28 August 2013|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118170657/https://news.trust.org/item/20130828043037-kacqu|url-status=dead}}</ref> The move followed a Twitter campaign. The new laws were welcomed by Saudi women's rights activists, although some expressed concerns that the law could not be implemented successfully without new training for the judiciary, and that the tradition of male guardianship would remain an obstacle to prosecutions.<ref name="BBC Usher"/>

===Interfaith dialogue===
In November 2007, Abdullah visited [[Pope Benedict XVI]] in the [[Apostolic Palace]], being first Saudi monarch to do so.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7080327.stm|title=Historic Saudi visit to Vatican|work=BBC News|date=6 November 2007|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The 500 Most Influential Muslims|journal=Center Muslim-Christian Understanding|year=2009
|url=http://www.yale.edu/worldfellows/fellows/documents/500MostInfluentialMuslims.pdf}}</ref> In March 2008, he called for a "brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions".<ref>[http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=200803261534 The King’s call for interfaith dialogue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114111142/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=200803261534|date=14 January 2009}}, ''Saudi Gazette''.</ref>

[[File:Kerry and Abdullah, 2014.jpg|thumb|right|Abdullah in a meeting with US secretary of state [[John Kerry]], 5 January 2014]]
In June 2008, Abdullah held a conference in Mecca to urge Muslim leaders to speak with one voice with Jewish and Christian leaders.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7436212.stm Saudis launch Islamic unity drive] ''BBC News'', 4 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008
{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719091035/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7436212.stm |date=19 July 2008}}.</ref> He discussed with, and obtained approval from, Saudi and non-Saudi Islamic scholars to hold the [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] dialogue. In the same month, Saudi Arabia and Spain agreed to hold the interfaith dialogue in Spain.<ref>[http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=200806229871 Inter-faith meet to be held in Spain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114111148/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=200806229871
|date=14 January 2009}}, ''Saudi Gazette''.</ref> The historic conference finally took place in Madrid in July 2008, wherein religious leaders of different faiths participated,<ref>[http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008071712004 Let concord replace conflict – Abdullah] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114080011/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008071712004|date=14 January 2009}}, ''Saudi Gazette''.</ref> and which later led to the 2010 proclamation of [[World Interfaith Harmony Week]].

Abdullah had never previously made overtures for dialogue with eastern religious leaders, such as [[Hindus]] and [[Buddhists]]. The Mecca conference discussed a paper on dialogue with monotheists—highlighting the monotheistic religions of southeast Asia, including [[Sikhism]]—in the third axis of the fourth meeting, titled "With Whom We Talk," presented by Sheikh Badrul Hasan Al Qasimi. The session was chaired by Ezz Eddin Ibrahim, cultural adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates. The session also discussed a paper presented on coordination among Islamic institutions on Dialogue by Abdullah bin Omar Nassif, Secretary General of the World Islamic Council for Preaching and Relief and a paper on dialogue with divine messages, presented by Professor Mohammed Sammak—Secretary General of the Islamic Spiritual Summit in Lebanon.

In November 2008, Abdullah and his government arranged discussion at the [[United Nations General Assembly]] to "promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, as well as activities related to a culture of peace" and calling for "concrete action at the global, regional and subregional levels."<ref>Rebecca Tobias. (15 January 2014). [http://theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2014/1/15/when-a-king-and-a-pope-sit-down-to-talk-religion.html When a King and a Pope Sit Down to Talk Religion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123075123/http://theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2014/1/15/when-a-king-and-a-pope-sit-down-to-talk-religion.html|date=23 January 2015}} ''The Interfaith Observer'' Retrieved 22 January 2015.</ref> It brought together Muslim and non-Muslim nations to eradicate preconceptions as to Islam and terrorism, with world leaders—including former UK Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], Israeli President [[Shimon Peres]], US President George W. Bush and King [[Abdullah II of Jordan]]—attending.

In 2011, an agreement for the establishment of the Abdullah bin Abdulaziz [[ICIID|International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue]] in Vienna was signed between the governments of Austria, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120730012516/http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/foreign-ministry/news/speeches-and-interviews/2011/speech-of-vice-chancellor-and-foreign-minister-michael-spindelegger-in-the-king-abdullah-center.html Speech of Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger in the King Abdullah Center], Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs</ref> The official opening of the centre was in November 2012, with foreign minister [[Saud Al Faisal]] as its first general secretary and Austria's former federal justice minister [[Claudia Bandion-Ortner]] as the first deputy general secretary.<ref>{{cite journal|title=New centre for interreligious dialogue|journal=International Vienna|year=2013|issue=2 |url=http://www.wien.gv.at/english/politics/international/mdeui/newsletter/2-2013-dialogue-centre.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130714225019/http://www.wien.gv.at/english/politics/international/mdeui/newsletter/2-2013-dialogue-centre.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=KAICIID: Historic Day for International Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/KAICIID%3a+Historic+Day+for+International+Interreligious+and...-a0307116577|access-date=14 July 2013|work=PR Newswire Europe|date=2 November 2012|archive-date=29 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080020/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/KAICIID%3a+Historic+Day+for+International+Interreligious+and...-a0307116577|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Arab common market===
Abdullah called for the establishment of an Arab common market in January 2011. Saudi foreign minister, Saud bin Faisal, stated that the Arab Customs Union would be ready by 2015, and that by 2017 the common market would also be in place. There have been intensive efforts to link Arab countries with a railway system and an electricity power grid. Work on the power grid project has started in some Arab countries.<ref name="AN01">[http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article238363.ece "No Politics for Ben Ali in Kingdom"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121172720/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article238363.ece|date=21 January 2011}}, ''Arab News'', 19 January 2011.</ref>

===United States===
[[File:Bush-abdullah1.jpg|thumb|Abdullah visits the United States in April 2005.]]
Abdullah had long been pro-American and a longtime close ally of the United States. In October 1976, as Prince Abdullah was being trained for greater responsibility in Riyadh, he was sent to the United States to meet with President [[Gerald Ford]]. He again traveled to the United States as Crown Prince in October 1987, meeting Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]]. In September 1998, Crown Prince Abdullah made a [[state visit]] to the United States to meet in Washington with President [[Bill Clinton]]. In September 2000, he attended [[millennium]] celebrations at the United Nations in New York City. In April 2002, Crown Prince Abdullah made a state visit to the United States with President George W. Bush and he returned again in April 2005 with Bush. In April 2009, at a summit for world leaders President Barack Obama met with Abdullah, while in June 2009 he hosted President Obama in Saudi Arabia. In turn, Obama hosted the King at the [[White House]] in the same month.

