In 1902, Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud captured Riyadh and set out on the 30 year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930’sthe discovery of oil transformed the country and the foundations of modern Saudi Arabia were laid.
HRH Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was born in January 1928, and was 4 years old when his father the King finally brought about the unification he has so long dreamed of. Regularly in attendance at the court and diplomatic functions, the young prince absorbed the atmosphere and procedures of the court as readily as the traditionally based education he received from the eminent scholars and sheikhs selected to train him.
Educated in a room at Al Murabba’ palace, he was tutored in the Qur’an, history and culture of the Arab world, genealogy and the sciences of the day. His non academic life in the court introduced him to incoming management skills that were being adopted during the building of the state.
An adept pupil and showing a studious and practical nature, he was trusted at the age of 15 with post of Chief of the Royal Guard, which required birth loyalty and proven personnel management skills.
Having served his apprenticeship her, four years later he was appointed Governor of Riyadh. Then little more than an ancient mud-brick city, his task was to organise its development into the new nation’s capital with the necessary supporting services infrastructure. In six years and with the advantage of virgin land and sufficient finance to address the task, the young prince planned, laid out and started the construction of modern Riyadh.
Having acquitted himself well, he was then given the Ministry of Agriculture in 1953. The rapidly increasing population meant that organised food production and a lessening of reliance on imports was essential for the developing Kingdom. Prince Sultan was responsible for the inception of major irrigation and farming projects that met the country’s demands.
1955 saw him move to the Ministry of Communications. The commercial needs for communications both within the Kingdom and with the international community who were client states demanded an efficient communication system. Prince Sultan, drawing on his now very considerable skills at setting up working infrastructures, established the networks that covered the Kingdom internally and connected it to the outside world.
It was after 7 years here that he arrived at the Ministry of Defence, which was to prove the ministry that occupied the bulk of his professional life. With little coherent defence policy or hardware, the Kingdom with its huge natural resources needed a viable defence system. Prince Sultan has presided over the development of a military establishment and the supporting education and industrial service that has transformed the military in the Kingdom from little more than small arms and desert camel soldiers to cutting edge technologically based services on land, sea and in the air.
A conscientious man and observant of both the state secular and personal religious responsibilities, he has not neglected his charitable duties, required by the tradition he stems from. The most public expression of this is the Prince Abdulaziz Charity Foundation, a vast and complex organization. It includes under its umbrella extensive medical and after care projects, support for the elderly and poor and medical education and communication programmes. It also addresses the future as well as the present, investing money and facilities in the development of young Saudis through the Science and Technology Centre and Special Education programmes for intellectually challenged children.
A formidable manager yet simple man, Prince Sultan at 74 still personally involves himself full time with his charitable and state commitments, while heading up the Ministry of Defence and Aviation.
