King Abdullah

  • Birth

    King Abdullah was born in Riyadh
  • Commander of National Guard

    Commander of National Guard
    Abdullah was made commander of Saudi National Guard
  • Secound Deputy Prime Minister

    King Khalid appointed Prince Abdullah as second deputy prime minister
  • Crown Prince

    The day King Khalid died – Fahd bin Abdulaziz became King, Prince Abdullah became Crown Prince
  • King Saudi Arabia

    King Saudi Arabia
    Abdullah succeeded to the throne upon the death of his half-brother King Fahd.
  • Domestic affairs

    King Abdullah implemented a government scholarship program to send young Saudi men and women abroad for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in different universities around the world.
  • Interfaith dialogue

    Interfaith dialogue
    King Abdullah visited Pope Benedict XVI in the Apostolic Palace, being first Saudi monarch to do so.
  • Interfaith dialogue

    King Abdullah called for a "brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions".
  • United Nations General Assembly

    King 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."
  • Ministry of Educations

    He re-shuffled the Ministry of Education's leadership by bringing in his pro-reform son-in-law, Faisal bin Abdullah, as the new minister.
  • Senior Council of Ulema

    King Abdullah decreed that only officially approved religious scholars associated with the Senior Council of Ulema would be allowed to issue fatwas.
  • Arab common market

    King Abdullah called for the establishment of an Arab common market.
  • Death

    Death
    King Abdullah died from a lung infection