Abdullah showed great support for Obama's presidency. "Thank God for bringing Obama to the presidency", he said, adding that Obama's election created "great hope" in the Muslim world.<ref name="nymag.com">{{cite web|author=Mike Vilensky|access-date=23 October 2011|work=Nymag.com
|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/wikileaks_round-up.html|title=WikiLeaks: Saudi King Abdullah Encouraged U.S. to Attack Iran; Chinese Politburo Hacked into Google|date=20 April 2008}}</ref> He stated, "We (the US and Saudi Arabia) spilled blood together" in Kuwait and Iraq, that Saudi Arabia valued this tremendously and that friendship could be a difficult issue that requires work, but that the United States and Saudi Arabia had done it for 70 years over three generations. "Our disagreements don't cut to the bone", he stated.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> He was the leading gift-giver to the US president and his office in his first two years in office, his gifts totaling more than $300,000. A ruby and diamond jewelry set, given by the king and accepted by First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] on behalf of the United States, was worth $132,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/saudi-kings-gifts-for-obama-worth-300-000-80584|title=Saudi king's gifts for Obama worth $300,000|work=Ndtv|date=20 January 2011|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref> However, according to US federal law, gifts of such nature and value are accepted "on behalf of the United States" and are considered property of the US government.

===Iraq===
The Bush administration ignored advice from him and Saudi foreign minister Saud Al Faisal against invading Iraq.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} However, other sources said that many Arab governments were only nominally opposed to the Iraq invasion because of popular hostility.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PcM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=wHADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2362,1479722&dq=king+abdullah+iraq+saudi&hl=en Bush belatedly tries good-will building over Iraq, Midea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118170622/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PcM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=wHADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2362%2C1479722&dq=king+abdullah+iraq+saudi&hl=en|date=18 January 2021}} ''Pittsburgh Post'', 15 March 2003</ref> Before becoming king, Prince Abdullah was thought to be completely against the US invasion of Iraq; this, however, was not the case. Riyadh provided essential support to the United States during the war and proved that "necessity does lead to some accommodations from time to time".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3090|title=Who Will Be the Next King of Saudi Arabia... And does It Matter?|work=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref> The King expressed a complete lack of trust in Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki|Nouri Al Maliki]] and held out little hope for improved Saudi-Iraqi relations as long as Al Maliki remained in office.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8167123/Wikileaks-King-Abdullah-of-Saudi-Arabia-wanted-Guantanamo-Bay-detainees-microchipped.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8167123/Wikileaks-King-Abdullah-of-Saudi-Arabia-wanted-Guantanamo-Bay-detainees-microchipped.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|author=Andrew Hough|title=Wikileaks: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia 'wanted Guantánamo Bay detainees microchipped'|date=29 November 2010|access-date=4 April 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Abdullah told an Iraqi official about Al Maliki, "You and Iraq are in my heart, but that man is not."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&no_interstitial|work=The New York Times|author1=Scott Shane|author2=Andrew W. Lehren|title=WikiLeaks Archive – Cables Uncloak U.S. Diplomacy|date=28 November 2010|access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref>

In September 2014, following the spread of the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL), he issued a statement, "From the cradle of revelation and the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, I call on leaders and scholars of the Islamic nation to carry out their duty towards God Almighty, and to stand in the face of those trying to hijack Islam and present it to the world as a religion of extremism, hatred, and terrorism, and to speak the word of truth, and not fear anybody. Our nation today is passing through a critical, historic stage, and history will be witness against those who have been the tool exploited by the enemies to disperse and tear the nation and tarnish the pure image of Islam".<ref>[http://www.saudiembassy.net/announcement/announcement08011401.aspx Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s statement to the Arab and Islamic Nations and the International Community] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904154031/http://www.saudiembassy.net/announcement/announcement08011401.aspx|date=4 September 2014}} Saudi Embassy in Washington DC. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.</ref>

===Iran===
[[File:ObamaKing Abdullah.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barack Obama]] meets with Abdullah]]
In 2006, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei had sent his adviser [[Ali Akbar Velayati]] with a letter asking for Abdullah's agreement to establish a formal back channel of communication between the two leaders. Abdullah said he had agreed, and the channel was established, with Velayati and Saud Al Faisal as the points of contact. In the ensuing years, the King noted, the channel had never been used.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/>

In April 2008, according to a [[United States diplomatic cables leak|leaked US diplomatic cable]], Abdullah had told the US Ambassador to Iraq, [[Ryan Crocker]], and General [[David Petraeus]] to "cut off the head of the snake". Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Washington, [[Adel al-Jubeir]], "recalled the King's frequent exhortations to the US to attack Iran" and to put an end to that country's [[Nuclear program of Iran|nuclear program]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202191033/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ghmoS0bJ_XaFC5Y9NWUF1I87_N_g?docId=CNG.050a9c8c5fd91a430d7e435fcc325b90.861 Saudi King urged US to attack Iran], 28 November 2010, [[Agence France-Presse]], copy at Internet Archive Retrieved 23 October 2011.</ref> Abdullah asserted that Iran was trying to set up [[Hezbollah]]-like organizations in African countries, observing that the Iranians didn't think they were doing anything wrong and didn't recognize their mistakes. He said that the Iranians "launch missiles with the hope of putting fear in people and the world". The King described his conversation with Iranian foreign minister [[Manouchehr Mottaki|Mottaki]] as "a heated exchange, frankly discussing Iran's interference in Arab affairs". When challenged by the King on Iranian meddling in [[Hamas]] affairs, Mottaki apparently protested that "these are Muslims". "No, Arabs", countered the King. "You as Persians have no business meddling in Arab matters". Abdullah said he would favor [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani|Rafsanjani]] in an Iranian election.<ref name="nymag.com"/><ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/198178|location=London|work=The Guardian|title=US embassy cables: Saudi king's advice for Barack Obama|date=28 November 2010|access-date=16 December 2016}}</ref>

He told General Jones that Iranian internal turmoil presented an opportunity to weaken the regime—which he encouraged—but he also urged that this be done covertly, stressing that public statements in support of the reformers were counterproductive. The King assessed that sanctions could help weaken the government, but only if they are strong and sustained.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

===Bahrain===
Saudi Arabia, by the endorsement of the [[Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf|Gulf Cooperation Council]], sent 1,200 troops to Bahrain to protect industrial facilities, resulting in strained relations with the United States. The military personnel were part of the [[Peninsula Shield Force]], which is stationed in Saudi Arabia, but not affiliated to one country alone.<ref>{{cite news|date=15 March 2011
|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113151296156152.html|title=Bahrain imposes state of emergency|work=Al Jazeera
|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref><ref>Jamie Doward and Philippa Stewart. (28 May 2011) ([https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/28/uk-training-saudi-troops "UK Training Saudi Forces Used to Crush Arab Spring"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129061916/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/28/uk-training-saudi-troops|date=29 January 2017}} ''The Guardian''</ref>

