Faisal bin Salman Al Saud
Governor of Madinah Province
Reign14 January 2013 – 12 December 2023
PredecessorAbdulaziz bin Majid
SuccessorSalman bin Sultan Al Saud
Appointed byKing Abdullah
Born (1970-12-25) 25 December 1970 (age 53)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Names
Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
HouseAl Saud
FatherKing Salman
MotherSultana bint Turki Al Sudairi
Alma mater

Faisal bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن سلمان آل سعود Fayṣal bin Salmān Āl Suʿūd; born 25 December 1970) is a member of the House of Saud and was governor of Madinah province in Saudi Arabia from 14 January 2013 to 12 December 2023.

Early life and education

Prince Faisal was born in Riyadh on 25 December 1970.[1] He is the fifth son of Salman bin Abdulaziz, the King of Saudi Arabia.[2] His mother is Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi, who died in July 2011.[3] She was a daughter of King Salman's uncle, Turki bin Ahmed Al Sudairi,[4] who was formerly the governor of Asir Province.[5] Faisal is a full brother of Prince Fahd, Prince Ahmed, Prince Sultan, Prince Abdulaziz and Princess Hassa.[6]

Faisal bin Salman holds a bachelor's degree in political science from King Saud University.[7] He received a PhD from Oxford University in 1999.[7] His PhD thesis was titled "Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf: Power Politics in Transition 1968-1971",[8] and was published by I.B.Tauris in 2003.[9]

Career

Prince Faisal was a professor of political science at King Saud University.[1] He studied especially political relations in the Persian Gulf region among the others during his academic career.[10] During this period he was a research fellow at Georgetown University.[11]

After the death of his brother Prince Ahmed in 2002, Prince Faisal took over as chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), reportedly the largest media company in the Middle East, North and Central Africa.[12] He was reported to own around seven percent of the company, while the family of his late brother Ahmed owns three percent.[13] It is reported that the newspapers owned by the SRMG, including Arab News, Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Eqtisadiah take a pro-government position and supported King Abdullah's cautious reforms.[14] Faisal bin Salman began to publish a new magazine through the SRMG that is an Arabic translation of the magazine Robb Report. He also established a school for training journalists and other media people.[15] He has been the chairman of Jadwa Investment, a Riyadh-based leading Saudi investment bank, since 2006.[16]

On 14 January 2013, Faisal bin Salman was appointed governor of Madinah province at the rank of minister, replacing Abdulaziz bin Majid in the post.[17] After his appointment as governor, Faisal bin Salman was succeeded by his half-brother, Turki bin Salman, as chairman of the SRMG.[18] Prince Faisal's tenure as governor of Madinah province ended on 12 December 2023 when Salman bin Sultan Al Saud was named as the new governor with the rank of minister.[19] Prince Faisal became an advisor to the king on the same date.[19]

Other positions

Prince Faisal joined the council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in 2009.[8] He is also chairman of the board of social responsibility in Riyadh.[20] In addition, he chairs the executive committee of “Ensan Society” that deals with various support programs for orphans.[21][22]

Prince Faisal has been the chairman of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the chairman of the board of trustees of the King Fahd National Library since 12 December 2023.[19]

Views

Faisal bin Salman stated in 2007 that social change in Saudi Arabia had to be slow.[14]

Awards

Faisal bin Salman was named "The Man of the Year 2004 in business" by Arabian Business in 2004.[8][23] He was also named the Media Personality of the Year by the Arab Media Forum in 2009.[24] He was awarded Hilal-e-Pakistan on 12 December 2023.[25]

Horse racing

His brothers Prince Fahd and Prince Ahmed, both deceased, were involved in thoroughbred horse racing. After the death of Prince Ahmed in 2002, Prince Faisal succeeded him as the head of The Thoroughbred Corporation.[26] In addition, he owns Belgrave Bloodstock in England.[27]

