AL SUDAYRI FAMILY

Important family or clan in Saudi Arabia; part of a tribe of the same name.

The Al Sudayri (also spelled Al Sudairi or alSudairi) family's origins can be traced to a branch of the Dawasir tribe, which was a sharifian, or noble, tribe that lived on the edge of the Rub al-Khali desert in about 1400. By about 1550, the Al Sudayri were situated at the town of Ghat in Sudayr, an area in Najd, to the northwest of Riyadh, which took its name from the tribe. The main branch of the family, whose fortunes have been closely linked with the fortunes of the Al Saʿud family of Saudi Arabia, comes into view in the early eighteenth century.

First to achieve special prominence among the Sudayri was Ahmad al-Kabir, whose life spanned the first two-thirds of the nineteenth century. He served the Al Saʿud for fifty years in a number of civilian and military capacities, including the governorship of al-Hasa, the country's eastern province. His daughter Sara was the mother of King Abd alAziz (also known as Ibn Saʿud), and it was largely from her that he inherited his imposing physical stature. Ahmad al-Kabir's grandson and namesake, Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Sudayri (1869–1935), further cemented his family's ties to the Al Saʿud. In the early twentieth century, he participated in the Al Saʿud's military campaigns against their Al Rashid rivals. His daughter Hassa was a favorite wife of Abd al-Aziz, who also married two of Ahmad's nieces, Haya and Jawhara. The extent and significance of the interrelationship between the Al Saʿud and Al Sudayri is evident in the fact that nearly two dozen of Abd al-Aziz's sons or grandsons were Sudayris in the maternal line. The first wife of his son Faisal (r. 1964–1975) was Sultana bint Ahmad Al Sudayri, younger sister of Hassa. Six of Ahmad's eight sons became governors of provinces. Other Sudayris have also served as governors, especially in strategic border areas of the kingdom, and in other high-level government positions.

The impact of the Al Sudayri on the ruling family is most apparent in the dominant position of the sons of Abd al-Aziz by Hassa bint Ahmad Al Sudayri. These constitute a grouping of senior princes known as the Al Fahd, the present king and his six full brothers. (The term Sudayri Seven, sometimes used in the West to refer to this grouping, is not used in Saudi Arabia.) The Al Fahd are the largest group of full brothers among the sons of Abd alAziz, and all but one, Prince Turki (who earlier served as deputy minister of defense and aviation), occupy key positions in the government. Sultan has been minister of defense and aviation for over three decades and Abd al Rahman has been the deputy minister, while Nayif is minister of the interior with Ahmad as his deputy. Salman has been governor of Riyadh since 1962 but exercises more influence than his official position suggests. Moreover, Sultan is second deputy prime minister and probably next after Crown Prince Abdullah to succeed Fahd as king.

While all the sons of Hassa bint Ahmad Al Sudayri are intelligent and ambitious, they differ significantly in character and in political and philosophical outlook. Fahd and Sultan are the most secular and the most pro-American, while Nayif and Ahmad most notably embody the traditional, conservative Islamic virtues. Ties of blood and a strong sense of self-interest, however, outweigh any differences. Moreover, their differences help to gain the family support from various constituencies within the Al Saʿud and in the country at large. It is likely that after Abdullah succession will continue through the Al Fahd. Should the Al Saʿud find themselves divided over the succession, Salman, who commands broad support, would be a likely compromise candidate. Other Sudayris have frequently served as governors of various provinces.

see also abd al-aziz ibn saʿud al saʿud; al saʿud family; hasa, al-; najd.

Bibliography

Holden, David, and Johns, Richard. The House of Saʿud: The Rise and Rule of the Most Powerful Dynasty in the Arab World. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1981.

Kechichian, Joseph A. Succession in Saudi Arabia. New York: Palgrave, 2001.

Lees, Brian. A Handbook of the Al Saʿud Ruling Family of Saʿudi Arabia. London: Royal Genealogies, 1980.

Philby, H. St. J. B. Arabian Jubilee. London: Hale, 1952.

Malcolm C. Peck

Updated by J. E. Peterson