===Guantánamo Bay===
In December 2010, [[United States diplomatic cables leak|leaked diplomatic cables]] published by WikiLeaks revealed that Abdullah wanted all released detainees from the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] to be tracked using an implanted microchip, in a way similar to race horses. The King made the private suggestion during a meeting in Riyadh in March 2009 with White House counterterrorism adviser, [[John O. Brennan]]. Brennan replied that "horses don't have good lawyers" and that such a proposal would "face legal hurdles" in the United States.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

===China===
Since  Abdullah's visit to Beijing in January 2006, Saudi-Chinese relations have focused predominantly on energy and trade. The king's visit was the first by a Saudi head of state to China since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1990.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/10/content_10796711.htm|newspaper=Xinhuanet|date=10 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217065141/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/10/content_10796711.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 February 2009|title=Chinese president arrives in Riyadh at start of "trip of friendship, cooperation"|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref> Bilateral trade with China has more than tripled, and China would soon be Saudi Arabia's largest importer. Saudi Arabia also committed significant investments in China, including the $8 billion [[Fujian]] refinery. Based on a WikiLeaks cable, the King told the Chinese that it was willing to effectively trade a guaranteed oil supply in return for Chinese pressure on Iran not to develop nuclear weapons.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

In late March 2011, Abdullah sent Bandar bin Sultan, Secretary General of the [[National Security Council (Saudi Arabia)|National Security Council]], to China to gain its support regarding Saudi Arabia's attitude towards the Arab Spring. In turn, lucrative arms contracts were secretly offered to China by the Kingdom. Furthermore, Abdullah believed that China as well as India were the future markets for Saudi energy.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Bruce Riedel|title=Brezhnev in the Hejaz|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42896401|date=September–October 2011
|volume=115|pages=27–32|journal=The National Interest|issue=115 |jstor=42896401}}</ref>

===Relations with other nations===
[[File:Wizyta króla Arabii Saudyjskiej Abdullaha bin Abdulaziz Al Saud w Polsce 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Abdullah with Polish president [[Lech Kaczyński]]]]
Abdullah visited Turkey in August 2006 being the first Saudi king who paid an official visit there.<ref>{{cite book|author=Meliha Altunışık
|editor1=Gönül Tol|editor2=David Dumke|title=Aspiring Powers, Regional Rivals|year=2019|publisher=Middle East Institute|isbn=9798612846444
|location=Washington DC|page=22|chapter-url=http://mail.irdiplomacy.ir/file/download/news/1584098995-aspiring-powers-regional-rivals-dec.-13-2019.pdf#page=11|chapter=Turkey's relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia: From hopes of cooperation to the reality of conflict}}</ref> In November 2009, Abdullah was received by [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], who committed various diplomatic faux pas. The diplomatic relationship [[Jacques Chirac]] had with Saudi Arabia was not evident with Sarkozy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/30/wikileaks-nicolas-sarkozy-carla-bruni?CMP=twt_gu|location=London|work=The Guardian|author=Angelique Chrisafis|title=WikiLeaks cables: Nicolas Sarkozy, the Saudis and Carla Bruni|date=30 November 2010|access-date=16 December 2016}}</ref> In January 2011, the Kingdom granted asylum to the ousted Tunisian leader, [[Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali]], under conditions of no further political involvement.<ref name=AN01/> According to leaked cables, Abdullah was more receptive than Crown Prince Sultan to former Yemeni President [[Ali Abdullah Saleh|Saleh]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/10276|title=Yemeni Tribal Leader: For Saleh, Saudi Involvement in Sa'Ada Comes not a Moment Too Soon
|newspaper=Al Akhbar|date=28 December 2009|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref>

Abdullah supported renewed diplomatic relations with the Syrian government and [[Bashar al-Assad]]. They met in Damascus on 7 October 2009.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Hilal Khashan|title=Saad Hariri's Moment of Truth|journal=Middle East Quarterly|date=Winter 2011|volume=XVIII
|issue=1|pages=65–71|url=http://www.meforum.org/2820/saad-hariri-moment-of-truth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125123245/https://www.meforum.org/2820/saad-hariri-moment-of-truth|archive-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> In addition, Assad attended the opening of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in October 2009. Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia deteriorated as a result of the [[Syrian Civil War]]. In August 2011, Abdullah recalled the Saudi Ambassador from Damascus due to the political unrest in Syria and closed its embassy.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia recalls ambassador to Syria|work=BBC|date=8 August 2011
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14439303|access-date=11 August 2013}}</ref>

In December 2011, Abdullah called on leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to strengthen their alliance into a united "single entity" as they confront threats to national security. "I ask you today to move from a stage of cooperation to a stage of union in a single entity", Abdullah said at the opening session of a GCC meeting in Riyadh in comments aired on Saudi state television. "No doubt, you all know we are targeted in our security and stability".<ref>{{cite news|author=Glen Carey|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-19/saudi-king-abdullah-calls-for-a-closer-arab-gulf-union-1-.html|title=Saudi King Abdullah Calls for a Closer Arab Gulf Union|work=Bloomberg L.P.|date=19 December 2011|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref>

===Criticism as king===
On 16 February 2003, [[Parade (magazine)|''Parade'']] magazine's [[David Wallechinsky]] rated King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah as the second worst dictators in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parade.com/dictators/2008/profiles/king-abdullah.html|title=The World's 10 Worst Dictators: King Abdullah|work=Parade|access-date=5 July 2013|date=4 February 2008}}</ref> <!--
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2003/edition_02-16-2003/Dictators|title=The World's 10 Worst Dictators|publisher=Parade|access-date=23 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518180815/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2003/edition_02-16-2003/Dictators|archive-date=18 May 2011}}</ref>-->Most of this criticism stems from the fact that most of Saudi citizens live under a strict [[Wahhabism|Wahhabist]] interpretation of [[Sharia|Sharia law]], which mandates the amputation of hands as a punishment for theft and floggings for crimes like drunkenness.<ref name="Asia's 5 Worst Dictators">{{cite web|url=http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/tp/Asia-s-5-Worst-Dictators.htm|title=Asia's 5 Worst Dictators|publisher=About|date=3 October 2011|access-date=4 November 2011|archive-date=16 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016220734/http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/tp/Asia-s-5-Worst-Dictators.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Execution by public beheading is common for murder, rape, drug trafficking and witchcraft, and Abdullah's policies towards the rights of women have also been criticized. In a slight rebuff to accusations of human rights violations, Saudi inmates of [[Najran Province]] sent the King well-wishes from jail and wished him a speedy recovery.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110108-saudi-inmates-send-king-wishes-jail|title=Saudi inmates send king wishes from jail|work=France 24|date=8 January 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025200546/http://www.france24.com/en/20110108-saudi-inmates-send-king-wishes-jail|archive-date=25 October 2011}}</ref>

Abdullah has also been criticized for his policies on religious freedom and the Saudi government allegedly has arrested Shiite pilgrims on the [[Hajj]].<ref name="Asia's 5 Worst Dictators"/> On 24 January 2007, [[Human Rights Watch]] sent an open letter to Abdullah asking him to cease religious persecution of the [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadi]] faith in Saudi Arabia. Two letters were sent in November 2006 and February 2007 asking him to remove the travel ban on critics of the Saudi government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/09/saudia15305.htm|title=Letter to King Abdullah|work=HRW|date=8 February 2007|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref> Human Rights Watch has not yet indicated whether they have received any response to these letters.