In 2002 Faisal bin Salman had 12 horses in training, with Paul Cole, Sir Mark Prescott and John Gosden in England; Aidan O'Brien in Ireland; Jean-Claude Rouget in France; and Julio Canini and Graham Motion in the United States.[28] It is reported that his best horse is Last Second, dam of Aussie Rules. She won both the Sun Chariot Stakes and Nassau Stakes in 1996. Prince Faisal also won the 1995 Cherry Hinton Stakes with another horse, Applaud. Last Second later became his most successful broodmare. He has his own stud, Denford Stud near Hungerford, Berkshire. His racing manager is James Wigan.[27] In 2011 Central Park was Faisal's best juvenile.[29]

Prince Faisal bred Aussie Rules in Kentucky and is racing him in cooperation with Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. He had four mares boarded at Indian Creek Farm near Paris (Kentucky). The dam of Aussie Rules, Last Second, has had only one foal sell at public auction, Bold Glance, who went for $2,202,250 in October 2005. Belgrave also has kept several fillies out of Last Second, including stakes winner Approach. Other mares are kept at Chris Budgett's Kirtlington Stud in the United Kingdom.[27]

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b "Madinah governor known for his humanitarian work". Arab News. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Saudi king appoints new governors for Madinah and Eastern Province". Al Arabiya. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Princess Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairy dies". Arab News. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Sultana, wife of Riyadh Emir, passes away". Saudi Gazette. 3 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Sultana bint Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Sudairi". Datarabia. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Kingdom mourns loss of princess". The Siasat Daily. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Profile: Prince Faisal bin Salman". Asharq Alawsat. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "IISS announces the appointment of HRH Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as a member of the IISS Council". AMEinfo. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  9. ^ Faisal bin Salman Al Saud (2003). Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf: Power Politics in Transition. London; New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-86064-881-6.
  10. ^ Fatemeh Shayan (2013). "Geopolitical Subjectivity in Iran-GCC Relations: The Three Islands Issue Since 1979". Geopolitics. 18 (3): 633–661. doi:10.1080/14650045.2013.769961. S2CID 145503336.
  11. ^ David D. Kirkpatrick (6 June 2015). "Surprising Saudi Rises as a Prince Among Princes". The New York Times. Riyadh. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  12. ^ William A. Rugh (2004). The Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Westport, CT; London: Praeger. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
  13. ^ "Ideological and Ownership Trends in the Saudi Media". Cablegate. 11 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Spotlight on the Saudi succession process". Al Arabiya. Reuters. 16 June 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  15. ^ Deidre Woollard. "Saudi Prince Launches Arabic Robb Report". Luxist. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  16. ^ "Board of Directors". Jadwa Investment. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Prince Muqrin As I Have Known Him". Dar Al Hayat International. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Prince Turki succeeds Prince Faisal as SRMG chairman". Arab News. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  19. ^ a b c "King Salman issues royal decrees". Argaam. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Prince Faisal bin Salman opens exhibition on social responsibility". Gulf in the Media. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  21. ^ "Prince Faisal bin Salman Commends the MOH's Support for the Health Programs Adopted by "Insan Society"". Ministry of Health. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  22. ^ "Ensan orphanage elects new 13-member board of directors". Arab News. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  23. ^ "Prince Faisal bin Salman is Businessman of the Year 2004". Arabian Business. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  24. ^ "Media personality of the year; AMF honours Saudi Prince Faisal" (PDF). Middle East Publishers Association. 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  25. ^ Shumaila Andleeb (13 December 2023). "Pakistan confers Hilal-i-Pakistan on Madinah's governor Prince Faisal bin Salman". Associated Press of Pakistan. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  26. ^ Kristin Ingwell Goode (1 August 2002). "Prince Faisal Salman to Head Thoroughbred Corporation". Blood Horse. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  27. ^ a b c "Prince Faisal bin Salman". Breeders Cup. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  28. ^ David Lawrence (1 August 2002). "Faisal to step into the breach". The Racing Post. London. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  29. ^ "Horse races". The Racing Post. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  30. ^ "Royal Family Directory". www.datarabia.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

External links

Political offices Preceded byAbdulaziz bin Majid Al Saud Governor of Madinah Province 2013–2023 Succeeded bySalman bin Sultan Al Saud
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