| Prince Abdul-Majeed bin Abdul-Aziz | |
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| In office | 1999 - 2007 |
| Successor | Prince Khalid al-Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud |
| Full name | |
| Abdul-Majeed bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud | |
| House | House of Saud |
| Religion | Islam |
Prince Abdul-Majeed bin Abdul-Aziz (Arabic: عبد المجيد بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود) (1940 –May 5, 2007) was a prominent Saudi prince. He was seen as a close ally of his half-brother, King Abdullah. [1] [2]. He served as Governor of Tabuk Province from 1980-1986. He served as Governor of Madinah Province from 1986-2000. He was governor of Makkah Province from 2000-2007.
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Abdul-Majeed was born in Riyadh as the 33rd son of King Abdul-Aziz. His mother was Abdul-Aziz's tenth wife, Haya bint Sa'ad al-Sudairy.[2] He had two full brothers, Prince Badr and Prince Abdullilah.
He received his early education in Riyadh in traditional schools, including the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Khayyat and the Al-Anjal School in Riyadh.[3] He served in the Royal Saudi Navy and then studied in the United Kingdom.
He returned to Saudi Arabia to become Governor of the northerly Tabuk Province in 1980. Agriculture was developed in the province during his governorship, and the area became one of the kingdom's main producers crops such as wheat and fruit. [2]
After the death of his half-brother, Abdul-Muhsin, in 1986, Abdul-Majeed took his brother's place as Governor of Medina Province. The Prophet's Mosque in Medina and surrounding areas were redeveloped during his 14-year term of office.[2] He also established the Taiba Investment Corporation in Medina.[3]
In 2000, he became the governor of the Makkah Province and chairman of the Mecca Development Authority.[2][4] He was also chief of the central hajj committee. In 2000, Mecca became the provincial capital of the region including Jeddah. An ambitious program of development was undertaken in Mecca under his stewardship at a cost of more than $27 billion. The developments were centered on the Two Holy Mosques, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Masjid-e-Nabawi in Medina, the key destination in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which attract millions of visitors each year. Huge commercial developments sprouted in surrounding areas, such as the Jebel Omar scheme, which houses hotels, convention and conference centers, and prayer facilities. Architectural historians criticized the accompanying destruction of historic sites.[2] Communications links were improved, including port facilities were improved at Jeddah, airports, and roads.[2]
He called for participation of women in public life in Saudi Arabia. [2] The Khadeeja bint Khuwailed Centre for Businesswomen was established in Jeddah in 2003 by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, under his patronage. [2][3] He also served on many public and charitable committees. He pushed for the creation of the first motor racing track in Saudi Arabia, and for mandatory blood testing before marriage to avoid disease.[3]
He married Sara bint Abdul-Mohsen al-Angari,[2] and they had one son, Faisal bin Abdul-Majeed. He suffered from leukaemia in later years, and died in Seattle, Washington after returning to the US following earlier surgery.[2]