On January 2, 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 47 imprisoned civilians convicted of terrorism in 12 provinces in the country. [1] Forty-three were beheaded and four were executed by firing squads. Among the 47 people killed was Shia Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. [2] This was the largest mass execution carried out in the kingdom since 1980. [3] Nimr al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court on 15 October 2014 for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in Saudi Arabia, 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces". [4] His execution was condemned by religious and political figures and human rights groups. The Saudi government said the body would not be handed over to the family. [5] Al-Nimr was very critical of the Saudi Arabian government, and had called for free elections in Saudi Arabia. [6]
The mass execution sparked mass protests across the Middle East, during which protesters in Tehran and Mashhad burned part of the Saudi diplomatic missions, and the Saudi embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad was attacked by protesters and a rocket. The embassies were empty during the attacks. In response, the Saudi state severed ties with Iran. [7] The Iranian government condemned the embassy attack in Iran. [8] [9]
Out of the total forty-seven people executed, forty-five were Saudis, one was Egyptian, and one was Chadian. [10]
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. He was the eighth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
The House of Al Saud is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia. It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia, from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates. The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 15,000 members; however, the majority of power, influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion. This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco, the state oil and gas company, and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves, making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.
Tabuk is a province of Saudi Arabia, located along the northwestern coast of the country, facing Egypt across the Red Sea. It has an area of 146,072 km2 and a population of 910,030 (2017). Its capital is Tabuk. The governor is Fahd bin Sultan since 1987. In recent years, the province has received substantial media attention due to the Saudi government's planned Neom City project in the province.
Abd al-Aziz, frequently also transliterated Abdul-Aziz, is a male Arabic Muslim given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the words ʽAbd, the Arabic definite article and ʽAzīz "Almighty". The name is commonly abbreviated as "ʽAzīz". The name means "servant of the Almighty", al-ʽAzīz being one of the names of God in Islam, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.
Bank Albilad is an Islamic Saudi bank established in 2004.
The House of Thani is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Northern Arab Banu Tamim tribe. Today Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his mother Moza bint Nassir lead the house.
The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, also known as Majlis ash-Shura or The Shura Council, is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia. It is a deliberative assembly that advises the King on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia. It has the power to propose laws to the King of Saudi Arabia and his cabinet to prove it and pass it. It has 150 members, all appointed by the king and chosen "from amongst scholars, those of knowledge, expertise and specialists". Since 2013, the Assembly has included 30 female members out of the total of 150 members, after a 20 percent minimum quota for women was imposed. The Consultative Assembly is headed by a Speaker. As of 2016, the Speaker was Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh, in line with a tradition that kept the post in that family. The Assembly is based in al-Yamamah Palace, Riyadh.
Abdelrahman or Abd al-Rahman or Abdul Rahman or Abdurrahman or Abdrrahman is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Rahman. The name means "servant of the most gracious", ar-Rahman being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.
Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi was one of the wives of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, with whom she had seven sons and four daughters. Her sons included two future Saudi kings, Fahd and Salman, as well as Sultan bin Abdulaziz and Nayef bin Abdulaziz, who both later served as crown prince, both dying in that position. Her sons with Abdulaziz are commonly known as the Sudairi Seven.
The 2012 Arab Cup was the ninth edition of the Arab Cup for national football teams affiliated with the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA).
Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr, was a Shia sheikh from Al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province whose arrest and execution was widely condemned, including by governments and human rights organizations.
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation is a Saudi international literary award for the translation of works to/from Arabic. The Chairman of the award is Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah. The award is located in King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was established on 31 October, 2006 upon the approval of the King Abdulaziz Public Library Council. The vision of the award is "to promote cultural exchange among peoples of the world and to advance intellectual interaction among civilizations." The first award was presented in 2008 for works published in 2007.
The 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup was the 22nd edition of the biennial football competition, and took place between 13 and 26 November 2014 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Athletics Championship is a biennial international athletics competition between athletes from nations within the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. It was first held in 1986.
The Ministry of Education(MoE) (Arabic: وزارة التعليم), before 2003 as the Ministry of Knowledge and until 1953 as the Directorate of Knowledge, is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for regulating primary, secondary and higher education in the country. It was established in 1926 by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud in the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz. Since the amalgamations of the General Presidency for Girls' Education (GPGE) in 2002 and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in 2015, it became the sole body which supervises all schools, universities and colleges in the country.
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1875–1953), the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia, also called Ibn Saud, was very young when he first got married. However, his wife died shortly after their marriage. Ibn Saud remarried at eighteen and his firstborn child was Prince Turki I. He had 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood and had children of their own. He also had many daughters. He is thought to have had 22 wives.
Saudi Theater is a performing art presented on-stage across Saudi Arabia and is overseen by the Saudi Ministry of Culture. The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts plays a major role in showcasing, fostering, and supporting Saudi theater in all regions of the Kingdom.
The 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge was the mass arrest of a number of prominent Saudi Arabian princes, government ministers, and business people in Saudi Arabia on 4 November 2017. It took place weeks after the creation of an anti-corruption committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
