King Fahd

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Dunya News-01-08-2012-King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz-Saudi King-Dunya Ki Tareekh - Latest News TV

King Fahad International Airport - Dammam Saudi Arabia

King Fahad Academy newsnight part 1 of 2

King Fahad Road, Kingdom Tower to Faisaliah Tower, riyadh, kingdom of saudi arabia -12

King Fahad Road Olaya, Riyadh Saudi Arabia

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Algeria
Coordinates: 28°N 2°E / 28°N 2°E / 28; 2
Algeria ⁱ/ælˈdʒɪəriə/ (Arabic: الجزائر‎, al-Jazā'ir; Berber: ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية, al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah ash-Shaʿbiyyah), also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a large country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.
When referring to its land area, Algeria is the largest country in Africa, Maghreb and the Arab World. It is also the largest of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; it is also the tenth-largest country in the world. The country is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Its size is almost 2,400,000 square kilometres (926,645 sq mi) with an estimated population of 37.1 million as of 2012. Algeria is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, OPEC and the United Nations. The country is also a founding member of the Arab Maghreb Union.

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Arab League
The Arab League (Arabic: الجامعة العربية‎ al-Jāmiʻa al-ʻArabiyya), officially called the League of Arab States (Arabic: جامعة الدول العربية‎ Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya), is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia (Middle East). It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (renamed Jordan in 1949), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. The Arab League currently has 22 members (including Syria, whose participation was suspended in November 2011). The main goal of the league is to "draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries."
Through institutions such as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League's Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU), the Arab League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed to promote the interests of the Arab world. It has served as a forum for the member states to coordinate their policy positions, to deliberate on matters of common concern, to settle some Arab disputes, and to limit conflicts such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter which sets out the principles for economic activities in the region.

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Cairo
Cairo ( /ˈkaɪroʊ/ KYE-roh; Arabic: القاهرة‎ al-Qāhira, literally "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror"), is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Located near the Nile Delta, it was founded in the year 969 A.D. making it 1,043 years old. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid dynasty in the 10th century AD.; but the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the ancient cities of Memphis, Giza and Fustat which are nearby to the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.
Egyptians today often refer to Cairo as Maṣr (Arabic: مصر‎), the Arabic pronunciation of the name for Egypt itself, emphasizing the city's continued role in Egyptian influence. Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab World, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city, and the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence.

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Egypt
Egypt ⁱ/ˈiːdʒɪpt/ (Arabic: مصر, Miṣr, Egyptian Arabic: [mɑsˤɾ] ; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, Kīmi ; Sahidic Coptic: ⲕⲏⲙⲉ, Kēme), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: جمهوريّة مصر العربيّة (help·info), is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its over 81 million people live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

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Europa Point
Europa Point, also called Great Europa Point, is the southernmost point of Gibraltar. At the end of Rock of Gibraltar, the area is flat and occupied by such features as a playing field and a few buildings. On a clear day, views of North Africa can be appreciated across the Strait of Gibraltar including Ceuta and the Rif Mountains of Morocco; as well as the Bay of Gibraltar and the Spanish towns along its shores.
There are three notable buildings, the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, and a Europe Point Lighthouse.
Europa Point is linked with the Eastern side of the Rock, including Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay, via Dudley Ward Tunnel. The tunnel re-opened in 2010 after eight years closure following a fatal rockfall.
The Europa Point Lighthouse was built by Governor Sir Alexander Woodford between 1838 and 1841. It was fully automated in February 1994 and its loom can be seen over a distance of 27 km (17 mi). It is the southernmost lighthouse for which Trinity House is responsible, and the only one outside the UK.

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Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( /dʒɨˈbrɒltər/) is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 6.8 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi) and a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities.
An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It was an important base for the Royal Navy; today its economy is based largely on tourism, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the UK Government.

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Iran
Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53
Iran (ⁱ/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/;Persian: ایران‎ [ʔiˈɾɒn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران‎ Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in use natively since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.
The 18th-largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 79 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves.

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Iraq
Iraq (/ɪˈræk/ or ⁱ/ɪˈrɑːk/; Arabic: العراق‎ al-‘Irāq); officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: جمهورية العراق (help·info) Jumhūriyyat al-‘Irāq), is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.
Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Jordan to the southwest and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (36 mi) on the northern Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad is in the center-east of the country.
Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.
Historically, Iraq was the center of the Abbasid Arabic Islamic Empire. Iraq has been known to the west by the Greek toponym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers) and has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is often referred to as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing, law and the wheel. At different periods in its history, Iraq was the center of the indigenous Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid empires. It was also part of the Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid, and Ottoman empires, and under British control as a League of Nations mandate.

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Jordan
Jordan ( /ˈdʒɔr.dən/;Arabic: اَلأُرْدُنّ, Al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: اَلمَمْلَكَة اَلأُرْدُنِيَّة اَلهَاشِمِيَّة), Al-Mamlakah Al-Urdaniyyah Al-Hashimiyyah) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea with the latter. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, at the Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jordan is arable land and forests. Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman. According to the CIA World Factbook, Jordan has the second highest life expectancy in the Middle East, after Israel. The average life expectancy is one position behind the United Kingdom, although the age remains exactly the same (80.05 years).
The precursor to modern Jordan was founded in 1921 as the Hashemite Emirate, and it was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the British mandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank area of Cisjordan during the 1948–49 war with Israel, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan and Palestine, and he officially changed the country's name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949.

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Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait ⁱ/kuːˈweɪt/ (Arabic: دولة الكويت‎, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic أكوات ākwāt, the plural of كوت kūt, meaning a fortress built near water. The country covers an area of 17,820 square kilometers (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 3.5 million.
Historically, the region was the site of Characene, a major Parthian port for trade between Mesopotamia and India. The Bani Utbah tribe were the first permanent Arab settlers in the region, and laid the foundation of the modern emirate. By the 19th century, Kuwait came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, and after World War I, it emerged as an independent sheikhdom under the protection of the British Empire. Kuwait's large oil fields were discovered in the late 1930s.

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Lebanon
Lebanon (ⁱ/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان‎ Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية‎ al-Jumhūrīyah al-Libnānīyah, Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]), is a country in the East Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze, to include more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and established a unique political system, known as confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities – Bechara El Khoury who became independent Lebanon's first President and Riad El-Solh, who became Lebanon's first prime minister, are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon in 1946.

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Mecca
Mecca ( /ˈmɛkə/; Arabic: مكة‎, Makkah, pronounced [ˈmækːɐ]) is a city in the Hejaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its resident population in 2012 was 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during Hajj period held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
As the birthplace of Muhammad and a site of the composition of the Quran, Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam and a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory upon all able Muslims. The Hijaz was long ruled by Muhammad's descendants, the sharifs, either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger empires. It was absorbed into Saudi Arabia in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure. Because of this Mecca has lost many thousand years old buildings and archaeological sites. Today, more than 15 million Muslims visit Mecca annually, including several million during the few days of the Hajj. As a result, Mecca has become one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the Muslim world, although non-Muslims remain prohibited from entering the city.

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Morocco
Morocco (Arabic: المغرب‎ al-Maghrib ; Berber: ⵍⵎⴻⵖⵔⵉⴱ / ⴰⵎⴻⵔⵔⵓⴽElmeɣrib / Amerruk), officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of about 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed region of the Western Sahara, seen by and mostly administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. Morocco is part of the Maghreb region, in addition to Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya, with which it shares cultural, historical and linguistic ties.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive powers, including the power to dissolve the parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government but more importantly by the king himself. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can also issue decrees called dahirs which have the force of law. The latest Parliamentary elections were held in November 25, 2011, and were considered by some neutral observers to be mostly free and fair. Voter turnout in these elections was estimated to be 43% of registered voters, but only about 25% of Moroccan adult citizens actually voted. The rest either chose not to vote or they were not registered as voters. The political capital is Rabat, but the largest city is Casablanca; other main cities include Marrakesh, Tetouan, Tangier, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes, Oujda, Kenitra, and Nador.

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Nicaragua
Nicaragua (ⁱ/ˌnɪkəˈrɑːɡwə/ nik-ə-RAH-gwə), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (Spanish: República de Nicaragua [reˈpuβlika ðe nikaˈɾaɣwa] ( listen)), is the largest country in the Central American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country's physical geography divides it into three major zones: Pacific lowlands; wet, cooler central highlands; and the Caribbean lowlands. On the Pacific side of the country are the two largest fresh water lakes in Central America—Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua. Surrounding these lakes and extending to their northwest along the rift valley of the Gulf of Fonseca are fertile lowland plains, with soil highly enriched by ash from nearby volcanoes of the central highlands. Nicaragua's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contribute to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot.