On 30 October 2007, during a state visit to the UK, Abdullah was accused by protestors of being a "murderer" and a "torturer". Concerns were raised about the treatment of women and homosexuals by the Saudi kingdom and over alleged bribes involving arms deals between Saudi Arabia and the UK.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/30/uk.saudi/ Saudi king's royal meet draws fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101061458/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/30/uk.saudi/ |date=1 November 2007}}, ''CNN'', 31 October 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2008.</ref>

==Succession to the throne==
{{Further|Succession to the Saudi Arabian throne}}
 
Abdullah's [[heir apparent]] was his half-brother Crown Prince Sultan until the latter's death on 22 October 2011. The title of Crown Prince then passed to Prince Sultan's full-brother, Nayef, until his death in Geneva, Switzerland, on 16 June 2012, while undergoing medical tests for an undisclosed ailment. His third heir apparent was his half-brother Salman, who was named as crown prince on 18 June 2012,<ref>{{cite news
|author=Neil MacFarquhar|title=Defense Minister New Heir to Throne in Saudi Arabia|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 June 2012
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-appoints-prince-salman-as-crown-prince.html|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref> and would succeed him in 2015.

In 2006, Abdullah set up the [[Allegiance Council]], a body that is composed of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. The council's mandate was not to have started until after the reigns of both Abdullah and Prince Sultan were over. It was not clear what was to happen when Prince Sultan died before the end of Abdullah's reign, leaving a question as to whether the council would vote for a new crown prince, or whether Prince Nayef would automatically fill that position. Despite such concerns, Prince Nayef was appointed Crown Prince on 27 October 2011 after consultation with the Allegiance Council by Abdullah.<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101121/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_saudi_king_hospitalized;_ylt=AluqiTkBwGFdWRZE3_3oGf8LewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMxc29laW51BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTIxL21sX3NhdWRpX2tpbmdfaG9zcGl0YWxpemVkBHBvcwMxOARzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhZ2Vkc2F1ZGlydWw- Aged Saudi ruler to fly to US over blood clot] ''AP'' 21 November 2010</ref>

In November 2010, Prince Nayef chaired a cabinet meeting because of the deterioration of the King's health.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hK7wm4CBGfjgDhw4dj862YlpXflg?docId=CNG.cb80a1df49e6851ae06101076385e499.4d1
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121133530/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hK7wm4CBGfjgDhw4dj862YlpXflg?docId=CNG.cb80a1df49e6851ae06101076385e499.4d1
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=21 November 2010
|title=Saudi king suffers herniated disc|date=12 November 2010|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref> During the same month, Abdullah transferred his duties as Commander of the Saudi National Guard to his son Prince [[Mutaib bin Abdullah|Mutaib]]. Abdullah is credited with building up the once largely ceremonial unit into a modern 260,000-strong force that is a counterweight to the army. The Guard, which was Abdullah's original power base, protects the royal family. This was suggested as an apparent sign that the elderly monarch was beginning to lessen some of his duties.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi king transfers National Guard duties to son|newspaper=[[Gulf News]]|date=18 November 2010| url=https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-king-transfers-national-guard-duties-to-son-1.713927|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:King Abdullah in his youth.jpg|thumb|upright|Abdullah was a [[Falconry|falconer]] in his youth.]]
Abdullah mostly married women who had tribal backgrounds.<ref>{{cite thesis|author=Rayed Khalid Krymli|title=The political economy of rentier states: A case study of Saudi Arabia in the oil era, 1950-1990 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/304080655|location=The George Washington University|page=125|degree=PhD|date=1993|id={{ProQuest|304080655}}}}</ref> He had 36 children with about 30 different spouses. His wives, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have been subject to travel bans since 2017.<ref>{{cite news|author=David Ignatius|title=Saudi Arabia's crown prince uses travel restrictions to consolidate power|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/18/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-uses-travel-restrictions-consolidate-power/|access-date=10 October 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=19 June 2020}}</ref>

===Wives===
Abdullah married the daughters of the [[Al-Fayez]] of [[Bani Sakher]], the Al Shaalan of [[Anizah]], and Al Jarbah of the Iraqi branch of the Shammar tribe.<ref name=alrasheed09/> He had about 30 wives,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11322271/King-Abdullah-Ibn-Abdulaziz-al-Saud-obituary.html|title=King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud - Obituary|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11322271/King-Abdullah-Ibn-Abdulaziz-al-Saud-obituary.html|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|date=22 January 2015|access-date=24 January 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/22/king-abdullah-of-saudi-arabia|title=King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 January 2015|author=Madawi Al Rasheed|access-date=24 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/AbdullahProfile.htm|title=King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|work=Asian History
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005014730/http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/AbdullahProfile.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-date=5 October 2011|date=1 August 2005}}</ref> and fathered 36 children.<ref name=als/>

