Word: saud
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...those riches, however, the life of King Saud ibn Abdul Aziz al Fais al al Saud was poor in many of the things which the world's more ordinary people set store by. His health was bad. His favorite sons proved disap pointing and profligate. Like many exorbitantly rich men, he was gnawed at times by doubts as to the sincerity of his professed friends. He ruled Saudi Arabia for only eleven of his 67 years, then was forced by his own brother to surrender the throne. Born in exile in Kuwait, where his parents had taken refuge from...
...lives of many of the rulers of the oil-rich Arab states are marked by a special brand of gilt-edged vulgarity. Saud was perhaps the leading exponent of the tradition. During his reign he maintained one of the more ostentatious harems in the Middle East: the number of concubines averaged from 80 to 120, and agents in Beirut and other capitals kept it well-stocked. To facilitate his choice of companions for the night, he reportedly installed closed-circuit television...
Those favorite sons who lived with him during his last exile in Athens caused him severe problems: flitting about town in their $25,000 Maseratis, they were soon involved in eight major auto accidents that caused two deaths. Saud paid for all damages, but the Greeks were not appeased. The King then threatened to give his sons camels to ride instead of Maseratis but finally settled for assigning chauffeurs to the boys' cars...
Politically, Saud had also had his troubles in recent years. Forced from his throne in Riyadh by his brother, who now rules as King Feisal, he never gave up his hopes of returning. In late 1966, for instance, Saud left Athens for Cairo, planning to work with Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser to overthrow Feisal. But the alliance produced few results, and Saud was back in Athens by the following autumn...
...throne room that he had had constructed in the hotel, followed by a minuscule lunch, a nap, and a relaxing hour or two with his daughters and their children. Dinner usually consisted of a glass of milk, and bedtime was before 11 p.m. In the past year, Saud kept two full-time doctors by his side; he suffered from assorted ills, including kidney and liver trouble, serious rheumatism and severely impaired eyesight, which forced him to wear dark glasses. Early in February, he had a mild heart attack, and his death was caused by a second such seizure...