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Oman
Oman (ⁱ/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان‎ ʻUmān), officially called the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان‎ Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam enclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
For a period, Oman was a moderate regional power, formerly having a sultanate extending across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran, and modern day Pakistan, and far south to Zanzibar on the coat of south-east Africa. Over time, as its power declined, the sultanate came under heavy influence from the United Kingdom, though Oman was never formally part of the British Empire, or a British protectorate. The Omani royal family claim that Oman has been ruled by the Al Said dynasty since 1744, although without substantial proof. Oman has long-standing military and political ties with the United Kingdom and the United States, although it maintains an independent foreign policy.

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Pakistan
Pakistan (ⁱ/ˈpækɨstæn/ or ⁱ/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
The territory of modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Neolithic Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and has undergone invasions or settlements by Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures. Thus the area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of India where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.

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Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf is located in Western Asia between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula. It is an extension of the Indian Ocean.
The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers. In 1991, the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.
The Persian Gulf has many good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has come under pressure from industrialization, and in particular, oil and petroleum spillages during wars in the region.
Historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf or simply The Gulf by most Arab states, although neither of the latter two terms are recognized internationally. The name Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf) is used by the International Hydrographic Organization.

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Qatar
Qatar (ⁱ/ˈkɑːtɑr/ or ⁱ/kəˈtɑr/;Arabic: قطر‎ [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ɡɪtˤɑr]), also known as the country or State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain.
Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d'état. The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built intimate military ties with the United States, and is now the location of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center.

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Riyadh
Riyadh (/rɨˈjɑːd/; Arabic: الرياض‎ transliterated Ar Riyāḍ pronounced [ʔɑrːiˈjɑːdˤ], English: The Gardens) is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a region with a population of close to 7 million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by the Governor of Riyadh Province, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz. The current mayor of Riyadh is Abdul Aziz ibn Ayyaf Al-Miqrin, appointed in 1998. Riyadh has the largest female university in the world, the Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University.. It has been designated as Beta World City.
During the Pre-Islamic era, the settlement at the site was called Hajr (Arabic: حجر‎), and was reportedly founded by the tribe of Banu Hanifa. Hajr served as the capital of the province of Al Yamamah, whose governors were responsible for most of central and eastern Arabia during the Umayyad and Abbasid eras. Al-Yamamah broke away from the Abbasid Empire in 866 and the area fell under the rule of the Ukhaydhirites, who moved the capital from Hajr to nearby Al Kharj. The city then went into a long period of decline. In the 14th century North African traveller Ibn Battuta wrote of his visit to Hajr, describing it as "the main city of Al-Yamamah, and its name is Hajr". Ibn Battuta goes on to describe it as a city of canals and trees with most of its inhabitants belonging to Bani Hanifa, and reports that he continued on with their leader to Mecca to perform the Hajj.

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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia (ⁱ/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbi.ə/ or ⁱ/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbi.ə/; Arabic: السعودية‎ as-Su‘ūdīyah^{[citation needed]} or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية‎ al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km² (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as the Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as being Islamic, though this is contested by many due to its strong basis in Salafism, a minority school of thought in Islam. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.

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Singapore
Singapore (ⁱ/ˈsɪŋəpɔər/ SI-ngə-pohr), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.

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Spain
Spain (ⁱ/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.

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State of Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل‎, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.^{[neutrality is disputed]} Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.

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Syria
Syria (/ˈsɪriə/ ( listen) SIRR-ee-ə; Arabic: سورية‎ Sūriyya or سوريا Sūryā; Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܐ; Kurdish: Sûrî), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية‎ al-Jumhūriyyah al-‘Arabīyah as-Sūriyyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
In English, the name Syria was formerly synonymous with the Levant, known in Arabic as Sham, while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third millennium BC. In the Islamic era, its capital city, Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate, and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.
The population of Syria is 74% Sunni, 12% Alawi, 10% Christian, and 3% Druze. Combined, 87% of the Syrian population is Muslim, while the other 10% is Christian, which includes mainly Arab Christians but also Assyrians and Armenians. Major ethnic minorities in Syria include Kurds (9%), Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmens and Circassians. The majority of the population is Arab (90%).

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United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates ⁱ/juːˌnaɪtɨd ˌærəb ˈɛmɪrɨts/ (Arabic: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة‎, Al Imārāt al ‘Arabīyah al Muttaḥidah), sometimes simply called the Emirates or the UAE, is a country situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north.
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates (equivalent to principalities), each governed by a hereditary emir, with a single national president. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state's center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
Prior to independence in 1971, the UAE was known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a 19th-century truce between the local sheikhs, hereditary rulers of the territories, and the United Kingdom. The term Pirate Coast was also used by some to refer to the emirates from the 18th to the early 20th century, owing to the preponderance of pirates operating from Emirati ports.

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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.

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Yemen
The Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية‎ al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah), commonly known as Yemen ⁱ/ˈjɛmən/ (Arabic: اليَمَن‎ al-Yaman), is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east. Yemen is considered one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Its capital and largest city is Sana'a. Yemen's territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km (258 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. It is the only state in the Arabian Peninsula to have a purely republican form of government. Approximately 53% of Yemenis are Sunnis, while 45% are Zaydi Shias.
One etymology derives Yemen from yamin, meaning "on the right side", as the south is on the right when facing the sunrise. Another derives Yemen from yumn, meaning "felicity", as the region is fertile. The Romans called it Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia) as opposed to Arabia Deserta (Deserted Arabia), which was their term for northern Arabia.

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Abdul Aziz bin Fahd
Abdul Aziz bin Fahd (عبد العزيز بن فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) is the reported favorite son of the late King Fahd, but was known mostly for his extravagance and playboy image.
Abdul Aziz was born in 1973. His mother wanted to be called Umm 'Abd al-'Aziz (mother of 'Abd al-'Aziz).
In fact, his mother is al Jawhara bint Ibrahim al Ibrahim, belonging to the wealthy al Ibrahim family. Her sister, Maha al Ibrahim, is married to former deputy minister of Defence and Aviation, Prince Abdul Rahman. His another sister, Mohdi al Ibrahim, is married to minister of Higher Education, , Dr. Khaled Al Anqari.
Al Jawhara al Ibrahim divorced from her first husband to wed King Fahd. Al Jawhara's place at his side provided her brothers with the opportunity to become influential businessmen, leading to jealousy and gossip in royal circles.
After the death of King Fahd, she has remained as an influential and respected member of the family, and had close relations with senior royals, especially Fahd's full brothers. The fact that she travelled with King Abdallah to Kuwait in January 2007 to pay the family's respects upon the death of the Amir Jabir al Ahmad al Sabah is considered to be a sign of her continuing influence.

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Abdul-Aziz bin Fahd
Abdul Aziz bin Fahd (عبد العزيز بن فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) is the reported favorite son of the late King Fahd, but was known mostly for his extravagance and playboy image.
Abdul Aziz was born in 1973. His mother wanted to be called Umm 'Abd al-'Aziz (mother of 'Abd al-'Aziz).
In fact, his mother is al Jawhara bint Ibrahim al Ibrahim, belonging to the wealthy al Ibrahim family. Her sister, Maha al Ibrahim, is married to former deputy minister of Defence and Aviation, Prince Abdul Rahman. His another sister, Mohdi al Ibrahim, is married to minister of Higher Education, , Dr. Khaled Al Anqari.
Al Jawhara al Ibrahim divorced from her first husband to wed King Fahd. Al Jawhara's place at his side provided her brothers with the opportunity to become influential businessmen, leading to jealousy and gossip in royal circles.
After the death of King Fahd, she has remained as an influential and respected member of the family, and had close relations with senior royals, especially Fahd's full brothers. The fact that she travelled with King Abdallah to Kuwait in January 2007 to pay the family's respects upon the death of the Amir Jabir al Ahmad al Sabah is considered to be a sign of her continuing influence.

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Bosnian Muslims
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs (Bosnian: Bošnjak, pl: Bošnjaci, pronounced [bɔːˈʃɲaːtsi]) are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their historic tie to the Bosnian historical region, traditional adherence to Islam since the 15th and 16th centuries, common culture and language. In the English-speaking world, Bosniaks are also referred to as Bosnian Muslims or simply Bosnians. Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an official ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam. The term Bosnian is used to denote all inhabitants of Bosnia regardless of ethnic origin.
Bosniaks are a South Slavic people. Nonetheless, it has been proposed, based on genetic signatures, that their roots also date back to pre-Slavic inhabitants of the Dinaric region, effectively predating many modern European homogenous ethnic groups. There are well over two million Bosniaks living in the Balkans today, with an estimated additional million settled and living around the world.^{[citation needed]} Several instances of ethnic cleansing and genocide have had a tremendous effect on the territorial distribution of the population. Partially due to this,^{[citation needed]} a notable Bosniak diaspora exists in a number of countries, including Austria, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Turkey, Canada and the United States. Both within the region and throughout the world, Bosniaks are often noted for their unique culture, which has been influenced by both eastern and western civilizations and schools of thought over the course of their history.

