RIYADH – Former Shoura Council member and Secretary-General of King Faisal International Prize Dr. Abdullah Al-Othaimeen passed away in Riyadh. He was 80. Funeral prayer for Al-Othaimeen was offered at Al-Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh after Asr prayer Wednesday. On behalf of Adel Al-Turaifi, minister of culture and information, Saud Al-Hazmi, supervisor at the agency for cultural affairs at the ministry, mourned the death of Al-Othaimeen and offered condolences to his bereaved family members. Al-Othaimeen served as secretary-general of King Faisal Prize since 1987 until recently. He also served as member of the Shoura Council from 1999 to 2009. An eminent academic, author and cultural figure, Al-Othaimeen was born in Onaizah in Al-Qassim province in 1936. He obtained his bachelor's degree from King Saud University in Riyadh and secured a doctoral degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His research was related with Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab. Al-Othaimeen served as a lecturer and professor of history at King Saud University for about 27 years. He also attended several seminars, conferences and academic events in the Kingdom and abroad. He has authored several books, including the one about Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab, and many books about the history of modern Saudi Arabia and its unification.
