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| King of the Sands | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Najdat Anzour |
| Starring | Fabio Testi, Bill Fellows and Marco Foschi |
Release date |
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| Country | Syria |
| Languages | English Arabic |
King of the Sands is a 2013 historical and biographical film, directed by Najdat Anzour, with the main characters starring Fabio Testi, Bill Fellows in the title roles.
King of the Sands is a biopic of King Abdulaziz, an emir of the central Arabian Al Saud clan and founder of the present-day kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [2]
King of the Sands is presented as a "landmark taboo-breaking film", depicting a "dichotomous" story. It presents an impoverished prince in exile who reconquers his ancestral lands (Najd), and continues to expand his dominion until he controls the better part of the Arabian Peninsula. This accomplishment demanded "single-minded ruthlessness". He exterminated the rivaling Emirs of Ha'il. He later massacred his own shock troops, the Ikhwan (an irregular militia recruited from the main nomadic tribes), when they became a liability in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They had threatened the king's relations with the British in Jordan and Iraq. This film also depicts Western imperialism as impinging on the monarch's independence, foreshadowing the kingdom's future entanglement in world affairs once the oil started to flow.
The depiction of the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia draws criticism by the Saudi royal family [3] and some of the family's allies in the western countries.[ citation needed ] Its release came amidst the deterioration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria due to the Syrian civil war, in which Riyadh backed Syrian opposition against the Syrian government. [4]
Najdat Anzour who directed the film [2] is the son of the Syrian pioneer of Arab cinema, Ismail Anzour. Although Najdat's reputation rest primarily on the production of epic TV series about important episodes in Islamic history and West Asia, he is also known for controversial political topics. His latest, King of the Sands, falls into that category. [5]
At a press conference, on 18 April 2012, the director reported that he has already received threats of lawsuits by unidentified parties trying to prevent the film's release. [6]
Saudi Arabian authorities reacted strongly to the film. Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, son of Abdulaziz Al Saud and a senior member of the Saudi royal family, described the film as a great disrespect to the kingdom's founder. He said that “We have already made contacts with Bashar al Assad via a mutual friend to bring the screening of the movie to an end in the Arab country”. He also described Najdat Anzour as director of sexual jihad or Jihad al-Nikah. [6]
Anzour said he has received death threats over the film. [5]
On 20 December 2013, Syrian movie director Najdat Anzour said he holds the Saudi government responsible for any harm that might come to him and his staff who joined him in the making of King of the Sands, a movie critical of Saudi Arabia. [7] [6]
After the movie was screened in Damascus, a Saudi cleric, Adnan al-Ayed issued a fatwa authorizing the killing of Anzour as "condonable and necessary". [7] The preacher is said to have justified his fatwa by claiming that the director, Najdat Anzour, has insulted Islam by attacking the kingdom's founder through his film. [6] [5]
A Saudi royal have attempted to ban the King of the Sands movie from screening in other countries. The film was shown in Damascus, despite attempts from a Saudi prince to have it banned in Syria. [8] There is no report about public show of the movie in any other countries but a mixed reports about a private screening in London, Britain. [9]
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, known in the Western world mononymously as Ibn Saud, was an Arab political and religious leader who founded Saudi Arabia – the third Saudi state – and reigned as its first king from 23 September 1932 until his death in 1953. He had ruled parts of the kingdom since 1902, having previously been Emir, Sultan, and King of Nejd, and King of Hejaz.
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Prior to his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
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.
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 and from 1960 to 1962. Prior to his accession, Saud was the country's crown prince from 11 May 1933 to 9 November 1953. He was the second son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
The House of 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.
Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud was the last emir of Nejd, reigning from 1875 to 1876 and from 1889 to 1891. He was the youngest son of Emir Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah and the father of Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Emirate of Diriyah, also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727. In 1744, the emir of a Najdi town called Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab signed a pact to found a socio-religious reform movement to unify the many states of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Rashidi dynasty, also called Al Rashid or the House of Rashid, was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il and the most formidable enemies of the House of Saud, rulers of the Emirate of Nejd. They were centered in Ha'il, a city in northern Najd that derived its wealth from being on the route of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and was also a commercial center. The rulers of Ha'il were the sons of Abdullah bin Rashid, founder of the dynasty.
Sa'ad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1890–1915) was the brother of Abdulaziz, Emir of Nejd. He was one of Abdulaziz's most devoted supporters and a key lieutenant in his early military campaigns.
Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud was an Arabian soldier and politician who played a role in the conquests of his half-brother Abdulaziz that led to the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The General Intelligence Presidency (GIP), also known as the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), is the primary intelligence agency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Najdat Ismail Anzour is a Syrian television director of Circassian origins.
The Unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and kingdoms of most of the central Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or Al Saud. Unification started in 1902 and continued until 1932, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed under the leadership of Abdulaziz, known in the West as Ibn Saud, creating what is sometimes referred to as the Third Saudi State, to differentiate it from the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State and the Emirate of Nejd, the Second Saudi State, also House of Saud states.
The Order of King Abdulaziz is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state.
Noura bint Abdul Rahman Al Saud was the eldest daughter of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, Emir of Nejd, and the elder sister and adviser of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. Madawi Al Rasheed argues that she is the first example of Saudi royal women who are introduced to support the view of the progressive royalty.
Mashour bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is a member of the House of Saud and a member of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Allegiance Council. He is the half-brother of King Salman and the father-in-law of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia–Syria relations refer to bilateral and economic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Diplomatic ties between these two countries of the Middle East have long been strained by the major events in the region. Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Damascus, and Syria has an embassy in Riyadh. Both countries are members of the Arab League and share close cultural ties.
Thamir bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was a member of the House of Saud. He died young and therefore, held no important cabinet position.
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.
Khalid bin Muhammad Al Saud was a member of the Saudi royal family. He was the eldest son of Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman who was the half-brother of King Abdulaziz.