Munira bint Abdullah Al Sheikh was the mother of King Abdullah's eldest living son, Prince Khaled.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 February 2010
|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/viewCommentary.do?id=12643|title=A Princely Rivalry: Clash of The Titans?|access-date=24 May 2014
|work=Datarabia}}</ref> One of Abdullah's wives, [[Aida Fustuq]], was the sister of [[Rifaat al-Assad]]'s wife.<ref name=FPshend/> Abdullah had two children with Aida: [[Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud|Adila]] and [[Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud|Abdulaziz]].<ref>{{cite book|year=2012
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-g81rF4Zga4C&pg=PA39|title=Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession
|isbn=9781136511578|author=Stig Stenslie|publisher=Routledge}}</ref><ref name=stig>{{cite journal|title=Power Behind the Veil: Princesses of the House of Saud|journal=Journal of Arabian Studies|volume=1|pages=69–79|doi=10.1080/21534764.2011.576050|year=2011|author=Stig Stenslie
|s2cid=153320942}}</ref> They divorced later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/ArticlePrint.aspx?id=113458&mode=print|title=More talk, less distortion|date=27 March 2007|access-date=24 May 2014|work=The Daily Star}}</ref> Another wife, Sultana bint Abdulaziz bin Ahmed, was from the Al Sudairi clan.<ref>{{cite web|title=السدارى|url=https://www.marefa.org/السدارى|publisher=Marefa|access-date=2 July 2021
|language=ar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702103236/https://www.marefa.org/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%89|archive-date=2 July 2021}}</ref> King Abdullah also married Jawahir bint Ali Hussein from the Al Jiluwi clan, with whom he had two children, Princess Anoud and Prince Saud.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mordechai Abir|title=Saudi Arabia in the Oil Era: Regime and Elites: Conflict and Collaboration
|year=1988|publisher=Croom Helm|location=Kent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QEOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA138|isbn=9780709951292}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sharaf Sabri|title=The House of Saud in commerce: A study of royal entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia|year=2001|publisher=I.S. Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-901254-0-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51Bb8Ix7xw8C&pg=PA105}}</ref> Tathi bint Mishan Al Faisal Al Jarba gave birth to another six of his children, including Prince Mishaal, Prince Turki, and Princess Oraib.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} Another wife was Malka bint Saud bin Zaid Al Jarba Al Choumri, and they had three children: Prince Saad, Princess Sahab and [[Sultan bin Abdullah Al Saud|Prince Sultan]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Young Entrepreneur Prince Sultan bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is Looking to Establish Peace in the Middle East|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/young-entrepreneur-prince-sultan-bin-abduallah-bin-abdel-aziz-al-saud-is-looking-to-establish-peace-in-the-middle-east-300478004.html|access-date=5 August 2020|work=PR Newswire|date=21 June 2017}}</ref> Haifa Al Muhanna was the mother of Abdullah's youngest child, Prince Bandar.<ref name=alkh14/> A prominent wife of the King, [[Hessa bint Trad Al Shaalan]], is the mother of Prince Faisal and Princess Abeer among others.<ref name=stig/><ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Embassy Hosts Reception and Photo Exhibit for Breast Cancer Awareness|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/saudi-embassy-hosts-reception-and-photo-exhibit-for-breast-cancer-awareness-134148823.html|access-date=6 September 2020|work=PR Newswire|date=18 November 2011}}</ref>

===Sons===
Abdullah had thirty-six children, sixteen of whom are male.<ref name=als/> His eldest son, Mutaib, died at a young age.<ref name="als">{{cite news|title=تعرّف على أبناء وبنات الملك عبد الله الـ36|url=https://al-sharq.com/article/23/01/2015/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%91%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8036|access-date=11 September 2020|work=Al Sharq|date=23 January 2015}}</ref> His second eldest son, Prince Khalid, was deputy commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard West until 1992. His third son, Prince Mutaib, is former commander and former minister of the National Guard. [[Mishaal bin Abdullah Al Saud|Prince Mishaal]] was governor of the [[Makkah Province]] between 2013 and 2015.<ref>[http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article240167.ece "King Abdullah Arrives in Morocco"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123222722/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article240167.ece |date=23 January 2011}}, ''Arab News'', 22 January 2011.</ref>  Prince Abdulaziz was the King's former Syria adviser<ref name="FPshend">Simon Henderson. (14 April 2011). [https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/14/outraged_in_riyadh?page=0,1 "Outraged in Riyadh"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013064506/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/14/outraged_in_riyadh?page=0,1|date=13 October 2012}}, ''Foreign Policy''.</ref> and was deputy foreign affairs minister from 2011 to 2015. [[Faisal bin Abdullah|Prince Faisal]] was the head of the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent Society. Abdullah's seventh son, [[Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud|Prince Turki]], was a pilot in the [[Royal Saudi Air Force]] and served as governor of the [[Riyadh Province]] from 2014 to 2015).<ref>{{cite news|title=Khaled appointed Riyadh governor, Turki his deputy|url=http://www.arabnews.com/khaled-appointed-riyadh-governor-turki-his-deputy|access-date=15 February 2013|newspaper=Arab News|date=15 February 2013|location=Jeddah|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215044414/http://arabnews.com/khaled-appointed-riyadh-governor-turki-his-deputy|archive-date=15 February 2013}}</ref> His youngest son, Prince Bandar, was born in 1999, when Abdullah was about 75 years old.<ref name=alkh14>{{cite news|author=Jafar Al Bakl|title=الفحولة وآل سعود... والشرف المراق على جوانبه الدم|url=https://al-akhbar.com/Opinion/43206|access-date=12 September 2020|work=Al Akhbar|date=16 December 2014|language=ar}}</ref>

