Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Governor of Medina Province
Tenure1965 – 1985
PredecessorMuhammad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
SuccessorAbdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz
Monarch
Minister of Interior
Tenure1960 – 1961
PredecessorMusaid bin Abdul Rahman
SuccessorFaisal bin Turki I
MonarchKing Saud
Born1925
Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd
Died11 May 1985 (aged 59–60)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Names
Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman
HouseAl Saud
FatherKing Abdulaziz
MotherAl Jawhara bint Saad Al Sudairi

Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: عبد المحسن بن عبد العزيز آل سعود 'Abd al-Muḥsin bin 'Abd al-'Azīz Āl Sa'ūd; 1925–11 May 1985) was a member of the House of Saud, the governor of Medina, and one of the leading poets in Saudi Arabia. He was a lover of literature, poetry and historical books.

Early life and education

Prince Abdul Muhsin was born in Riyadh in 1925.[1][2] He is the thirteenth son of King Abdulaziz and one of the sons of Al Jawhara bint Saad Sudairi, a member of the Al Sudairi family.[1][3] She was widow of Saad bin Abdul Rahman, King Abdulaziz's full brother who died in the battle of Kanzan in 1915.[4] Al Jawhara died soon after the birth of Abdul Muhsin.[5] His full brothers included Prince Saad and Prince Musaid.[3]

Prince Abdul Muhsin studied at the school of princes, and memorized the Quran and learned horsemanship, and then completed the history, politics, arts of war.[citation needed]

Career and activities

Abdul Muhsin was interior minister in King Saud's cabinet in 1960.[6][7] His tenure lasted for only one year, and he joined the Free Princes Movement led by Prince Talal.[4][8] On 9 November 1962 he defected to the United Arab Republic renouncing his Saudi Arabian citizenship.[9] Immediately after this event he declared that he would work to make Saudi Arabia a free country.[9] Prince Abdul Muhsin and two of his half-brothers, Prince Badr and Prince Fawwaz, and his cousin, Fahd bin Saad, who also defected to the United Arab Republic, returned to Saudi Arabia upon their rehabilitation by King Faisal on 22 January 1964.[4][10] Upon their return they published a statement acknowledging their mistake in criticizing the Saudi government.[10]

On 27 September 1965 he was made governor of Madinah which he held until 1985.[4][5] During the 1970s he was one of the members of the inner family council which included his half-brothers King Khalid, Prince Mohammed, Crown Prince Fahd, Prince Abdullah, and Prince Sultan and his uncles Prince Ahmed and Prince Musaid.[11]

Prince Abdul Muhsin had a reputation as being relatively liberal.[1] During his governorship, a television station opened and highways were built to help people to reach to the Prophet's Mosque.[12][13]

Personal life

Abdul Muhsin married eight times and had 12 children. One of his spouses was Sara bint Ahmed bin Abdul Rahman Al Sudairi.[14] His sons are Saud, Badr[15] and Walid.[16] Prince Saud was the governor of Hail province from 1999 until 2017.[17] His grandson, Abdul Muhsin bin Walid, was arrested in Beirut Airport due to drug smuggling in 2015.[18]

Death

Abdul Muhsin died on 11 May 1985 in King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, suffering from illness at the age of 60.[1][6]

Honour

Foreign honour

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Prince Abdul Mohsen, Saudi Governor, Dies". The New York Times. Medina. 12 May 1985. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  2. ^ J. E. Peterson (2003). Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780810827806.
  3. ^ a b Joseph A. Kechichian (2001). Succession in Saudi Arabia. New York; Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-312-29962-0.
  4. ^ a b c d "Appendix 6. The Sons of Abdulaziz" (PDF). Springer. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Gary Samuel Samore (1984). Royal Family Politics in Saudi Arabia (1953-1982) (PhD thesis). Harvard University. pp. 255–328. ProQuest 303295482.
  6. ^ a b "Prince Abdul Mohsen bin Abdulaziz, 60, a brother of King..." Orlando Sentinel. 12 May 1985. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  7. ^ Islam Yasin Qasem (February 2010). Neo-rentier theory: The case of Saudi Arabia (1950-2000) (PhD thesis). Leiden University. hdl:1887/14746.
  8. ^ Simon Henderson (14 September 2009). "Saudi Succession--a Desert Legacy". The Cutting Edge. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Chronology September 16, 1962-March 15, 1963". The Middle East Journal. 17 (1–2): 133. Winter–Spring 1963. JSTOR 4323557.
  10. ^ a b "Chronology December 16, 1963 - March 15, 1964". The Middle East Journal. 18 (2): 218. 1964. JSTOR 4323704.
  11. ^ Gulshan Dhahani (1980). "Political Institutions in Saudi Arabia". International Studies. 19 (1): 59–69. doi:10.1177/002088178001900104. S2CID 153974203.
  12. ^ "الأمير سعود بن عبدالمحسن في تلويحة الوداع: 18 عاماً في حائل هي أجمل سنوات عمري ولن أنسى حائل وأهلها وسيبقى الوصل ما بقيت الحياة". Al Jazirah (in Arabic).
  13. ^ "في ذكرى وفاته.. من هو الأمير عبدالمحسن بن عبدالعزيز؟". Dostor (in Arabic).
  14. ^ "السدارى" (in Arabic). Marefa. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  15. ^ George T. Fitzgerald (1983). Government administration in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Master of Public Administration thesis). California State University, San Bernardino. p. 94.
  16. ^ Donald S. Inbody (1984). Saudi Arabia and the United States: Perception and Gulf security (MA thesis). Naval Postgraduate School. p. 130. hdl:10945/19545.
  17. ^ Sara Farolfi (13 May 2020). "Out-of-Favor Saudi Prince Bought Cypriot Passport". OCCRP. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Lebanese authorities charge Saudi prince with drug smuggling: sources, agency". Reuters. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat" (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

External links

Political offices Preceded byMusaid bin Abdul Rahman Minister of Interior 1960–1961 Succeeded byFaisal bin Turki I bin Abdulaziz
Interior Ministers of Saudi Arabia
Sons of Ibn Saud
Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
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