During his reign, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud presided over historic progress, prosperity and change in Saudi Arabia, years that brought the Kingdom to the centre of the world's economic and political stage, and vastly improved the lives of its citizens.
Statements of condolence arrived from national leaders throughout the world. Across the Arab world, governments voiced their sadness and announced official periods of mourning.
'The Kingdom has lost an honorable son and one of its dearest leaders,' Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said. 'History will remember the great and numerous achievements he accomplished for the sake of the holy sites, his people and the nation.'
Abdallah S. Jum'ah, President and Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Aramco said, 'It is with deep regret and sadness that we learned of the passing of King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and on behalf of all of the employees of Saudi Aramco, I would like to express our sincere condolences.
'For more than two decades, Saudi Aramco benefited greatly from King Fahd's unwavering support and was guided by his ambitious vision for the nation's petroleum industry.
'Under his stewardship, Saudi Aramco experienced tremendous development and growth as a company, further enhancing our ability to contribute to the prosperity of the Kingdom and the well-being of its people.'
King Fahd, 82 when he died at a Riyadh hospital, was not only enormously influential in the development of the Kingdom's economy and educational institutions, he also was a steadfast supporter of Saudi Aramco during a period of historic growth, diversification and success as it became a fully integrated international petroleum company with the world's largest reserves.
He was born in 1923 in Riyadh.During his childhood in Riyadh, Fahd studied at a private school for princes and joined the Islamic Institute in Makkah to prepare for future royal duties.
He later studied English and received extensive instruction in politics and literature, and he was reportedly an avid reader of books pertaining to world leaders.
As a young man, he met, on behalf of his father, the leaders of various tribes and worked to resolve their problems.
Fahd's first formal government post was as the Minister of Education, to which he was appointed in 1953.
He was named Minister of the Interior in 1962, and Second Deputy Premier (in addition to his Interior portfolio) in 1967. He was appointed Crown Prince and First Deputy Premier on March 25, 1975. He became the King of Saudi Arabia on June 13, 1982, following the death of the late King Khalid.
As a result of his lifelong interest in reading, King Fahd established the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh and a sister library in Casablanca, Morocco.
He also established the Kingdom's National Festival of Heritage and Culture held annually in Janadriyah, near Riyadh. He also founded the Equestrian Club in Riyadh.
King Fahd steered a pragmatic course through global oil crises, wars and regional political conflicts to bring Saudi Arabia to a preeminent position in world affairs.
During his reign, the Kingdom held the world's largest crude oil reserves, was the largest exporter of crude and natural gas liquids (NGL), and maximum sustained daily oil production capacity was increased by Saudi Aramco to more than 10 million barrels per day (bpd), with projected scenarios from 12-15 million bpd to feed global demand in the future.
While King Fahd was monarch, he supported the strategic diversification of the Kingdom's economy, including harnessing the country's enormous deposits of natural gas - and massive exploration for additional reserves - to provide fuel and feedstock to a burgeoning domestic petro-chemicals industry. The company is now exploring development of major integrated petroleum/petrochemical complexes on both Saudi coasts.
Led by King Fahd, the Kingdom's economy was set on a path toward increasing privatisation and opening up to foreign investment.
On the world stage, one of Fahd's greatest achievements was bringing together Lebanese legislators to Taif in 1989 to hammer out an accord that ended 15 years of civil war.
King Fahd left the Kingdom as one of the Arab world's most modern and prosperous countries. His legacy is one of wise achievement, personal kindness and compassion for his people.
'I will be father to the young, brother to the elderly,' King Fahd once said. 'I am but one of you; whatever troubles you, troubles me; whatever pleases you, pleases me.'
He supervised projects that greatly improved conditions for the more than two million pilgrims who travel annually to the Kingdom to perform Haj.
Under his rule, holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah were greatly expanded to accommodate one million and 500,000 visitors, respectively. And Haj facilities throughout the Makkah area were vastly improved to make the pilgrimage safer and more convenient for the throngs of faithful who converge on the city each year to perform one of Islam's most sacred acts of devotion.
Also during his reign, the Kingdom enjoyed an educational and agricultural transformation, helping to bolster its authority and influence as a regional and international power.
The oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia flourished during King Fahd's 23-year reign. Indeed, the government acquired full ownership of the Arabian American Oil Co (Aramco) in 1980 and changed the company name to the Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) in 1988 to reflect that critical milestone.
Under Fahd's rule, the company appointed its first Saudi president and CEO, Ali Al Naimi.
Major achievements
Following are some important achievements in the oil and gas industry that King Fahd personally supported during his rule:
Giant projects: On January 29, 1983, the king inaugurated Aramco and Petromin oil and gas projects that formed the nucleus of Yanbu' Industrial City.
Aramco 50th anniversary: On May 16, 1983, the king visited Aramco to honour its 50th anniversary, and to inaugurate the Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center.
Birth of Saudi Aramco: On November 8, 1988, the Council of Ministers issued a decree approving the bylaws of the now 100-per cent Saudi-owned Saudi Aramco. The King instructed the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to expand exploration for the benefit of the country.
Master Gas System: Key parts of the massive Master Gas System, built by Saudi Aramco, were fully or nearly completed.
International ventures: In 1988, Saudi Aramco entered its first international joint venture, an agreement between Saudi Aramco and Texaco - Star Enterprise - to establish a joint project for refining oil products and distributing them in the United States.
In 1991, a Saudi Aramco subsidiary buys 35 per cent of SsangYong Oil Refining Co Ltd (now S-Oil Corp) in the Republic of Korea.
In 1996, a Saudi Aramco subsidiary enters a joint venture with Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA and Avinoil Industrial Maritime Oil Co SA in Greece, purchasing a 50 per cent share in Motor Oil (Hellas).
Royal approval was granted in 1994 to finalize the agreement stipulating a Saudi Aramco subsidiary's ownership of 40 per cent of Petron Corp of the Philippines, the Asian country's largest oil refiner and distributor.
Central Province oil discoveries: The first oil discovery in the Central Province was at Al-Hawtah field in 1989, followed by others in the next several years.
Growth horizons: In 1993, royal decree merged the operations of the government's General Organisation for Petroleum and Minerals (Petromin) with Saudi Aramco.
