Thousands bid farewell to King Abdullah

Saturday 24 Jan 2015 - 02:10 Makkah mean time-4-4-1436

Riyadh (IINA) - Thousands gathered in Riyadh on Friday to say farewell to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who died earlier in the day.

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, King Hamad of Bahrain, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Egyptian Premier Ibrahim Mohlib joined other dignitaries for the funeral prayer after Asr prayers at the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque here.

Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine, among others, declared varied days of mourning. British Premier David Cameron is to visit Saudi Arabia to offer condolences, Downing Street said. The burial was a simple, brief ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries, princes, ministers, regional emirs , senior officials and citizens.

After the funeral, the new King Salman Bin Abdulaziz received princes, senior Saudi officials as well as world leaders who all expressed their grief and offered condolences. Funeral prayers in absentia were also offered in the Holy Haram in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and all other mosques across the Kingdom.

King Abdullah was hospitalized in December suffering from pneumonia and had been breathing with the aid of a respirator. King Abdullah died on early Friday and Crown Prince Salman has been named the new king with Prince Muqrin crown prince, according to a Royal Court statement. King Salman said King Abdullah died at 1 a.m. on Friday. “With deep sorrow we announce the death of King Abdullah,” said the new king in the statement issued by the Royal Court, adding that the funeral prayers would take place after Asr prayer at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh on Friday.

King Salman and Crown Prince Muqrin will receive the oath of allegiance from the people of Saudi Arabia at his palace in Riyadh. The smooth succession indicates stability in Saudi Arabia, according to observers. Since the death in 1952 of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, the throne has systematically passed down to his sons. King Salman, credited with transforming Riyadh during his half-century as governor, has a reputation for austerity, hard work and discipline. Born on Dec. 31, 1935, King Salman is the 25th son of King Abdul Aziz. He was appointed governor of Riyadh province at the age of 20. He was appointed minister of defense in 2011.

HA/IINA

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