King Fahd laid to rest

2005-08-02 16:03

Riyadh - Muslim world leaders joined ordinary Saudis on Tuesday to bid farewell to King Fahd at an austere funeral ceremony for the man who ruled the oil powerhouse for more than two decades.

In keeping with the strict Muslim traditions of this Gulf Arab state, Fahd was buried in an unmarked grave at the al-Od public cemetery in Riyadh after brief prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque

His body, draped in a brown robe, was carried into the mosque on a wooden stretcher on the shoulders of members of the ruling al-Saud family.

Mourners were led by Fahd's half-brother and successor King Abdullah, de facto ruler for a decade, and powerful defence minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the new crown prince of the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.

The simple and austere funeral ceremony was held under tight security at the mosque in the centre of the capital.

The late monarch, who carried the title of "custodian of the two holy mosques" in Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites, was laid to rest in line with traditions stemming from the strict Wahhabi doctrine of Islamic law which is predominant in Saudi Arabia.

- AFP