Global leaders pay tribute

Global leaders paid tribute to the late monarch, King Abdullah, a cautious reformer who led his kingdom through a turbulent decade in a region shaken by the Arab Spring uprisings and Islamic extremism.

US President Barack Obama described Abdullah as a “valued” ally. “The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah’s legacy,” Obama said in a statement.

US Vice President Joe Biden said on Twitter he would lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia “to pay respects and offer condolences.”

French President François Hollande hailed Abdullah as “a statesman whose work profoundly marked the history of his country.”

The presidency said Hollande would travel to Saudi Arabia to “offer his condolences” but that the exact timing of the trip had yet to be decided.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “deeply saddened” and that Abdullah would be remembered for “his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also postponed a planned trip to Somalia to attend Abdullah’s funeral.

Bedouin roots

Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924 to one of the many wives of King Abdul-Aziz. Abdullah’s mother was from a powerful Bedouin tribe known as the Shammar that were rivals with the king’s clan, and the marriage was an apparent way to ease the feuds.

Like all Abdul-Aziz’s sons, Abdullah had only rudimentary education. His strict upbringing was exemplified by the three days he spent in prison as a young man as punishment by his father for not giving up his seat for a visitor, a violation of Bedouin hospitality.

Tall and heavyset, Abdulla felt more at home in the Nejd, the kingdom’s desert heartland, riding his favorite stallions and hunting with falcons. Even as Saudi Arabia was transformed by oil money, Abdullah—who had spoken with a stutter since birth—never appeared comfortable with the trappings of hyperwealth embraced by some of his relatives.

Abdullah rose to be appointed head of Saudi Arabia’s National Guard. He was selected as crown prince in 1982 on the day his brother Fahd ascended to the throne.

In 1995, he became the kingdom’s de facto leader after King Fahd was incapacitated by a stroke.

During that time he led national dialogue talks that brought together the country’s various factions, tribes and sects to discuss their needs and review their complaints.

He took the throne formally in August 2005 after Fahd’s death. Reports from AP and AFP