Rashad Pharaon

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Rashad Pharaon
Minister of Health
In office
1954–1960
Prime MinisterKing Faisal
Preceded byAbdullah bin Faisal Al Saud
Succeeded byHassan bin Yousef Nassief
Personal details
Born1912
Syria
Died1990 (aged 77–78)
NationalitySaudi Arabian
Children5, including Ghaith Pharaon

Rashad Pharaon (1912–1990) was a Syrian-born Saudi Arabian medical doctor who served as the personal physician of Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia. He also held various official posts during the reigns of three consecutive Saudi kings, King Saud, King Faisal and King Khalid.

Biography[]

Rashad Pharaon was born in Syria in 1912.[1][2] His father was a Syrian merchant who had connections with the Al Saud family during the Ottoman rule in Arabia as well as at the formation period of Saudi Arabia.[2]

He studied medicine in Damascus[2] and became a surgeon.[3] He began to serve as private physician of Ibn Saud from 1936[1] which he held until Ibn Saud's death in 1953.[4] Shukri Quwatli, future president of Syria, was instrumental in Rashad's migration to Saudi Arabia.[5] Rashad was briefly the Saudi ambassador to Spain from 1953 to 1954 and was made the minister of health in 1954 which he held until 1960.[1] Next he served as the Saudi ambassador to France between 1960 and 1966.[1] From 1966 to 1982 he was the senior policy adviser to King Faisal and then, to King Khalid.[1]

Based on the statements of Ahmed bin Abdul Wahap Russian Arabist Alexei Vassiliev reports that Rashad was the closest person to King Faisal during his reign.[3] Faisal was instrumental in the appointment of Rashad as minister of health when he was crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia.[3] Rashad continued to enjoy a high status under King Khalid and was the only non-royal official who participated in the meetings of the king with foreign leaders.[6]

Rashad's family became one of the richest families in Saudi Arabia who have various assets and investments.[7] He had five children, three sons and two daughters.[8] His son, Ghaith Pharaon, was a businessman who received a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University.[9] His another son, Mazen, was also a businessman, and Rashad Pharaon's both sons had business partnership with Prince Abdullah, eldest son of King Faisal.[10]

Rashad Pharaon died in 1990.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Susan Rose (25 November 2020). The Naval Miscellany: Volume VI. Taylor & Francis. p. 433. ISBN 978-1-00-034082-2.
  2. ^ a b c "Wirken". Munzinger (in German). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Alexei Vassiliev (1 March 2013). King Faisal: Personality, Faith and Times. Saqi. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-86356-761-2.
  4. ^ Ayman Al Yassini (August 1982). The Relationship between Religion and State in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PhD thesis). McGill University. OCLC 896879684.
  5. ^ Sonoko Sunayama (2004). Syria and Saudi Arabia, 1978-1990; A Study of the Role of Shared Identities in Alliance-Making (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of London. p. 29.
  6. ^ William B. Quandt (1 December 2010). Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil. Brookings Institution Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8157-2051-5.
  7. ^ Nimah Mazaheri (2013). "The Saudi monarchy and economic familism in an era of business environment reforms". Business and Politics. 15 (3): 310. doi:10.1515/bap-2012-0039. S2CID 231796126.
  8. ^ Youssef M. Ibrahim (25 November 1979). "Ghaith Pharaon". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  9. ^ Jonathan Beaty; S. C. Gwynne (2004). The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride Into the Secret Heart of BCCI. Beard Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-58798-146-3.
  10. ^ Sharaf Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Sharaf Sabri. p. 50. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.
  11. ^ Rone Tempest (25 August 1991). "Key BCCI Figure Falls From Grace". Los Angeles Times. Jeddah. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
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