King Abdullah 'retained a love of the desert, along with a love of horsemanship' throughout his life, according to the the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
He is also said to have loved to read, establishing two libraries - the King Abdulaziz Library in Riyadh, and one in Casablanca, Morocco.
Paying tribute to the late King, Saudi Arabian Princess Ameerah al-Taweel tweeted: 'A king that was not feared but loved by the Saudi people and the entire Muslim population.
'We did not lose a king today, we all lost a father.'
A simple grave that gives a profound message to everyone.
Dozens of mourners attended the funeral prayer of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 23
The king lost his battle to pneumonia. He was 90 years old.
Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to King Abdullah's work for peace in the region.
David Cameron, who visited Saudi Arabia in 2012, said: 'I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abd Al Aziz Al Saud.
'He will be remembered for his long years of service to the Kingdom, for his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths.
'My thoughts and prayers are with the Saudi Royal Family and the people of the Kingdom at this sad time.
'I sincerely hope that the long and deep ties between our two Kingdoms will continue and that we can continue to work together to strengthen peace and prosperity in the world.'
President Barack Obama paid tribute to Abdullah, who has been an ally of Washington in its fight against terror.
'As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions,' Obama said in a statement.
'One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.
'The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah's legacy.'
Obama said that as the two allies 'worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah's perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship'.
Obama praised the 90-year-old for taking 'bold steps' in advancing the Arab Peace Initiative and credited the king for his dedication to education.
One of his last decisions is thought to have been referring the case of Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger who has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, to the High Court last week.
King Salman made a speech on Saudi state television following the death of his half-brother Abdullah, saying that he would continue the policies of his predecessors
'Salman has been crown prince and defense minister since 2012. He was governor of Riyadh province for five decades before that.
A statement released by the new king read: 'His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning.'
The new monarch today vowed to maintain the same approach as his predecessors in his first address to the nation since his ascension to the throne.
In a speech on state television, he said: 'We will remain, with God's support, maintain the straight path that this country has advanced on since its establishment by the late King Abdulaziz.'
Salman also made an oblique reference to the chaos gripping the greater Middle East, with ISIS now holding a third of both Iraq and Syria, to the north of Saudi Arabia.
'The Arab and the Islamic nations are in dire need for solidarity and cohesion,' the new king said.
In a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in March 2007, described in a cable released by WikiLeaks, Salman said the social and cultural reforms instigated by King Abdullah had to move slowly for fear of a conservative backlash.
He also argued against the introduction of democracy in the kingdom, citing regional and tribal divisions, and told the ambassador that a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was necessary for Middle East stability.'
King Abdullah (left) speaks with Prince Salman, the Saudi King's brother and Riyadh governor (right) before the king's departure to the U.S.
President George W. Bush and King Abdullah, pictured during the former president's visit to Saudi Arabia in 2008
'In 2002, he developed an Arab Peace Initiative, commonly referred to as the "Abdullah plan", to achieve mutually agreed-on resolution of the Arab–Israeli conflict.[32] The initiative was adopted at the Arab League's Beirut summit in March 2002.[32]
On the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Crown Prince Abdullah wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, which ended with the following words:
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has a motto 'Through Inspiration Discovery' - The people who are inspired in truth will pave the way for new discoveries.
- King Abdullah, while still Crown Prince, paid for the separation surgery of a pair of Polish conjoined twins, which took place at the King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on 3 January 2005.[132] He was given "honorary citizenship" by the Polish town of Janikowo, where the twins were born. On 18 March 2005, he was awarded the Order of the Smile, which he received during his visit to Poland in 2007.
- He established two libraries: the King Abdulaziz Library in Riyadh; and another in Casablanca, Morocco
- He donated over $300,000 to furnish a New Orleans high school rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina
- He donated $500 million to the United Nations World Food Programme in 2008
- He donated $50 million in cash and $10 million worth of relief materials for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China[133]
- He donated $10 billion to the endowment fund of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in May 2008
Honours and awards
King Abdullah received a number of international high orders. Most notably, he was an honoured knight of the strictly Roman Catholic Order of the Golden Fleece (the Spanish branch), which caused some controversy.[138][better source needed]
In April 2012, he was awarded by the United Nations a gold medal for his contributions to intercultural understanding and peace initiatives.
There is much that can be learned about the late King Abdullah and his work and yet, his heart, and mind, with sincere faith would have been set on enabling and empowering people. The man had the understanding for a progressive population of people, open the doors for progressive education. When minds are enlightened in truth these minds become the builders of the future foundations.
The Daily Mail has published several photographs to give people room to consider,more of the man with vision who identified a need to enable progress of 1;6 billion people. His grave is simple, yet his memory will be lasting. The king who enabled people to progress with access to advanced learning.
Everyone has a right to learn, grow and evolve.
Everyone has the right to live in peace too. Let it be.
Peace be with you
Pauline Maria.
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