Rashad Pharaon

Rashad Pharaon
Rashad Pharaon
Minister of Health
	In office; 1954–1960
Prime Minister	King Faisal
Personal details
Born	1912; Syria
Nationality	Saudi Arabian
Children	Ghaith Pharaon

Rashad Pharaon (1912–?) was a Syrian-born Saudi Arabian doctor who served as personal physician of Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia. He also held various official posts during the reigns of three consecutive Saudi kings, King Saud, King Faisal and King Khalid.

Biography

Rashad Pharaon was born in Syria in 1912.[1][2] His father was a Syrian merchant who had connections with the Al Saud family during the Ottoman rule in Arabia as well as at the formation period of Saudi Arabia.[2]

He studied medicine in Damascus[2] and became a surgeon.[3] He began to serve as private physician of Ibn Saud from 1936.[1] He was briefly the Saudi ambassador to Spain from 1953 to 1954 and was made the minister of health in 1954 which he held until 1960.[1] Next he acted as the Saudi ambassador to France between 1960 and 1966.[1] From 1966 to 1982 he served as the senior policy adviser to King Faisal and then, to King Khalid.[1]

Based on the statements of Ahmed bin Abdul Wahap Russian Arabist Alexei Vassiliev reports that Rashad was the closest person to King Faisal during his reign.[3] He was instrumental in the appointment of Rashad as minister of health when he was crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia.[3] Rashad continued to enjoy a high status under King Khalid and was the only non-royal official who participated in the meetings of the king with foreign leaders.[4]

Rashad's family became one of the richest families in Saudi Arabia who have various assets and investments.[5] He had five children, three sons and two daughters.[6] His son, Ghaith Pharaon, was a businessman who received a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University.[7] His another son, Mazen, was also a businessman, and Rashad Pharaon's both sons had business partnership with Prince Abdullah, eldest son of King Faisal.[8]

References

Susan Rose (25 November 2020). The Naval Miscellany: Volume VI. Taylor & Francis. p. 433. ISBN 978-1-00-034082-2.
"Wirken". Munzinger (in German). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
Alexei Vassiliev (1 March 2013). King Faisal: Personality, Faith and Times. Saqi. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-86356-761-2.
William B. Quandt (1 December 2010). Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil. Brookings Institution Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8157-2051-5.
Nimah Mazaheri (2013). "The Saudi monarchy and economic familism in an era of business environment reforms" (PDF). Business and Politics. 15 (3): 310.
Youssef M. Ibrahim (25 November 1979). "Ghaith Pharaon". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
Jonathan Beaty; S. C. Gwynne (2004). The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride Into the Secret Heart of BCCI. Beard Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-58798-146-3.
Sharaf Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Sharaf Sabri. p. 50. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.

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[R2020-1] Susan Rose (25 November 2020). The Naval Miscellany: Volume VI. Taylor & Francis. p. 433. ISBN 978-1-00-034082-2.

[munz-2] "Wirken". Munzinger (in German). Retrieved 6 January 2021.

[amv-3] Alexei Vassiliev (1 March 2013). King Faisal: Personality, Faith and Times. Saqi. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-86356-761-2.

[4] William B. Quandt (1 December 2010). Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil. Brookings Institution Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8157-2051-5.

[5] Nimah Mazaheri (2013). "The Saudi monarchy and economic familism in an era of business environment reforms" (PDF). Business and Politics. 15 (3): 310.

[6] Youssef M. Ibrahim (25 November 1979). "Ghaith Pharaon". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

[7] Jonathan Beaty; S. C. Gwynne (2004). The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride Into the Secret Heart of BCCI. Beard Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-58798-146-3.

[8] Sharaf Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Sharaf Sabri. p. 50. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.