Al Jawhara bint Musaed Al Jiluwi

Al Jawhara bint Musaed was from the Al Jiluwis,[1] a cadet branch of the Al Saud.[2] The family, Al Jiluwi, are significant for Al Sauds in that they are the descendants of the younger brother of Ibn Saud's grandfather Faisal bin Turki Al Saud. The roots of the Al Jiluwis trace back to Prince Jiluwi bin Turki bin Abdallah, who served as the governor of Unayzah during the late 1700s.[3]

Al Jiluwi and Al Sudairi were strong supporters of the Al Saud in the early years of state formation.[3] The members of Al Jiluwi family allied themselves with Ibn Saud to eliminate the threat posed by the Al Kabir clan. For instance, Abdallah bin Jiluwi served as his deputy commander and helped him in the conquest of the eastern region of Arabia.[4] He served as the governor of the Eastern Province from 1913 to 1938.[5][6] Then, his son, Saud bin Abdullah, served as the governor of this province between 1938 and 1967.[6] Next, another son, Abdul Muhsin bin Abdullah, served as the governor of the province from 1967 to 1985 until being replaced by Prince Muhammed bin Fahd.[6][7]

Additionally, the members of Al Jiluwi intermarried with the Al Sauds.[8] More specifically, the spouses of King Faisal, King Fahd, King Abdullah, Prince Sultan and Prince Nayef were all members of Al Jiluwi clan.[9]

Al Jawhara was born in 1891[10] and was the daughter of Musaed, a nephew of Faisal bin Turki Al Saud.[10] Her mother was Hussa bint Abdullah bin Turki Al Turki, and her paternal grandmother, Noura bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, was also from another powerful family, Al Sudairi.[10] In addition, she was the sister of King Abdulaziz's mother, Sara bint Ahmed Al Sudairi.[10][11]

The full brother of Al Jawhara, Abdulaziz bin Musaed, was a former governor of Hail Province.[3] One of Abdulaziz bin Musaed's spouses was the sister of King Abdulaziz, Hussa bint Abdul Rahman.[10] They had no child.[10] The daughter of Abdulaziz bin Musaed, Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz, was the wife of late Prince Nayef and the mother of Prince Saud and Prince Mohammad, former crown prince of Saudi Arabia.[12] Another daughter, Al Anood bint Abdulaziz, was the first wife of King Fahd.[10]

Al Jawhara bint Musaed was one of Ibn Saud's favorite wives.[13] They were married in 1908 when she was seventeen years old.[3][10][11] She was the fourth spouse of King Ibn Saud.[11][14] It was the only marriage of Ibn Saud to one of the Al Saud members or a close relative.[6][15]

Their marriage produced three children; Prince Mohammad, King Khalid and Princess Al Anoud.[16] Her daughter, Al Anoud, married to the sons of Saad bin Abdul Rahman.[13] She first married Fahd bin Saad and they divorced in 1935.[13] Then she married Saud bin Saad, brother of her ex-husband, in 1940.[13]

In Spring 1913 before the capture of Al Hasa Ibn Saud was in Hofuf and sent an ode to Al Jawhara.[15] She was special for him due to several reasons. First, Al Jawhara was his cousin. Secondly, she was chosen by Ibn Saud's mother as a wife for him. And lastly, she died at young age.[17]

Al Jawhara bint Musaed was extremely interested in horse riding and breeding.[18] She formed a stable within the palace in Riyadh and also, hired the best Najdi horse riders to train cavalry who in turn contributed significantly to Ibn Saud's attempts to unify Saudi Arabia.[18] She owned various books which she donated to a local organization.[10]

Al Jawhara bint Musaed died in Riyadh in 1919 in the flu epidemic, which also killed Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz, eldest son of Ibn Saud.[14][19][20] Her room in the palace was kept, not allowing anyone to enter except for Ibn Saud's sister, Nuora.[17] Al Jawhara bint Musaid's death is reported to make Ibn Saud so sad and devastated that he cried.[3][17] In private meetings with his friends he talked about her stating that she was a great companion for him during the difficult times of establishing his rule.[15]