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Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30, 1941) served as the 46th Vice President of the United States (2001–2009), under George W. Bush.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney was primarily raised in Sumner, Nebraska, and Casper, Wyoming. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations, where he served the latter as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times, eventually becoming House Minority Whip. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.
Out of office during the Clinton presidency, Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000.
Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of Marjorie Lorraine (née Dickey) and Richard Herbert Cheney. He is of predominantly English, as well as Welsh, Irish, and French Huguenot, ancestry; Cheney's 8th great-grandfather, William Cheney, immigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 17th century. Although not a direct descendant, he is collaterally related to Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1815–1895), the early American expressman. Cheney is a very distant cousin of both Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama; the three share a common ancestor in Mareen Duvall, a Huguenot who fled from France to England in the 17th century and later settled in Maryland. His father was a soil conservation agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and his mother was a softball star in the 1930s; Cheney was one of three children.

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Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, (Arabic: فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎ Fahd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd) (16 March 1920 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005.
King Fahd is the eighth son of Ibn Saud and is the fifth king of Saudi Arabia. Fahd ascended to the throne on the death of his half-brother, King Khalid, on 13 June 1982. He was a member of Sudairi Seven. In fact, he was the eldest of Sudairi Brothers.
Fahd was appointed Crown Prince when Khalid succeeded their half-brother King Faisal, who was assassinated in 1975. Fahd was viewed as the de facto prime minister during King Khalid's reign in part due to the latter's ill health.
Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke on 29 November 1995, after which he was unable to continue performing his full official duties. His half-brother, Abdullah, then-Crown Prince, served as de facto regent of the kingdom and succeeded Fahd as monarch upon his death on 1 August 2005.
King Fahd is credited for having introduced the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia in 1992.

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Faisal bin Fahd
Faisal Bin Fahd was a member of House of Saud.
Faisal bin Fahd was born in 1945. He was the eldest son of King Fahd.
His mother, Al Anoud bint Abdul Aziz bin Musaid, is from the bin Jiluwi branch of the Al Saud whose members intermarried with Al Saud family. She died of kidney failure in Santa Barbara on March 1999 after a long period of treatment in Los Angeles at the age of 76.
His full brothers are Mohammed bin Fahd, Saud bin Fahd, Khaled bin Fahd and Sultan bin Fahd.
Faisal bin Fahd studied at the University of California at Santa Barbara, graduating in 1971.
In 1971, he was appointed as the chairman of the Saudi Football Federation. He, then, was appointed as the chairman of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee in 1975, and chairman of the Arab Games Federation in 1976. Later, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1984. He was also the president of the Arabian Football Union, Arab Football Union, and head of the National Committee on Drugs Control. He also served internationally as the president of the International Swimming Association.

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Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941) was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he became Prime Minister on 28 November 1990, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, and served in the role until 12 August 2004, when he stepped down and was succeeded by Lee Hsien Loong. He subsequently served as Singapore's Senior Minister until May 2011, and as the Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He continues to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency and holds the honorary title of "Emeritus Senior Minister".
Goh Chok Tong's father was from Yongchun county of Fujian province in China, while he was born in Singapore and his family belongs to the Hokkien dialect group, now more commonly known as Minnan. Goh studied at Raffles Institution from 1955 to 1960. He was a very competitive swimmer in his younger days and was given the nickname Panjang (which means "Tall".^{[citation needed]}
Goh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with First Class Honours in Economics from the University of Singapore, and a Master of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College in the United States in 1967. After his studies, Goh returned to Singapore to serve in the Administrative Service.

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Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev (Azerbaijani: İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, born 24 December 1961, Baku) is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee. Apart from his native Azerbaijani, he speaks Turkish, English, French and Russian. Ilham Aliyev is the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was Azerbaijan's president from 1993-2003.
In 1977 Aliyev entered the Moscow State University of International Relations (MSUIR) and in 1982 continued his education as a postgraduate. In 1985 he received a PhD degree in history. From 1985-1990 Aliyev lectured at MSUIR.
In May 1994, Ilham Aliyev was appointed vice-president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). He participated as one of the key figures during the negotiations between Azerbaijani government and Western oil companies during the conclusion of new contracts now known as Contract of the century. The following year Aliyev was elected to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan and later became president of the National Olympic Committee (still incumbent) and head of the Azerbaijan delegation to the Council of Europe. In August 2003, two months prior to the presidential elections, he was appointed prime minister. In October, Heydar Aliyev, suffering failing health, stepped down as president and in a controversial move, appointed his son, an independent candidate, as his party's sole presidential candidate.

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Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac ( /ʒɑːk ʃɨˈræk/; French pronunciation: [ʒɑk ʃiʁak]; born 29 November 1932) is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 (making him the only person to hold the position of Prime Minister twice under the Fifth Republic), and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.
After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, a term at Harvard University and the École nationale d'administration (ENA), Chirac began his career as a high-level civil servant, and soon entered politics. He subsequently occupied various senior positions, including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, Mayor of Paris, and finally President of the French Republic.
Chirac's internal policies included lower tax rates, the removal of price controls, strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business privatisation. He also argued for more socially responsible economic policies, and was elected in 1995 after campaigning on a platform of healing the "social rift" (fracture sociale). After less statist policy when he was Prime Minister (1986–1988), he changed his method. Then, his economic policies, based on dirigisme, state-directed ideals, stood in opposition to the laissez-faire policies of the United Kingdom, which Chirac famously described as "Anglo-Saxon ultraliberalism". Chirac is the second-longest serving President of France (two full terms, the first of seven years and the second of five years), after François Mitterrand. As President, he also served as an ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra and Grand Master of the French Légion d'honneur.

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King Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I (Spanish pronunciation: [xwaŋˈkarlos]; born 5 January 1938) is the reigning King of Spain. On 22 November 1975, two days after General Franco's death, Juan Carlos was designated King according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. In 1969, when Franco named Juan Carlos as the next head of state, Spain had had no monarch for 38 years. The Spanish Constitution of 1978, voted in referendum, acknowledges him expressly as King of Spain. The Spanish Constitution, Title II: the Crown, Article 56, Subsection 1, affirms the role of the Spanish monarch as the personification and embodiment of the Spanish nation, a symbol of Spain's enduring unity and permanence; and as such, the monarch is the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces in a system known in Spanish as monarquía parlamentaria (constitutional monarchy).
King Juan Carlos successfully oversaw the transition of Spain from dictatorship to parliamentary monarchy.
Juan Carlos married Sophia of Greece and Denmark on 14 May 1962. The couple have three children and eight grandchildren.

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King Khalid
Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (Arabic: خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎ Khālid ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982.
King Khalid was born on 13 February 1913. He is the fifth son of King Abdulaziz.
He had only one full brother, Muhammad. Their mother was from the important Al Jiluwi clan whose members intermarried with the Al Saud, Al Jawharah bint bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi. Al Jawhara bint Musaed was one of Abdulaziz's favorite wives. Her father Abdulaziz bin Musaed was among the forty warriors in conquering Riyadh with Abdulaziz in 1902.
She was extremely interested in horse riding and breeding. She formed a stable within the Palace in Riyadh. She also hired the best Najdi horse riders to train cavalry who in turn contributed significantly in King AbdulAziz's attempts to unify Saudi Arabia.
King Khalid's and also, Muhammed's mother was special for King Abdulaziz due to several reasons. First, Jawharah was King Abdulaziz's cousin. Secondly, she was chosen by King Abdulaziz's mother as a wife for him. And lastly, she died at a young age. Her room in the palace was kept, not allowing anyone to enter except for King Abdulaziz's sister, Nuora.

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Kingdom of Hejaz
The Kingdom of Hejaz was a state in the Hejaz region, ruled by the Hashemite family. It became independent from the collapsing Ottoman Empire as a result of World War I when the Sharif of Mecca made a deal with the British that the Arab population would be instigated to revolt against the Turks in exchange for a unified Arab country. In 1916, the Sharif of Mecca declared himself King of Hejaz as his Sharifian Army participated with other Arab forces and the British Empire in expelling the Turks from the Arabian peninsula.
The Hejaz region had some strategic infrastructure, particularly the Hejaz railway, which was put out of operation in the war as it was used to reinforce Turkish forces in the region.
The kingdom was annexed in 1925 by the neighbouring Sultanate of Nejd under a resurgent House of Saud, and merged into the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, which would eventually be known as Saudi Arabia in 1932.

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Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: مَحْمُود عَبَّاس‎, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 26 March 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (Arabic: أَبُو مَازِن‎, Åbú Mázɩn), has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah (فتح Fataḥ) ticket.
Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally extended his term for another year and continues in office even after that second deadline expired. As a result of this, Fatah's main rival, the political party Hamas announced that it would not recognise the extension or view Abbas as rightful president. Abbas was chosen as the President of the State of Palestine by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council on 23 November 2008, a job he had held unofficially since 8 May 2005. Abbas served as the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to October 2003 when he resigned citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his government. Before being named prime minister, Abbas led the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department.

