Seeta bint Abdulaziz Al Saud

Seeta bint Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: صيتة بنت عبد العزيز آل سعود‎; 1930 – 13 April 2011) was a member of the House of Saud and the younger full-sister of King Abdullah, former ruler of Saudi Arabia.

Seeta bint Abdulaziz Al Saud
Born1930
Riyadh, Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd
Died13 April 2011(2011-04-13) (aged 80–81)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Burial14 April 2011
Riyadh
SpouseAbdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir Al Saud
IssueNoura bint Abdullah
Nouf bint Abdullah
Fahd bin Abdullah
Turki bin Abdullah
Bandar bin Abdullah
Full name
Seeta bint Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud
HouseHouse of Saud
FatherKing Abdulaziz
MotherFahda bint Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari

Early life

Princess Seeta was born in 1930. She was the daughter of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari who was one of two Rashidi women married to him.[1] She was the younger full sister of King Abdullah with whom she was very close with.[2] She had also a full sister, Nouf bint Abdulaziz,[3][4] who died in August 2015.[5]

Activities

Seeta bint Abdulaziz was very active in charitable efforts. But, she was also active in forming women groups such as the Princesses' Council. Furthermore, the first and second Saudi Women's Forum was carried out under her patronage in 2009 and 2010, respectively.[6] In May 2011, a conference entitled “Saudi Women of Tomorrow” was also organized under her patronage.[7] She sponsored many charities within the Kingdom and made donations to various research programs and family welfare projects, too.[8] Under her patronage, career days were organized towards female employment.[9]

Princesses' council

In 2003, Princess Seeta initiated the Princesses’ Council.[2] The Council was designed to involve one member of each of the royal family’s sub-branches. It was the first family council for female royals in Saudi Arabia. All members of the council were asked to be interested in social work such as health-care, children, women, and business. The council became an important body in the House of Saud. Instead of focusing on charity work, it functions as a think tank and lobbying body.[2]

The council was designed to meet at a regular period, twice a month, every second week lasting for two or three hours. Societal issues focusing on women-related topics were discussed in the meetings. The outcomes of these meetings were mostly non-binding suggestions for solving certain issues, and petitions to relevant governmental institutions. At the initial phase, the number of the council members was twenty-two. As of 2011 the number of council members was thirty royal women.[2]

Personal life
Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud, and his children Turki, Bandar, Noura and Fahd (1961)

Seeta bint Abdulaziz married Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud Al Kabir,[10][11] who was a member of the cadet branch of House of Saud, Al Kabir. He was the eldest son of Mohammed Al Kabir whose parents were Noura bint Abdul Rahman and Saud Al Kabeer.[12] Abdullah bin Muhammad was one of the members of Al Saud Family Council which was established in June 2000 by then Crown Prince Abdullah to discuss private issues, including business activities of princes and marriages of princesses to nonroyals.[13] He died in January 1994 at the age of 68.

Seeta bint Abdulaziz and Abdullah bin Muhammed had five children, three sons, Turki, Fahd and Bandar,[14] and two daughters, Noura and Nouf.[3][15] His son, Turki, was one of the advisors to King Abdullah[16] and is a former military officer in the National Guard during the 1980s.[17] Another son, Fahd, is the former assistant minister of defense.[14] Princess Seeta's sons are considered to be significant members of the Al Kabir branch of Al Sauds.[12] Her daughter, Noura bint Abdullah (born 1958), is married to Khalid bin Abdullah, the eldest son of King Abdullah.[12] Another daughter, Nouf, was born in 1963.[12]

Death

Seeta bint Abdulaziz died on 13 April 2011 after a long illness.[18][19] Her funeral prayer was held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh on 14 April 2011.[19][20] The funeral prayer was attended by King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, Prince Nayef, Prince Salman, Prince Bandar, Prince Turki, Saad Hariri and other senior princes.[21] President Barack Obama called King Abdullah to convey his condolences.[22]

Ancestry

References
  1. Madawi Al Rasheed (1991). Politics in an Arabian Oasis. The Rashidis of Saudi Arabia. New York: I. B. Tauirs & Co. Ltd. ISBN 9781860641930.
  2. Stig Stenslie (2011). "Power behind the veil: Princesses of the House of Saud". Journal of Arabian Studies: Arabia, the Gulf, and the Red Sea. 1 (1): 69–79. doi:10.1080/21534764.2011.576050.
  3. "Biography of Her Royal Highness Princess Seetah bint Abdulaziz". Seetah Award. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. Karen Hedwig Backman (16 June 2012). "Born of Hassa bint Ahmad al Sudairi". Daily Kos. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  5. "Saudi Royal Court mourns death of Princess Nouf bint Abdulaziz". Khaleej Times. Jeddah. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  6. "About Us". SIC Group. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  7. Fouzia Khan (13 May 2011). "Saudi women meet to discuss empowerment". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  8. "King Abdullah attends Princess Seeta's funeral prayer". Gulf in the Media. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  9. "Princess Seeta to launch Girls Careers Day". Saudi Gazette. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  10. "صحيفة عكاظ - وفاة الأميرة صيتة بنت عبد العزيز". Okaz. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  11. Haifa Al Dosari (9 April 2019). "Princess Lolowah Al Faisal's celebrated journey for women's rights". Women 2030. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  12. Sabri Sharif (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I. S. Publications. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.
  13. Simon Henderson (August 2009). "After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  14. "King Abdullah attends Princess Seeta's funeral prayer". Arab News. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  15. "Randolph Trainee. Arabian Prince is T33 Jet Grad". San Antonio Express. 5 August 1965. p. 8-F. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  16. "King Abdullah Receives the Turkish Prime Minister". Al Riyadh. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  17. "The role of Saudi princes in uniform". Wikileaks. 27 May 1985. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  18. "Princess Sita bint Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman passes away, royal court announces". SPA. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  19. "King Abdullah attends Princess Seeta's funeral prayer". Life in Riyadh. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  20. "Princess Sita bint Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman passes away, royal court announces". Sauress. Saudi Press Agency. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  21. "King Abdullah attends Princess Seeta's funeral prayer". Asharq Al Awsat. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  22. "King Abdullah receives telephone call from U.S. President". Royal Embassy, Washington D.C. 16 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
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