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Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

author:Across the Middle East and Africa

1 The luxurious life of the Saudi royal family

Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

The leader was Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. He bought Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Savior for $450 million, a 230,000-square-meter French castle for $300 million, and a yacht for $500 million.

Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family
Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

2 Documentaries of the Saudi family spending $500 million trying to suppress the death of the princess

The film chronicles Princess Michal, who was killed in 1978 for personal misconduct. She got married and divorced, and then she fell in love with another man. The royal family refused to recognize the relationship between the two. She went to a hotel to meet her lover, where the two were recognized and arrested. Both were then executed.

Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

3The Saudi royal family has more than 7,000 princes

They all got jobs of status and prestige, which affected and hindered other qualified Saudis from getting these good jobs.

4 Father of the Saudi Nation

Ibn Saud was the father of the Saudi state. In 1932, he was crowned king after declaring independence. During his lifetime, he had 17 wives, 44 known sons and an unknown number of daughters.

5 Saudi Arabia is named after Ibn Saud

He is one of the few countries in the history of the world to bear his own name.

6 The founder of Saudi Arabia was knighted

In 1935, Ibn Saud, the father of Saudi Arabia and the country's first king, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

7 Times Person of the Year

King Faisal, one of Saudi Arabia's open-minded kings, was named Person of the Year by The Times magazine in January 1975. In the same year, he was assassinated.

Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

8 The first Arabs to go into space

In 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman flew aboard the U.S. space shuttle, becoming the first Muslim and Arab to travel in space.

Deciphering the secrets of Saudi Arabia – the royal family

9 Wahhabism has fueled the success of the House of Saud

The House of Saud named the country after it, consolidating power and making Saudi Arabia a modern nation. Their success is due in part to the Wahhabism of Islam, a harsh school of Islam that was adopted by early family leaders.

10 The Saud family came to power

Riyadh was occupied by the Rashid family in 1893, but they did not notice the coming Ibn Saud and his followers. Ibn Saud's armed forces camped in the desert for 50 days. They launched a raid in January 1902, killing Governor Rushdie and bringing the House of Saud to power.

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