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Muhammad bin Fahd
Muhammad bin Fahd (Arabic: الأمير محمد بن فهد بن عبدالعزيز السعود‎) is governor of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and a member of House of Saud.
Muhammad bin Fahd was born in Riyadh in January 1951. His mother, Alanoud bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid , is from bin Jiluwi branch whose members intermarried with the Al Saud. Alanoud bint Abdulaziz was sister of Moneera, who was spouse of late Crown Prince Sultan and she was also cousin of King Khalid and Prince Muhammed.
His mother, Alanoud bint Abdulaziz, died of kidney failure in Santa Barbara in March 1999 after a long period of treatment in Los Angeles at the age of 76.
Muhammad is the eldest surviving son of King Fahd. His full brothers are Faisal bin Fahd, Saud bin Fahd, Khaled bin Fahd and Sultan bin Fahd.
He was mentored by his uncles, Interior Minister Prince Nayef and Prince Ahmed.
Prince Muhammad went to Al Asimah elite school in Riyadh. After high school, he went to University of California at Santa Barbara. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science.

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Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden ( /oʊˈsɑːmə bɪn moʊˈhɑːmɨd bɪn əˈwɑːd bɪn ˈlɑːdən/; Arabic: أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن‎, ʾUsāmah bin Muḥammad bin ʿAwaḍ bin Lādin; March 10, 1957 – May 2, 2011), was the founder of Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets. He was a member of the wealthy Saudi bin Laden family, and an ethnic Yemeni Kindite.
Bin Laden was on the American Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) lists of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and Most Wanted Terrorists for his involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. From 2001 to 2011, bin Laden was a major target of the War on Terror, with a US$25 million bounty by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On May 2, 2011, bin Laden was shot and killed inside a private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by U.S. Navy SEALs and CIA operatives in a covert operation ordered by United States President Barack Obama.

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Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire or Turkish Empire or Sublime Ottoman State or sometimes also referred to as Turkey (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِيّهٔ عُثمَانِیّه Devlet-i ʿAliyye-yi ʿOsmâniyye (also عثمانلى دولتى Osmanlı Devleti),Modern Turkish: Osmanlı Devleti or Osmanlı İmparatorluğu) was a Turkish empire which lasted from 27 July 1299 to 1 November 1922, when the Sultanate was abolished.
The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest lasting empires in history; such that the Ottoman State, its politics, conflicts, and cultural heritage in a vast geography provide one of the longest continuous narratives. During the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular at the height of its power under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the empire was one of the most powerful states in the world – a multinational, multilingual empire that stretched from the southern borders of the Holy Roman Empire to the outskirts of Vienna, Royal Hungary (modern Slovakia) and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the north to Yemen and Eritrea in the south; from Algeria in the west to Azerbaijan in the east; controlling much of southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. At the beginning of the 17th century the empire contained 32 provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others were granted various types of autonomy during the course of centuries.

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Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay. He is the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, having held this status since 1952.
Charles was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child, as well as the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Australia. After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, Charles served a tour of duty with the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. He married Lady Diana Spencer before an enormous worldwide television audience in 1981. They had two sons, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 1982 and Prince Harry of Wales in 1984. The couple separated in 1992 following tabloid allegations concerning their relationship. They divorced in 1996 after Diana publicly accused Charles of having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and Charles admitted adultery on television. Diana died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. In 2005, after a lengthy continued association, the Prince married Camilla, who uses the title Duchess of Cornwall.

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Rashidun Caliphate
The Rashidun Caliphate (Arabic: الخلافة الراشدية‎ al-khilāfat ar-Rāshidīyah), (c. 632-661) comprising the first four caliphs in Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death in 632 (Year 10 A.H. in the Islamic calendar). At its height, the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant, Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and Central Asia in the east. At its greatest extent it was one of the largest empires in history. It is also known as the Patriarchal Caliphate.
After Muhammad's death in 632, the Medinan Ansar debated which of them should succeed him in running the affairs of the Muslims while Muhammad's household was busy with his burial. Umar (a Quraish) and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah pledged their loyalty to Abu Bakr, with the Ansar and the Quraish soon following suit. Abu Bakr thus became the first Khalifa Rasul Allah (Successor of the Messenger of God), and embarked on campaigns to propagate Islam. First, though, he would have to subdue the Arabian tribes which had gone back on their oaths of allegiance to Islam and the Islamic community. As a Khalifa or Caliph he was not a monarch and never claimed such a title nor did his three successors do so.

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Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي Ṣaddām Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Maǧīd al-Tikrītī; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, which espoused ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism, Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup, later referred to as the 17 July Revolution, that brought the party to long-term power of Iraq.
As vice president under the ailing General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and at a time when many groups were considered capable of overthrowing the government, Saddam created security forces through which he tightly controlled conflict between the government and the armed forces. In the early 1970s, Saddam nationalized oil and other industries. The state-owned banks were put under his control, leaving the system eventually insolvent mostly due to the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and UN sanctions. Through the 1970s, Saddam cemented his authority over the apparatuses of government as oil money helped Iraq's economy to grow at a rapid pace. Positions of power in the country were filled with Sunnis, a minority that made up only a fifth of the population.

wn.com/Saddam_Hussein
Saud of Saudi Arabia
Saud bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (January 12, 1902 – February 23, 1969) (Arabic: سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎ Su‘ūd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964. He was removed from power by Faisal because of his alleged mismanagement and waste. He became Crown Prince in 1933 and died in exile in Greece.
Saud was born in 1902 in Kuwait and is the second son of Ibn Saud. He was born in the home of Amir Abdul Rahman bin Faisal. They were in district Sakkat Anaza where the family of the was staying after their exile from Riyadh. After his father Abdulaziz conquered Riyadh in 1902, Saud followed him with his mother and brothers.
Saud had one full brother, Turki (al Awwal; the first). Their mother was Wadhah bint Muhammad bin 'Aqab, who belonged to the Qahtan tribe.
When he was five years old, his father took him to Sheikh Abdul Rahman Mufaireej. He was taught sharia and the Qur'an. He also learned archery and horse-riding. He had smallpox, but Abdul-Aziz made Saud attend the meetings that he held in order to learn and develop political skills. Moreover, Saud was very close to his father, so much that when he died Saud said "I lost my father…and my friend".

wn.com/Saud_of_Saudi_Arabia
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register (it became The Times on 1 January 1788). The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News International, itself wholly owned by the News Corporation group headed by Rupert Murdoch. The Times and The Sunday Times do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967.
The Times is the first newspaper to have borne that name, lending it to numerous other papers around the world, including The Times of India (1838), The Straits Times (1845), The New York Times (1851), The Irish Times (1859), the Los Angeles Times (1881), The Seattle Times (1891), The Daily Times (Malawi) (1900), The Canberra Times (1926), and The Times (Malta) (1935). For distinguishing purposes it is therefore sometimes referred to, particularly in North America, as the "London Times" or "The Times of London".

wn.com/The_Times

King Fahd Naval Academy part1

Council of Ministers Resolution on 6 August, 1403 approving the establishment of King Fahd...

published: 26 Jun 2011

author: BEST3000BC

DR RIFAAT AL-ASSAD WITH KING FAHD

DR RIFAAT AL-ASSAD WITH KING FAHD...

published: 12 Dec 2007

author: DOPEYADIL

Dunya News-01-08-2012-King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz-Saudi King-Dunya Ki Tareekh - Latest News TV

Dunya News-01-08-2012-King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz-Saudi King-Dunya Ki Tareekh - Latest News T...

published: 24 Aug 2012

author: TVLatestNews

King Fahd ملك فهد

Saudi's Regime ''King'' Fahd wearing a cross!...

published: 27 Oct 2006

author: qadimun

King Fahad International Airport - Dammam Saudi Arabia

KFIA is located some 22 Km north west of the City of Dammam, it is the only commercial air...

published: 17 May 2011

author: hmasurg

DR RIFAAT AL-ASSAD WITH KING FAHD

DR RIFAAT AL-ASSAD WITH KING FAHD...

published: 12 Dec 2007

author: DOPEYADIL

King Fahad Academy newsnight part 1 of 2

Newnight...

published: 07 Feb 2007

author: UnitedKingdon

riyadh king fahad road

new...

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author: osama23th

King Fahad Road, Kingdom Tower to Faisaliah Tower, riyadh, kingdom of saudi arabia -12

King Fahad Road, Kingdom Tower to Faisaliah Tower, , olaya, riyadh, kingdom of saudi arabi...

published: 10 Sep 2011

author: Ishrath Qadir

king fahd causeway saudi arabia bahrain

en.wikipedia.org...

published: 17 Jan 2012

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King Fahad Road Olaya, Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Directed by: Rohany G....

published: 13 Jul 2012

author: Roxy Gumampong

King Fahd's fountain, Jeddah

King Fahd's Fountain, also known as the Jeddah Fountain, is the tallest water fountain in ...

published: 17 Apr 2011

author: muftivideo

King Fahd Quran Printing Complex-Al Madinah Al Munawarah

dirham.skyblog.com King Fahd Quran Printing Complex-Al Madinah Al Munawarah...

published: 16 Dec 2008

author: echdg

Road to Dammam Airport (King Fahd International) الطريق الى مطار الدمام

Timelapsed Video taken while driving to the airport of Dammam - King Fahd International....

published: 23 Sep 2009

author: hmn88

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photo: AP / Jason DeCrow

Newtown Police Officer Maryhelen McCarthy carries flowers near a memorial for shooting victims Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 in Newtown, Conn.

