King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Al Saud died at 90. According to the Royal Chancery, he suffered from a lung infection. Abdullah was considered a modernizer in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom. In particular, he called for expanding women's rights, such as the right to work, vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections.
Abdullah also abolished the custom of kissing the hands of the monarch, having claimed that the custom was contrary to Islam. In February 2005, King Abdullah initiated the establishment of an international center to combat terrorism at the UN, but the initiative has never been materialized. Abdullah invested $12.5 billion in the construction of the University of Science and Technology. There will be no separate education for men and women there, and religious police will not be allowed inside.
However, despite the bold reforms in Saudi Arabia itself, the Western world considered the Saudi king an ultra-conservative ruler. Parade Magazine has repeatedly included the monarch on the list of dictators. After the death of King Abdullah, his "throne" will be taken by his 79-year-old brother, Salman bin Abdul Aziz.
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