In October 2015, King Abdullah's son Prince Majid was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of "forcing oral copulation",<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi prince avoids felony charges in sex assault case near Beverly Hills|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-saudi-prince-beverly-hills-20151019-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=20 October 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Cheri Mossburg|title=Saudi prince arrested, faces sex charge in Los Angeles|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/us/los-angeles-saudi-prince-sex-charge/index.html|agency=CNN|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> amid allegations that he had been unlawfully imprisoning, threatening, sexually harassing, and assaulting employees while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol.<ref name=indep>{{cite news
|author=Shehab Khan|title=Saudi prince accused over drug-taking, drinking and escorts at LA mansion|archive-date=24 October 2015
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/new-abuse-allegations-against-saudi-prince-a6707186.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024161851/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/new-abuse-allegations-against-saudi-prince-a6707186.html|url-access=limited|url-status=live|work=The Independent|date=24 October 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ben Hoyle|title=Police drop sexual assault case against Saudi prince|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/police-drop-sexual-assault-case-against-saudi-prince-zxwlls9t5lp|work=[[The Times]]|date=21 October 2015|language=en|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Michael Martinez|author2=Cheri Mossburg|title=Saudi prince won't face felony charges in sex case|access-date=5 January 2020
|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/20/us/saudi-prince-los-angeles-sex-case/|work=CNN}}</ref> He was released on bail,<ref>{{cite news
|title=L.A. police arrest Saudi prince on sex charge|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-prince-majed-abdulaziz-al-saud-forced-oral-sex-beverly-glen-california/|work=CBS|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Prince Accused of Sex-Crime Arrested at Beverly Glen Compound|url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/saudi-prince-accused-of-sex-crime-arrested-at-beverly-glen-mansion/
|agency=CBS Los Angeles|date=24 September 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> and felony charges were dropped for lack of evidence; a civil suit filed by three housekeepers continued.<ref name=indep/><ref>{{cite news|title=New abuse allegations filed in civil suit against Saudi prince|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-female-workers-saudi-prince-20151022-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=23 October 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Another son, Mohammed, is married to Nouf bint Nayef, a daughter of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz and [[Maha bint Mohammed Al Sudairi]].<ref name=brb>{{cite news|author=Brandi Buchman|title=Nanny to Saudi Royals Claims They Forced Her into Slavery|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/nanny-to-saudi-royals-claims-they-forced-her-into-slavery/|access-date=6 September 2020
|work=Courthouse News Service|date=27 February 2018|location=Alexandria, Virginia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Second Amended Complaint
|url=https://www.cohenmilstein.com/sites/default/files/Complaint%20Tekle%20v%20Al%20Saud%2009272018.pdf|work=Cohen Milstein|access-date=6 September 2020|date=27 September 2018|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118170634/https://www.cohenmilstein.com/sites/default/files/Complaint%20Tekle%20v%20Al%20Saud%2009272018.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Daughters===
Abdullah had twenty daughters.<ref name=als/> Princess Adila married [[Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud (born 1950)|Faisal bin Abdullah]], who served as minister of education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiwave.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1286%3Asaudi-arabias-king-changes-the-guard&Itemid=194|title=Saudi Arabia's King Changes the Guard|work=Saudiwave|date=29 November 2011|access-date=18 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125051844/http://www.saudiwave.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1286%3Asaudi-arabias-king-changes-the-guard&Itemid=194|archive-date=25 January 2016|url-status=usurped}}</ref> She is one of the few Saudi princesses with a semi-public role, and is a known advocate of a woman's right to drive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3015|title=Saudi Arabia Changes Course, Slowly|work=Washington Institute|date=18 February 2009|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref> She was also known as "her father's public face".<ref name=nweek9/> On 6 June 2011, Abdullah's daughter Princess Sahab (born 1993) married [[Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa]], son of Bahraini King [[Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/461140|title=Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad marries daughter of Saudi Monarch|work=Bahrain News Agency|date=16 June 2011|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Simon Henderson|title=All the King's Women|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/09/26/all_the_kings_women|work=Foreign Policy|date=26 September 2011|access-date=13 April 2012}}</ref> Another daughter, [[Abeer bint Abdullah|Abeer]], is the wife of [[Fahd bin Turki Al Saud]].<ref>{{cite news|author=David Hearst|title=Saudi purge: Why Mohammed bin Salman can never rest|access-date=11 September 2020
|work=[[Middle East Eye]]|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/saudi-purges-why-mohammed-bin-salman-can-never-rest|date=7 September 2020}}</ref> Sara bint Abdullah married [[Turki bin Talal]] and they had one son, [[Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Talal Al Saud|Abdulaziz]].<ref name=rsal/> She later married [[Fahd bin Badr bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Fahd bin Badr]], with whom she has five children.<ref name=rsal/>

One of Abdullah's daughters, Noura, died in 1990 in a car accident near Riyadh airport.<ref name=jusho>{{cite magazine|author1=Bradley Hope|author2=Justin Scheck|title="This Plane is not Going to Land in Cairo": Saudi Prince Sultan Boarded a Flight in Paris. Then, He Disappeared|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/08/how-saudi-prince-sultan-disappeared|access-date=1 September 2020|magazine=Vanity Fair
|date=25 August 2020}}</ref> She was married to [[Sultan bin Turki Al Saud]].<ref name=jusho/> Abdullah's daughter Fayza is the mother of Prince [[Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Saud]], who was accused of murdering his servant Bandar Abdulaziz in London in 2010.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8043460/Gay-Saudi-prince-murdered-servant-in-ferocious-attack.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8043460/Gay-Saudi-prince-murdered-servant-in-ferocious-attack.html|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=Gay Saudi prince 'murdered servant in ferocious attack'|author=Caroline Gammell|date=5 October 2010|work=The Telegraph|access-date=14 March 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His daughter Hayfa was featured on the cover of ''[[Vogue Arabia]]'' magazine's June 2018 issue.<ref>{{cite news|title=Picture of Saudi princess on magazine cover sparks controversy|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/picture-of-saudi-princess-on-magazine-cover-sparks-controversy/articleshow/64417823.cms?from=mdr|access-date=15 August 2020|work=The Economic Times|date=1 June 2018}}</ref> [[Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud|Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman]], a member of the Al Kabir branch of Al Saud, is married to a daughter of King Abdullah,<ref>{{cite news|title=The case of a Saudi prince illustrates a pattern of arbitrary detention|url=https://egyptindependent.com/the-case-of-a-saudi-prince-illustrates-a-pattern-of-arbitrary-detention/|access-date=16 August 2020|work=Egypt Independent|agency=CNN|date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Oraib, who is the full sister of Turki bin Abdullah.<ref>{{cite news|title=هكذا يعبر مئات الأمراء من آل سعود عن رفضهم لابن سلمان
|work=Arabi 21|url=https://arabi21.com/Story/1295556|access-date=12 September 2020|date=25 August 2020|language=ar}}</ref> Another daughter, Seeta, was married to Faisal bin Thamir, a son of [[Thamir bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]].<ref name=rsal>{{cite news|title=رسالة من ابناء واحفاد الملك عبدالله رحمه الله|url=https://www.almrsal.com/post/201673|access-date=1 November 2020|work=Almrsal|date=3 February 2015|language=ar}}</ref>

From his marriage to [[Al Anoud Al Fayez]] (arranged when she was 15 without her having ever met him), whom he later divorced, Abdullah had four daughters: Sahar, Maha, Hala and Jawahir.<ref name=manji>Fatima Manji. (19 March 2014).[http://www.channel4.com/news/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-alanoud-al-fayez-daughters-jeddah 'They are hanging to life' - Saudi king's ex-wife speaks out] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319075501/http://www.channel4.com/news/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-alanoud-al-fayez-daughters-jeddah|date=19 March 2014}}, Channel 4</ref> They have been under house arrest for several years, and are not allowed to leave the country.<ref name=manji/> According to an interview with an American doctor for the family, Maha and Hala were regularly forcibly sedated with various drugs, including [[Valium]], [[Ativan]], [[Xanax]], and [[Ambien]]. Their mental and physical health reportedly severely deteriorated.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |last=Blake |first=Heidi |date=2024-10-10 |title=The Texan Doctor and the Disappeared Saudi Princesses |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-texan-doctor-and-the-disappeared-saudi-princesses |access-date=2024-10-10 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> After media releases in March 2014, Sahar and Jawahir received no food or clean water for 25 days, lost 10&nbsp;kg each and their mother carried out weekly protests in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in London.<ref>[http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19394 "Ex-wife of Saudi King Pleads for Her Daughters."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904140402/http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19394
|date=4 September 2014}} ''Al Akhbar''. 11 April 2014</ref> They spoke and released a video while under house arrest, pleading for help from the international community.<ref>{{cite news|title=An Interview with the Imprisoned Daughter of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah
|url=https://muftah.org/interview-imprisoned-daughter-saudi-arabias-king-abdullah/|date=1 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401140314/https://muftah.org/interview-imprisoned-daughter-saudi-arabias-king-abdullah/|archive-date=1 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Fatima Manji|title=New footage emerges of 'trapped' Saudi princesses|work=Channel 4 News
|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/saudi-arabia-princesses-trapped-royal-compound-king-abdullah|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> After 2014, media reports of their condition dried up.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ishaan Tharoor|title=King Abdullah dead: The late Saudi monarch's 'jailed' princesses|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/king-abdullah-dead-the-late-saudi-monarchs-jailed-princesses-20150125-12xnah.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=25 January 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Princess Hala's health severely declined due to her drug and alcohol dependence, and she reportedly lost most of her hair and became incoherent.<ref name=":1" /> She died on 30 September 2021 at age 47,<ref>{{cite web
|title=Report|url=https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TmSearch/SummaryPrint?id=18110|publisher=OHCHR|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> and there was no mention about the cause of her death. Funeral prayer for her was performed after evening prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.<ref>{{cite news|title=الديوان الملكي ينعي الأميرة هلا بنت عبدالله بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود|url=https://sabq.org/xVGLyJ|access-date=1 October 2021
|work=Sabq|date=30 September 2020|language=ar}}</ref>