Gunman forced his way into Connecticut school, governor says

Chicago Sun-Times

16 Dec 2012

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The gunman in the Connecticut shooting rampage committed suicide as first responders closed in, the governor said Sunday, raising the specter that Adam Lanza had planned an even more gruesome massacre and was stopped short. Lanza blasted his way into the building and used a high-power rifle to kill 20 children and six adults, including the principal who tried to stop him, authorities said ... Among the questions ... H ... The Rev....(size: 8.8Kb)

photo: AP / Charles Krupa

Police officers cross the road after searching a strip mall near an elementary school, which was in a lockdown, in Ridgefield, Conn., Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, after a suspicious person was seen near a train station close by.

Gunspicuous Consumption and Bio-Cultures of Violence

WorldNews.com

18 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Most people reason dramatically, not quantitatively." -Oliver Wendell Holmes. On the same day that a 20-year-old, described as brilliant but remote, walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and massacred 26 children and adults, the school where I teach went on "lock-down." Four students with a handgun were arrested ... That morning before school, he had posted on Twitter and Facebook....(size: 14.0Kb)

photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking during the his visit to the Disaster Operation Center of the Red Cross National Headquarter to discuss superstorm Sandy

Obama backs bill to ban assault weapons

The Star

19 Dec 2012

WASHINGTON. US President Barack Obama backs a new bill to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, the White House said Tuesday, fleshing out his nascent response to a shocking school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)

photo: Creative Commons / Joachim Huber

Etosha's elephants belong to the group of elephants in northwestern Nambia and southern Angola.

Stupider and Still Developing an Extermination Gene

WorldNews.com

18 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. When a Stanford geneticist, Gerald Crabtree, published a provocative and controversial new view on evolutionary change, namely that humans are actually getting dumber, he should have also added that humans are still developing an extermination gene ... Paleontologist Tim Flannery would more than likely agree with Crabtree ... Strange strings of gravel also overlaid some bones ... (1) Kane, Alex ... 195....(size: 9.4Kb)

photo: AP / Narciso Contreras

In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a man runs between debris after a mortar shell hit a street killing several people in the Bustan Al-Qasr district of Aleppo, Syria.

U.N. seeks $1.5 billion to address Syria crisis

The Star

19 Dec 2012

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for $1.5 billion (920.1 million pounds) to provide life-saving aid to Syrians suffering from a "dramatically deteriorating" humanitarian situation ... "The magnitude of this humanitarian crisis is indisputable," said Radhouane Nouicer, U.N ... Inside Syria, U.N ... ....(size: 1.5Kb)

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Crown Prince Receives Life-Long Achievement Urban Heritage Award (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

noodls

19 Dec 2012

... which he expressed happiness and joy in attending this occasion, praising the great and sincere efforts exerted and still being exerted by the successive kings of this good country from the era of late Kings Saud, Faisal, Khalid and Fahd until the current prosperous era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud....(size: 3.2Kb)

Disneyland expands Three Kings Day celebration; holiday beloved in Latin American communities

Fox News

19 Dec 2012

This January 2012 publicity photo provided by Disneyland shows costumed actors at the theme park's Three Kings Day celebration in Anaheim, Calif.AP/Disney Enterprises 2012. This January 2012 publicity photo provided by Disneyland shows figures representing the Three Kings at a Three Kings Day celebration at the theme park in Anaheim, Calif.AP/Disney Enterprises 2012 ... The park will host Three Kings Day on Jan....(size: 7.3Kb)

Mercer: King Memorial, and the triumph of one woman’s voice

Richmond Times Dispatch

19 Dec 2012

Were it not for Maya Angelou, the renowned poet and author, the Martin Luther King Jr ... Martin Luther King look like an arrogant twit,” Angelou, then 83, complained after the memorial opened in August 2011. Starting the 10 words with “I” makes it sound like a quote, but it’s a paraphrase, an unfortunate one that raises questions about what kind of man King was ... In what sounded like his own eulogy, King said....(size: 4.7Kb)

Making a Difference: Riguey Polanco King

Richmond Times Dispatch

19 Dec 2012

Riguey Polanco King carries the lessons of a first-generation immigrant who learned early about the value of community ... "While my parents couldn't give a lot financially, they gave of themselves," King said ... And that's what King has been doing to make a difference in the Richmond area since she and her husband, Nathan, settled here in 1989....(size: 4.0Kb)

VIASPACE 2012 UPDATE AND HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM CEO (Viaspace Inc)

noodls

19 Dec 2012

Giant KingTM Grass is now widely recognized as a leading energy crop and we have signed several contracts to supply Giant King Grass for bioenergy projects ... o After extensive testing, USDA found Giant King Grass to be pathogen free and safe, and released it for use in the US ... USDA Approved Giant King Grass Growing in California ... •VIASPACE Signs 1,500 Acre Giant King Grass Supply Contract with Tibbar Energy....(size: 3.9Kb)

Disposal King Nominated for Outstanding Workplace Award

Yahoo Daily News

19 Dec 2012

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) December 19, 2012 Disposal King is honoured to be nominated for the Outstanding Workplace Award by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce ... Disposal King is an environmentally conscious waste disposal enterprise dedicated to protecting the environment by efficient use of recycling, and responsible operating practices ... “Doing our part for the environment is top priority at Disposal King,” says president Miles Timmis....(size: 2.4Kb)

Golden State Warriors (17-8) at Sacramento Kings (7-17), 10 p.m. (ET)

The News Tribune

19 Dec 2012

The Golden State Warriors will hit the road once again when they pay a visit to the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena ... After visiting the Kings, Golden State, which is 10th in the NBA with 99.7 ppg, will head back to Oakland for consecutive matchups with the Charlotte Bobcats and Los Angeles Lakers ... The Kings are 2-4 without Evans in the lineup and 0-4 sans Thornton this season....(size: 2.8Kb)

Warriors try to keep it going against the Kings

Sun Sentinel

19 Dec 2012

Golden State Warriors (17-8) at Sacramento Kings (7-17), 10 p.m. (ET) - Wire NBA - ...

Sacramento Bee

19 Dec 2012

Crown Prince Receives Message for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from Belgium's King (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

noodls

19 Dec 2012

Crown Prince Receives Message for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from Belgium's King ... Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense has received a message for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from Belgium's King Albert II ... of constant good health for the King....(size: 2.6Kb)

King Mo would consider competing in two divisions and as a boxer

The Examiner

19 Dec 2012

Without a doubt King Mo is one of the most talented fighters currently competing as a light heavyweight in MMA ... However, whatever advantages his opponents may gain from superior size, King Mo is likely to take back with his superior athletic skill ... King Mo prepares to get some work in with Jeff Mayweather ... Only time will tell if King Mo indeed competes in two weight classes as well as trying out boxing....(size: 3.7Kb)

Bayside HS boys basketball team beats Cardozo HS, 64-58, to take over sole possession of first place in PSAL Queens AA

New York Daily News

19 Dec 2012

After Bayside senior guard Brandon King hit the floor hard in the third quarter of a three-point game against rival Cardozo on Tuesday, he had to be helped up by a pair of assistants. Yet several minutes later, King miraculously returned to the game without so much as a limp ... “My legs were cramping up, so it wasn’t anything serious,” said King, a transfer from Christ the King who finished with 15 points, 10 in the second half....(size: 2.4Kb)

Old Town Alexandria’s best local pubs for Christmas week!

The Examiner

19 Dec 2012

Located four blocks from the river just off King at 110 South Pitt Street, Restaurant Eve is known as one of the area's best upscale dining experiences with its innovative cuisine and popular Irish-born chef/owner, Cathal Armstrong, ... Located at 911 King, The Majestic is primarily a restaurant, and not a standard on the bar scene ... Daniel O'Connell's is located at 112 King....(size: 3.5Kb)

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Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود
King of Saudi Arabia Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

King of Saudi Arabia
Reign	13 June 1982 - 1 August 2005
Predecessor	Khalid
Successor	Abdullah
Regent	Abdullah (21 February 1996 – 1 August 2005)
1st Minister of Education
In Office	1953–1962
Successor	Abdulaziz bin Mohammad Al al-Shaikh
6th Minister of Interior
In Office	1962–1975
Predecessor	Faisal ibn Turki I Al Saud
Successor	Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Issue
Faisal bin Fahd, Sultan bin Fahd Muhammad bin Fahd, Saud bin Fahd Khaled bin Fahd, Abdul-Aziz bin Fahd
House	House of Saud
Father	Abdul-Aziz
Mother	Hessa Bint Ahmed AlSudairy
Born	16 March 1920 Riyadh, Kingdom of Hejaz
Died	1 August 2005(2005-08-01) (aged 85) King Faisal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Burial	1 August 2005 Al Oud, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, (Arabic: فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎ Fahd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd) (16 March 1920 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005.

King Fahd is the eighth son of Ibn Saud ^[1] and is the fifth king of Saudi Arabia. Fahd ascended to the throne on the death of his half-brother, King Khalid, on 13 June 1982. He was a member of Sudairi Seven. In fact, he was the eldest of Sudairi Brothers.

Fahd was appointed Crown Prince when Khalid succeeded their half-brother King Faisal, who was assassinated in 1975. Fahd was viewed as the de facto prime minister during King Khalid's reign in part due to the latter's ill health.

Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke on 29 November 1995, after which he was unable to continue performing his full official duties. His half-brother, Abdullah, then-Crown Prince, served as de facto regent of the kingdom and succeeded Fahd as monarch upon his death on 1 August 2005.

King Fahd is credited for having introduced the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia in 1992.

1 Early life
2 Early political positions
3 Family and progeny
4 Reign
5 Awards
6 Death
7 Funeral
8 Wealth
9 Wives
10 See also
- 10.1 Soccer tournaments
11 References
12 External links

Early life [link]

At the age of 11 in 1932, Fahd watched as his father officially founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by signing the Treaty of Jeddah.

Fahd's education took place at the Princes' School in Riyadh, a school established by Ibn Saud specifically for the education of members of the House of Saud. While at the Princes' School, Fahd studied under tutors including Sheikh Abdul-Ghani Khayat.

In 1945 Fahd travelled on his first state visit to New York City to attend the opening session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. On this trip Fahd served under his brother, King Faisal, who was at the time Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.

Early political positions [link]

In 1953, at the age of 32, Fahd was appointed Education Minister by his father. Also in 1953, Fahd led his first official state visit, attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the House of Saud.

Fahd had two brothers born before him, Nasser and Saad, who had prior claims to the throne but both were considered unsuitable candidates. By contrast, Fahd had served as minister of education from 1953 to 1960 and minister of interior from 1962 to 1968.

Fahd led the Saudi delegation to the League of Arab States in 1959, signifying his increasing prominence in the House of Saud — and that he was being groomed for a more significant role.

In 1962, Fahd was given the important post of Interior Minister and six years later, he was the first person appointed to the position of Second Deputy Prime Minister. After the death of King Faisal in 1975, Fahd was named first deputy Prime Minister and concurrently Crown Prince.

Family and progeny [link]

King Fahd was married at least four times. He had six sons and three daughters. His sons were:

Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (1946–1999) Died of a heart attack. Director-general of Youth Welfare (1971–99), Director-general at Ministry of Planning and Minister of State (1977–1999).
Khalid bin Fahd (born 1947).
Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (born 1950), governor of the Eastern province.
Saud bin Fahd (born 1950), former deputy president of the General Intelligence Directorate
Sultan bin Fahd (born 1951), Army Officer. Elevated to ministerial rank in November 1997. Former head of Youth Welfare.
Abdul-Aziz bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, (born 1971), Fahd's favorite and youngest son and minister of state without portfolio. He is the son of Princess Jawhara al-Ibrahim, Fahd's fourth and, reportedly, favorite wife.^[2]

Reign [link]

King Fahd gave money for building mosques throughout the world. The Ibrahim-Al-Ibrahim Mosque, at Europa Point, Gibraltar, which opened in 1997, is one such mosque.

On 25 March 1975, King Faisal was assassinated by his nephew and King Khalid assumed power. Fahd, as next in the line of succession, became Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. Especially in the later years of King Khalid's reign, Fahd was viewed as the de facto prime minister. When King Khalid died on 13 June 1982, Fahd succeeded to the throne. He adopted the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" in 1986, replacing "His Majesty", to signify an Islamic rather than secular authority.

Foreign policy [link]

Fahd was a supporter of the United Nations. He supported foreign aid and had given 5.5% of Saudi Arabia's national income through various funds especially the Saudi Fund for Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development. He had also given aid to foreign groups such as the Bosnian Muslims in the Yugoslav Wars, as well as the Nicaraguan Contras, providing "a million dollars per month from May to December 1984."^[3] King Fahd had also been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and an opponent of the State of Israel.^[4] Fahd was staunch ally of the United States, and once said "After Allah, we can count on the United States." [1]

Grand Mosque Seizure, Iran, and Islamic education [link]

The 1979 Revolution in Iran radically transformed the political landscape in the Middle East, as the hereditary monarchy of the Shah of Iran was deposed in favor of a Shi'a theocracy. In the same year, anti-monarchist dissidents in Saudi Arabia seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and accused the Saudi royal family of being insufficiently Islamic and so unfit to rule the Kingdom. Fearing that the 1979 Revolution in Iran could lead to similar Islamic upheaval in Saudi Arabia, Fahd spent considerable sums after ascending the throne in 1982 to support Saddam Hussein's Iraq in its war with Iran.^[5] He also changed his royal title to "custodian of the two holy mosques", and took steps to support the conservative Saudi religious establishment, including spending millions of dollars on religious education, further distancing himself from his inconvenient past.^[6]

Recreational activities [link]

At the same time as King Fahd presided over a more strict Islamic policy at home he was known to enjoy luxurious living abroad, even in ways that would not be allowed in his own kingdom. He visited the ports of the French Riviera, in his 147-metre (482 ft) yacht, the $100 million Abdul Aziz. The ship featured two swimming pools, a ballroom, a gym, a theater, a portable garden, a hospital with an intensive-care unit and two operating rooms, and four American Stinger missiles.^[7] The king also had a personal $150 million Boeing 747 jet, equipped with his own fountain. In his visits to London he reportedly lost millions of dollars in the casinos and even was known to circumvent the curfew imposed by British gaming laws by hiring his own blackjack and roulette dealers to continue gambling through the night in his hotel suite.^[8]

Persian Gulf War, 1991 [link]

In 1991, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army (then the largest in the Middle East) on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led coalition troops in his Kingdom, and later allowed American troops to be based there. This decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudi citizens, who objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil; this is a casus belli against the Saudi royal family prominently cited by Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

Reform and industrialization [link]

In regards to reform, King Fahd showed little tolerance for reformists. In 1992, a group of reformists and prominent Saudi intellectuals petitioned King Fahd for wide ranging reforms, including widening political representation, and curbing the royal family's wasteful spending. King Fahd first responded by ignoring their requests and when they persisted, reformists were harshly persecuted, imprisoned and fired from their jobs.

During King Fahd's rule, the royal family's lavish spending of the country's wealth reached its height. In addition, the biggest and most controversial military contracts of the century, the Al-Yamamah arms deal was signed under his watch.^[9] The contract has cost the Saudi treasury more than $90 billion. These funds were originally allocated to building hospitals, schools, universities and roads. As a result, Saudi Arabia has endured a stagnation in infrastructure development from 1986 till 1999 when the new King, Abdullah, fully came into power.

Like all the countries overlooking the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia under King Fahd has focused its industrial development on hydrocarbon installations. Up to this day, the country is reliant on imports for nearly all its light and heavy machinery.

Rule after the 1995 stroke [link]

King Fahd was a heavy smoker, overweight for much of his adult life, and in his sixties began to suffer from arthritis and severe diabetes.^[10] He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995 and became noticeably frail, and decided to delegate the running of the Kingdom to Crown Prince Abdullah. On 21 February 1996, he reassumed official duties.

After his stroke King Fahd was partly inactive, though he still attended meetings and received selected visitors. In November 2003, according to government media, King Fahd was quoted as saying to "strike with an iron fist" at terrorists after deadly bombings, although he could hardly utter a word because of his debilitating stroke and deteriorating health. However, it is Crown Prince Abdullah who took official trips; when King Fahd traveled it was for vacations, and he was sometimes absent from Saudi Arabia for months at a time. When his oldest son and International Olympic Committee member Prince Faisal bin Fahd died in 1999, the King was in Spain and did not return for the funeral.^[11]

In a speech to an Islamic conference on 30 August 2003, King Fahd condemned terrorism and exhorted Muslim clerics to emphasize peace, security, cooperation, justice, and tolerance in their sermons.^[12]

Awards [link]

King Fahd was awarded with Azerbaijani Istiglal Order for his contributions to development of Azerbaijan-Saudi Arabia relations and strategic cooperation between the states by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on 7 March 2005.^[13]

Death [link]

King Fahd was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the capital, Riyadh on 27 May 2005 for unspecified medical tests. An official (who insisted on anonymity) told the Associated Press unofficially that the king had died at 7:30 EDT on 1 August 2005. A member of the cabinet publicly announced his death on Saudi TV the same morning, and said that he died of pneumonia and a high fever.