===Illness and death===
The King had curtailed his activities from June 2010 with no clear explanation. Diplomats said there had been uncertainty about the extent of his health problems since Abdullah canceled a visit to France.{{When|date=September 2012}} In a television appearance in which he was seen to use a cane, Abdullah said he was in good health but had something "bothering" him. In a visit by US diplomats to Saudi Arabia in April 2014, he was seen connected to breathing tubes during talks, indicating increasing health problems.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

From 2010 to 2012 Abdullah had four back surgeries.<ref name=wp171112>{{cite news|title=Saudi King Abdullah has back surgery described as successful|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-king-abdullah-has-back-surgery-described-as-successful/2012/11/17/11d8c1ce-30c1-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117203654/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-king-abdullah-has-back-surgery-described-as-successful/2012/11/17/11d8c1ce-30c1-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html|archive-date=17 November 2012|access-date=17 November 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=17 November 2012|agency=AP|location=Riyadh|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first two surgeries were in New York, one in 2010 for a slipped disk and a blood clot pressing on nerves in his back and a second to stabilize vertebrae in 2011.<ref name=wp171112/> The third surgery was in Riyadh in 2011, and the last one was also in Riyadh on 17 November 2012.<ref name=wp171112/>

In November 2010, Abdullah's back problems came to light in the media. He had an "accumulation of blood" around the spinal cord. He suffered from a [[herniated disc]] and was told to rest by doctors. To maintain the Kingdom's stability, Crown Prince Sultan returned from Morocco during the King's absence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi prince returns as king readies for US treatment|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11809963|access-date=18 August 2013|work=BBC|date=22 November 2010}}</ref> The King was admitted to [[NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital]] after a blood clot complicated a slipped disc and underwent successful back surgery. The lead surgeon was Muhammad Zaka, who probably removed the herniated disk and performed a [[lumbar fusion]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi king has back surgery in New York
|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/11/24/us.saudi.king.surgery/index.html?section=cnn_latest|work=CNN|date=25 November 2010|access-date=24 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Peter S. Green|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-24/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-s-ny-back-surgery-successful-royal-court-says.html|title=Saudi Arabia King Abdullah's NY Back Surgery Successful, Royal Court Says|work=Bloomberg L.P.|date=24 November 2010|access-date=23 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi king Abdullah has 'successful operation'|work=BBC News|date=24 November 2010|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11833572|access-date=24 November 2010}}</ref> He subsequently had another successful surgery in which surgeons "stabilized a number of vertebras". He left the hospital on 22 December 2010 and convalesced at [[Plaza Hotel|The Plaza]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3289|title=Saudi Arabia's Oil Policy Vacancies|work=Washington Institute|date=7 January 2011|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref> On 22 January 2011, he left the United States for Morocco,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/world/middleeast/23saudi.html "Saudi King Arrives in Morocco After Treatment in US"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722034148/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/world/middleeast/23saudi.html |date=22 July 2016}}, ''New York Times'', 22 January 2011</ref> and returned to the Kingdom on 23 February 2011.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=21 June 2018
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12550326|work=BBC News|title=Saudi King offers benefits as he returns from treatment|date=23 February 2011}}</ref>

Abdullah left Saudi Arabia on "special leave" on 27 August 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=SPA News|date=27 August 2012|work=Saudi Press Agency
|url=http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=1024922&content_id=&scroll=1|access-date=3 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615113945/http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=1024922&content_id=&scroll=1|archive-date=15 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Al-Quds (newspaper)|Al Quds]]'' reported that he had an operation at [[Mount Sinai Hospital, New York]], on or before 4 September 2012, following a heart attack.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} However, there was no official report on this alleged operation—instead, it was announced that the King went on a private trip to Morocco, where he was known to frequent. He returned to Saudi Arabia from Morocco on 24 September.<ref name=national>{{cite news|title=Saudi King Abdullah returns after month-long Morocco trip|newspaper=The National
|url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/saudi-king-abdullah-returns-after-month-long-morocco-trip|access-date=27 September 2012
|date=24 September 2012|agency=AFP|location=Riyadh}}</ref> Nearly two months later, in November 2012, Abdullah underwent another back surgery in Riyadh<ref name=bbcnov12>{{cite news|title=Saudi king health fears calmed after back operation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20525956|access-date=1 February 2013|work=BBC News|date=28 November 2012}}</ref> and left hospital on 13 December 2012.<ref name=reu1312>{{cite news|title=Saudi King Abdullah leaves hospital|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-king-health-idUSBRE8BC0UX20121213|access-date=1 February 2013|work=Reuters|date=13 December 2012|author=Amena Bakr}}</ref>

On 2 January 2015, Abdullah was hospitalized in Riyadh for [[pneumonia]]<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/world/middleeast/saudi-king-abdullah-is-hospitalized-with-pneumonia.html?_r=0 Saudi King, 90, Hospitalized; Pneumonia Is Diagnosed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818173130/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/world/middleeast/saudi-king-abdullah-is-hospitalized-with-pneumonia.html?_r=0|date=18 August 2017}} ''The New York Times''. 3 January 2015.</ref> and died on 23 January at the age of 90.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dies|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30945324|work=BBC|access-date=23 January 2015|date=23 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Douglas Martin|author2=Ben Hubbard|title=King Abdullah, Who Nudged Saudi Arabia Forward, Dies at 90|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/23/world/middleeast/king-abdullah-who-nudged-saudi-arabia-forward-dies-at-90.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=23 January 2015|date=22 January 2015}}</ref> In accordance with Islamic tradition, his funeral was held the same day, a public ceremony at the [[Grand Mosque of Riyadh]] before burial in an unmarked grave at the [[Al Oud cemetery]].<ref name=funeral>{{cite news|author1=Lubna Hussain|author2=F. Brinley Bruton|title=Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Given Simple Muslim Burial|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/saudi-arabia-succession/saudi-arabias-king-abdullah-given-simple-muslim-burial-n291956|access-date=23 January 2015|work=NBC News|date=23 January 2015}}</ref> Three days of national mourning were declared, in which flags would fly at half-mast.<ref name=funeral/> Flags were also flown half-mast at [[Buckingham Palace]] and [[Westminster Abbey]] in London.<ref>{{cite news
|author=Andrew Sparrow|title=Whitehall's King Abdullah half-mast flag tribute criticised by MPs|access-date=23 January 2015|work=The Guardian
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/23/king-abdullah-half-mast-flag-tribute-mps|date=23 January 2015}}</ref>