Funeral [link]

He was buried in the last thawab (traditional Arab robe) he wore. Fahd’s body was carried to Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, and funeral prayers were held at around 3:30 local time (12:30 GMT). The prayers for the late monarch were led by the Kingdom’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh.

The "funeral prayer", during which mourners remain standing, was recited after afternoon prayers. The ceremony was replicated in other mosques across the Kingdom, where the "prayers for the absentee" were held.

The body was carried by King Fahd's son, Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, to the mosque and to the Al-Oud cemetery some two kilometers away, a public cemetery where Fahd’s four predecessors and other members of the Al Saud ruling family are buried.

Arab and Muslim dignitaries who attended the funeral were not present at the burial. Only ruling family members and Saudi citizens were on hand as the body was lowered into the grave.

Muslim leaders offered condolences at the mosque, while other foreign dignitaries and leaders who came after the funeral paid their respects at the royal court.

According to the regulations and social traditions, Saudi Arabia did not declare a national mourning period. Also, all government offices and public buildings were open as usual and the state flag was not lowered (since the flag of Saudi Arabia bears the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, the flag's protocol requires the flag not to be lowered)

After his death, many countries declared mourning periods. Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Yemen, the Arab League in Cairo, and the Palestinian Authority all declared three-day mourning periods. Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates declared a seven-day mourning period and ordered all flags flown at half-staff. In Jordan, a national three-day mourning period was declared and a 40-day mourning period was decreed at the Royal Court.

Many foreign dignitaries attended the funeral, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, President Jacques Chirac. King Juan Carlos, Prince Charles, President Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Singapore Senior Minister, SM Goh Chok Tong, Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya.

Wealth [link]

His wealth was estimated to be at $25 billion.^[14]

Wives [link]

Janan Harb Al Saud (Widowed)^[15]
HH Princess Al Anood bint Abdulaziz Bin Mousad al Saud (Deceased), mother of Prince Faisal bin Fahd
HH Princess Al Joharah bint Ibrahim al Ibrahim, mother of Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd
HH Princess Joza'a bint Abdullah bin Abdulrahman al Saud
HH Princess Al Joharah bint Abdullah al Sudairi (Deceased)
HH Princess Modhi bint Turki bin Abdullah al Saud (Divorced)
HH Princess Joza'a bint Sultan al Adgham al Subaie (Divorced)
HH Princess Turfa bint Abdulaziz bin Mo'amar (Divorced)
HH Princess Watfa bint Obaid bin Ali al Jabr al Rasheed (Divorced)
HH Princess Lolwa al Abdulrahman al Muhana Aba al Khail (Divorced)
HH Princess Shaikha bint Turki bin Mariq al Thit (Divorced)
HH Princess Seeta bint Ghunaim bin Sunaitan Abu Thnain (Divorced)

References [link]

^ Mouline, Nabil (April*June 2012). "POWER AND GENERATIONAL TRANSITION IN SAUDI ARABIA". Critique internationale 46: 1–22. http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/publica/critique/46/ci46_nm.pdf. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
^ "The Fall of the House of Saud – Magazine". The Atlantic. 2001-09-12. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/baer. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
^ Busby, Robert (2011-02-03) The scandal that almost destroyed Ronald Reagan, Salon.com
^ "Palestine-Israel Issue – King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz". http://www.kingfahdbinabdulaziz.com/main/l500.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
^ Obituary: King Fahd, BBC News, 1 August 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
^ Wood, Paul. Life and legacy of King Fahd, BBC News, 1 August 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
^ Simons, Geoff, Saudi Arabia, St. Martins, (1998), p.28
^ Marie Colvin, `The Squandering Sheikhs, Sunday Times, 29 August 1993
^ Taylor, Michael J.H. (2001). Flight International World Aircraft & Systems Directory (3rd Edition ed.). United Kingdom: Reed Business Information. pp. 189–190. ISBN 0-617-01289-X.
^ "King Fahd". The Daily Telegraph (London). 2 August 2005. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1495300/King-Fahd.html.
^ Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Dies; Abdullah Named New Leader, New York Times, 1 August 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
^ Prados, Alfred B. (2003). "Saudi Arabia: Current Issues and". CRS Issue Brief for Congress. http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/IB93113_20030915.pdf. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
^ "İki Müqəddəs Ocağın Xadimi, Səudiyyə Ərəbistanının Kralı Fəhd bin Əbdüləziz Al Səudun "İstiqlal" ordeni ilə təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN FƏRMANI [Order of the President of Azerbaijan Republic on awarding King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia with istiglal Order of Azerbaijan Republic]". http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=9650&doctype=0. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
^ "Magazine Article". Forbes.com. 4 March 2002. http://www.forbes.com/2002/03/04/royalsphotoshow_print.html. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
^ http://news.maktoob.com/article/672068/الفلسطينية-جنان-حرب-تدعي-أن

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fahd of Saudi Arabia

King Fahd Tribute Page
Twenty Years of King Fahd from ArabNews.
Saudi King Fahd is laid to rest (BBC News, 2 August 2005)
Obituaries
- [2] (BBC News, 1 August 2005)
- [3] (The Times, 2 August 2005)
International editorial reaction to Fahd's death
- Late Saudi King Fahd Modernized Kingdom
Saudi-American Forum, 16 January 2004

Regnal titles
Fahd of Saudi Arabia House of Saud Born: 1921 Died: 2005
Preceded by Khalid	King of Saudi Arabia 1982–2005	Succeeded by Abdullah

v t e Kings of Saudi Arabia

Ibn Saud Saud Faisal Khalid Fahd Abdullah

v t e Saudi Arabia topics

Index Outline

History	Ancient Arabia Early Islamic State Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate Ottoman Empire (Caliphate) Emirate of Diriyah Emirate of Nejd Saudi Arabia

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Law	Basic Law Human rights LGBT rights Women's rights Freedom of religion Mutaween (religious police) Capital punishment Passport

Politics	King Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prime Minister Cabinet Allegiance Council National Security Council Consultative Assembly Foreign relations Nuclear program Mabahith (secret police)

Military	Army Navy Air Force Air Defense National Guard General Intelligence Presidency Military ranks

Economy	Saudi riyal Tadawul (stock exchange) Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency Agriculture Companies Energy Irrigation Oil Oil reserves OPEC Transport Telecommunications Tourism Water supply and sanitation

Society	Censorship Crime Demographics Education Healthcare Human trafficking Obesity Prostitution Religion Terrorism

Culture	Art Cinema Cuisine Islam Language Media Music Public holidays Sport Television Universities

Symbols	Flag National anthem National emblem Shahada (national motto)

Category Portal WikiProject

Persondata
Name	Fahd
Alternative names	فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود (Arabic non-titular name); خادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود (Arabic titular name)
Short description	King of Saudi Arabia
Date of birth	16 March 1921
Place of birth	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Date of death	1 August 2005
Place of death	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

http://wn.com/Fahd_of_Saudi_Arabia

http://it.wn.com/Fahd dell'Arabia Saudita

http://id.wn.com/Fahd dari Arab Saudi

http://es.wn.com/Fahd bin Abdelaziz

http://ru.wn.com/Фахд ибн Абдель Азиз Аль Сауд

http://nl.wn.com/Fahd bin Abdoel Aziz al-Saoed

http://pl.wn.com/Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz as-Saud

http://fr.wn.com/Fahd ben Abdelaziz Al Saoud

http://de.wn.com/Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz

http://pt.wn.com/Fahd da Arábia Saudita

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahd_of_Saudi_Arabia

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2009)

Rifaat Ali al-Assad رفعت عالي الأسد

Rifaat and Hafez al-Assad
Vice President of Syria
In office 1984–1998
President	Hafez al-Assad
Personal details
Born	(1937-08-22) 22 August 1937 (age 74) Qardaha District, Syria^[1]
Political party	Baath Party
Religion	Alawite
Military service
Allegiance	Syria
Service/branch	Syrian Army
Years of service	1970 - 1984
Commands	Defense Companies
Battles/wars	1970 Syrian Corrective Revolution Islamic uprising in Syria Hama massacre

Rifaat Ali al-Assad (Arabic: رفعت عالي الأسد‎; born 22 August 1937) is the younger brother of the former President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of the incumbent President Bashar al-Assad, all of whom come from the minority Alawite Muslim sect. He was born in the village of Qardaha, near Lattakia in western Syria. He is perhaps best known for allegedly personally overseeing the Hama massacre of 1982.^[2]

1 Under Hafez's rule
2 Attempted coup d'état
3 During the 1990s
4 Groups and organizations
5 Foreign support for Rifaat
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References

Under Hafez's rule [link]

He played a key role in his brother's takeover of executive power in 1970, dubbed the Corrective Revolution, and ran the elite internal security forces and the Defense Companies (Saraya al-Difaa) in the 1970s and early 1980s.^[3]^[4] He had a pivotal role throughout the 1970s and, until 1984, many saw him as the likely successor to his elder brother.

In February 1982, as commanding general of the Syrian Army, he allegedly commanded the forces that put down a Muslim Brotherhood revolt in the central city of Hama, by instructing his forces to shell the city, killing thousands of its inhabitants (reports range from between 5,000 and 40,000,^[5] the most common suggestion being around 15-20,000). This became known as the Hama Massacre.^[5] The United States journalist Thomas Friedman claims in his book From Beirut to Jerusalem that Rifaat later said that the total number of victims was 38,000.^[6]^[5] Rifaat has denied having a leading role in the Hama massacre.^[3]

Attempted coup d'état [link]

When Hafez al-Assad suffered from heart problems in 1983, he established a six-member committee to run the country. Rifaat was not included, and the council consisted entirely of close Sunni Muslim loyalists to Hafez, who were mostly lightweights in the military-security establishment. This caused unease in the Alawi-dominated officer corps, and several high-ranking officers began rallying around Rifaat, while others remained loyal to Hafez's instructions. Rifaat's troops, now numbering more than 55,000 with tanks, artillery, aircraft and helicopters, began asserting control over Damascus, putting up posters of him; he was clearly launching a bid to succeed his brother. Tensions between forces loyal to Hafez and those loyal to Rifaat were extreme, but by early 1984 Hafez had returned from his sick bed and assumed full control, at which point most officers rallied around him. In what at first seemed a compromise, Rifaat was made vice-president with responsibility for security affairs, but this proved a wholly nominal post. Command of the 'Defense Companies' was transferred to another officer, and Rifaat was then sent abroad on "an open-ended working visit". His closest supporters and others who had failed to prove their loyalty to Hafez were purged from the army and Baath Party in the years that followed.

During the 1990s [link]

Groups and organizations [link]

Rifaat's son Sumer is the head of a minor pan-Arab TV channel, the Arab News Network (ANN), which functions as his father's political mouthpiece. He also claims to run a political party, of uncertain fortunes. Rifaat himself heads the United National Group (al-tajammu` al-qawmi al-muwahhid), which is another political party or alliance; it is known to have self-professed members among Rifaat's fellow exiles from Syria, but neither can be considered an active organization, even if they will regularly release statements in favor of Rifaat's return to Syria and protesting president Bashar al-Assad. Further, Rifaat founded the Arab Democratic Party in Lebanon in the early 1970s, a small Alawite sectarian/political group in Lebanon, which during the Lebanese Civil War acted as an armed militia loyal to the Syrian regime (through Rifaat).^[7] Ali Eid the general secretary of the party today, supports the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.

Foreign support for Rifaat [link]

Numerous rumors tie Rifaat al-Assad to various foreign interests.

Rifaat is considered close, by some observers, to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Abdullah is married to a sister of Rifaat's wife, and Rifaat has on occasions—even after his public estrangement from the rulers in Syria—been invited to Saudi Arabia, with pictures of him and the royal family displayed in the state-controlled press.

It is claimed that Rifaat is reputed to have turned even to Israel asking for assistance, and that he has initiated contacts with exiled representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood.^{[citation needed]} After the Iraq war, there were press reports that he had started talks with US government representatives on helping to form a coalition with other anti-Assad groups to provide an alternative Syrian leadership, on the model of the Iraqi National Congress. Rifaat has held a meeting with the former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Yossef Bodansky, the director of the US Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, has stated that Rifaat enjoys support from both America and Saudi Arabia; he has been featured in the Saudi press as visiting the royal family in 2007. The Bashar regime remains wary of his intentions and carefully monitors his activities.

Rifaat was mentioned by the influential American think tank Stratfor as a possible suspect for the 2005 bombing that killed Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafiq Hariri and the string of attacks that has struck Beirut after the subsequent Syrian withdrawal. The goal would be to destabilize the Syrian regime. However, there has been no mention of Rifaat in the United Nations Mehlis reports on the crime.

In 2010, Rifaat was living in Mayfair, London.^[8]^[5] As of 2011^[update] he is living in Avenue Foch, Paris,^[9] while trying to sell off his real estate properties.^[10]

Notes [link]

^ [1]
^ "'The enforcer' who heads Syria’s dreaded army division". FRANCE 24. 4 March 2012. http://www.france24.com/en/20120301-enforcer-who-heads-syria-army-fourth-division-maher-bashar-assad. "Rifaat al-Assad is perhaps best-known for his role in personally overseeing the notorious 1982 Hama massacre, in which at least 10,000 people were killed."
^ ^a ^b "Exiled Assad’s uncle wants to lead Syria transition". Al Arabiya. AFP. 14 November 2011. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/14/177076.html.
^ "Syria: The Syrian military unit called Saraya al-Difaa' (Difa'), its role in an alleged coup attempt in 1995, and the fate of its officers and men". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 1 June 1998. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6ad0822.html.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gordon Raynor: Syria's 'Butcher of Hama' living in £10 million Mayfair townhouse
^ Friedman, p. 90
^ "Rifaat founded the Red Knights in northern Lebanon in the early 1970s and they were eventually instrumental in helping Yasser Arafat to slip by sea to Tripoli in 1983..."[2]
^ Robert Fisk: Freedom, democracy and human rights in Syria
^ Vivienne Walt: Enter the Uncle: An Aging Assad Relative Joins the Syrian Fray
^ Nabila Ramdani: Syria: Assad family 'selling off overseas property empire'

References [link]

Thomas L. Friedman (2012 (Revised Edition)). "4. Hama Rules". From Beirut to Jerusalem. Picador. ISBN 978-1250015495.

Political offices
Preceded by (No Vice Presidents appointed)	Vice President of Syria 1984-1998	Succeeded by -

v t e Syrian uprising (2011–present)

Part of the Arab Spring Timeline January–April 2011, May–August 2011, September–December 2011, January-April 2012, May 2012

Events	Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb Siege of Baniyas Siege of Daraa Siege of Deir ez-Zor Siege of Hama Siege of Homs Siege of Jisr ash-Shugur Siege of Latakia Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh Siege of Rif Dimashq Siege of Talkalakh 2011–2012 Damascus clashes 2011–2012 Daraa Governorate clashes Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush January 2012 al-Midan bombing Bab al-Tabbaneh–Jabal Mohsen clashes February 2012 Idlib Operation Houla massacre

Groups	Free Syrian Army Syrian Liberation Army Syrian National Council Syrian Revolution General Commission Local Coordination Committees of Syria

People	Al-Assad family Bashar al-Assad Maher al-Assad Rifaat al-Assad Rami Makhlouf Hafez Makhlouf Riad Seif Burhan Ghalioun Riad al-Asaad Michel Kilo Ali Habib Mahmud Dawoud Rajiha Haitham al-Maleh Yassin al-Haj Saleh Riyad al-Turk Kamal al-Labwani Aref Dalila Ali al-Abdallah Anwar al-Bunni Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni Farid Ghadry Anas al-Abdah Ammar Abdulhamid Abdul Halim Khaddam Ammar al-Qurabi Hamza Al-Khateeb Tal al-Mallohi Bouthaina Shaaban Adnan Al-Aroor Ibrahim Qashoush Yaser Tabbara Fida al-Sayed Razan Zaitouneh Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid

Background	1999 Latakia protests 2004 Al-Qamishli riots Corrective Revolution Damascus Declaration Damascus Spring Human rights in Syria Islamic uprising in Syria

Impact	Casualties International reactions International demonstrations and protests Refugees

Peace proposals	Arab League Monitors in Syria Friends of Syria Group Kofi Annan peace plan

Other	Syrian media coverage International recognition of the Syrian National Council

Category Commons Wikinews

Persondata
Name	Al-Assad, Rifaat
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	22 August 1937
Place of birth	Qardaha District, Syria
Date of death
Place of death

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifaat_al-Assad

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Fahd, King Filmography

Famous quotes by King Fahd:

"I believe the U.S. can play an important part in solving the problem if we take into account not only American influence worldwide, but also the strong relationship between America and Israel"

"With the blessing and grace of Almighty God and with the assistance of the faithful Saudi people, we shall continue the welfare march of construction and development and maintain the gains which are reflected by comprehensive achievements in various fields"

"Look what God wills, the king really has some stamina, ... God give him health. I don't know how he can greet so many people. It really shows he's strong and capable of leading the country."

"I will be father to the young, brother to the elderly"

"I am but one of you; whatever troubles you, troubles me; whatever pleases you, pleases me."

"I believe the U.S. can play an important part in solving the problem if we take into account not only American influence worldwide, but also the strong relationship between America and Israel"

"With the blessing and grace of Almighty God and with the assistance of the faithful Saudi people, we shall continue the welfare march of construction and development and maintain the gains which are reflected by comprehensive achievements in various fields"

"Look what God wills, the king really has some stamina, ... God give him health. I don't know how he can greet so many people. It really shows he's strong and capable of leading the country."

"I will be father to the young, brother to the elderly"

"I am but one of you; whatever troubles you, troubles me; whatever pleases you, pleases me."

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