===Influence===
In 2012, Abdullah was named as the most influential Muslim among 500 Muslims for the previous four years.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sohail Choudhury|title=The philanthropist Saudi King |url=http://www.weeklyblitz.net/2381/the-philanthropist-saudi-king|access-date=9 June 2012|work=Blitz|date=9 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616052309/http://www.weeklyblitz.net/2381/the-philanthropist-saudi-king|archive-date=16 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Muslims 500: The World's Most Influential Muslims
|url=http://themuslim500.com/|access-date=9 February 2012}}</ref> In December 2012, ''[[Forbes]]'' named him as the seventh-most-powerful figure in its list of the "World's Most Powerful People" for 2012, being the sole Arab in the top ten.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi King Abdullah named 7th most powerful figure in the world|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/07/253856.html|access-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207230811/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/07/253856.html|archive-date=7 December 2012|url-status=dead|work=Al Arabiya|date=7 December 2012}}</ref>

==Wealth==
In 2011, the financial magazine ''Forbes'' estimated the documentable wealth of King Abdullah and his immediate family at US${{Format price|21E+9}}, making him one of the world's richest monarchs.<ref>{{cite news|title=No. 3: King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz|date=11 March 2011|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/08/20/worlds-richest-royals-biz-richroyals08-cz_ts_0820royal_slide_4.html?thisSpeed=15000
|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref> One estimate places his wealth at US$18&nbsp;billion, making him the [[List of royalty by net worth|third-wealthiest head of state]] in the world.<ref>{{cite news|author=Anita Singh|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2598278/The-worlds-richest-royals.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2598278/The-worlds-richest-royals.html|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The world's richest royals|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=21 August 2008|access-date=16 October 2012}}</ref>

King Abdullah was an expert [[equestrianism|equestrian]] in his youth. His stables were considered the largest in Saudi Arabia, with over 1,000 horses spread throughout five divisions led by his son Prince Mutaib.<ref name=janad>{{cite news|title=The stables of the King Abdullah|url=http://www.janadriafarm.com/|access-date=16 February 2013|work=Janadria Farm|year=2013|location=Riyadh|archive-date=29 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129034800/http://www.janadriafarm.com/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The King also owned Janadria Farm, a large complex located in the suburbs of Riyadh.<ref name=janad/>

For holidays, the King maintained a large palace complex with several residential compounds in Casablanca, Morocco.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.thenationalherald.com/4534/|title=Metropolitan Emmanuel in Casablanca|work=The National Herald|date=20 September 2012|access-date=8 September 2013}}</ref> It is equipped with two [[heliport]]s and is surrounded by large mansions on 133&nbsp;acres of vegetation.

While still Crown Prince, Abdullah paid for the separation surgery of a pair of Polish [[conjoined twins]], which took place at the [[National Guard Health Affairs#King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh|King Abdulaziz Medical City]] in Riyadh on 3 January 2005.<ref>{{cite news
|author=Mohammed Rasooldeen|title=Thank you, Crown Prince|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/260559|access-date=29 July 2012|newspaper=Arab News
|date=5 January 2005}}</ref>

He donated $50 million in cash and $10 million worth of relief materials for the [[2008 Sichuan earthquake]] in China.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/15/content_8176512.htm|title=More countries offer aid to quake-hit China|work=Xinhua|date=15 May 2008|access-date=15 May 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080517103017/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/15/content_8176512.htm|archive-date=17 May 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=dead}}</ref>

He donated $10 billion to the endowment fund of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in May 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001019440/en|title=Saudi's King Abdullah grants $10 Bn for new university fund|work=Financial Times|date=19 May 2008|access-date=1 September 2013|archive-date=29 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429045219/http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001019440/en|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
{{Infobox royal styles
| name        = King Abdullah
| image       = File:EmblemSA.svg
| image_size  = 80
| reference   = [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]]
}}
Abdullah received a number of international high orders. Most notably, he was an honored knight of the strictly Roman Catholic [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] (the Spanish branch), which caused some controversy.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Tradition in Action
|url=http://www.traditioninaction.org/History/A_009_GoldenFleece.htm|title=King Juan Carlos of Spain dishonors the Order of the Golden Fleece|access-date=16 October 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thecorner.eu/news-europe/spains-media-new-romancing-monarchy/36785/ Are Spanish media betting on King Juan Carlos again?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207063435/http://www.thecorner.eu/news-europe/spains-media-new-romancing-monarchy/36785/|date=7 February 2015}}, ''The Corner''. 1 February 2015</ref>

In April 2012, he was awarded by the United Nations a gold medal for his contributions to intercultural understanding and peace initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|title=King Abdullah receives UNESCO Gold Medal|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news04251202.aspx|work=Royal Embassy
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831233626/http://saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news04251202.aspx|archive-date=31 August 2013
|access-date=18 July 2013|date=25 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Foreign honours ===
* Honorary Grand Commander of the [[Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia]] (1982)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=16 June 2016
|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/1982.pdf|title=Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1982|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731045027/http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/1982.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 July 2020}}</ref>
* Honorary Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Defender of the Realm]] (2003)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-date=19 July 2019|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/|title=Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719195551/http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}
*{{NYTtopic|people/a/abdullah_bin_abdul_aziz_alsaud|Abdullah, King of Saudi Arabia}}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7035991.stm Saudi king details succession law], ''BBC News'', 9 October 2007.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150127015359/http://midwestdiplomacy.com/2013/11/17/shifting-sands-and-the-gulf-monarchies/ Shifting Sands: On the power transition in Abdullah's death] ''Midwest Diplomacy'', 17 November 2013.

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Saud]]|1 August|1924|23 January|2015|name=Abdullah}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Saudi Arabia]]|years=2005–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Salman of Saudi Arabia|Salman]]}}
|-
{{s-roy|sa}}
{{s-bef|before=Fahd}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]]|years=1982–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sultan bin Abdulaziz|Sultan]]}}
{{s-end}}

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