Personal Info
- Country of residence: Saudi Arabia
Information
Fouad Hamza (Abayeh 1899-1952),
whose name was Fouad bin Amin bin Ali Hamza, and he was also known as Fouad Bey
Hamza, and he was nicknamed “Abu Samer.” He is a Lebanese-Saudi diplomat,
writer and researcher who participated in the politics of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia for more than a quarter of a century, from 1926 until his death.
His birth and upbringing
He was born in the village of Abey,
one of the Lebanese villages in the Aley district of Mount Lebanon Governorate,
in 1899, to a Druze family. He worked as a teacher and educator for generations
in some public schools in Jerusalem and Damascus, and he was distinguished by
his proficiency in the English language at that time, research and
documentation.
An advisor to King Abdul Aziz and a
documenter of the components of Saudi politics
Fouad Hamzah's abilities were
commended by the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when he was introduced
to King Abdulaziz Al Saud by a man at the level of his country, Shukri
Al-Quwatli, who later became President of Syria. He is the first ambassador to
Saudi Arabia, then a minister of state, and he was appointed minister
plenipotentiary in Paris and then Ankara, then he became an advisor to King
Abdulaziz, and he made many trips and diplomatic missions, the most prominent
of which was his travel to the European continent and the United States of
America to introduce the policy and approach of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and participated in a conference chaired by King Abdulaziz Le Pen to negotiate
with King Faisal of Iraq. He also undertook negotiations, formulated
agreements, and assumed the burdens of special missions. He has a true picture
of the personality of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and he has a close relationship
with all the princes of the Saudi house, rulers of regions, and notables.
work and positions
3 Rajab 1345 AH: He worked as an
assistant to the Director of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Al-Damluji, in Makkah
Al-Mukarramah. Researcher Qassim bin Khalaf Al-Ruwais believes that this is the
first job that Fouad Hamza occupied after his arrival to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. In Riyadh, and this information was conveyed by everyone who came after
him. The truth is that the first job he occupied was that of the assistant
director of foreign affairs, Abdullah Al-Damluji, in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and
his appointment there was according to a document published in his memoirs
(vol. 2/540), which is a letter from King Abdul Aziz to Abdul God Damluji on 3
Rajab 1345 AH, that is, after his arrival in the Hijaz, about two weeks only.
Fouad Hamza continued his work as an assistant to the Director of Foreign
Affairs until Al-Damluji resigned in (1928 AD), so he handled the affairs of the
Directorate.
26 Rajab 1349 AH: The Royal Order
was issued to transfer the Directorate of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and to assign the position of the Ministry to Prince Faisal bin
Abdul Aziz in addition to the Public Prosecution, and to appoint Fouad Hamzah
as Undersecretary of the Ministry. He continued as Undersecretary of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs for about nine years.
1358 AH (1939 AD): A royal order was
issued to establish a commission for the Kingdom in Paris and appoint him there
as an extraordinary delegate and minister plenipotentiary. He went there and
presented his credentials in exceptional circumstances, at the beginning of
World War II, about two months ago.
1943 AD: An order was issued
appointing him Minister Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Delegate to the
Republic of Turkey.
Jumada Al-Awwal 6, 1366 AH (March
28, 1947 AD): A royal decree was issued appointing His Excellency Fuad Bey
Hamzah as Minister of State and assigning him to the Ministry of Finance for
construction and urban works and investment companies.
His writings
Among his most important books he
wrote:
The heart of Arabia.
Saudi Arabian country. The first
edition in 1936 and the second edition in 1968.
in the country of Asir. The first
edition in 1951, and the second edition in 1968.
The effects of the Arabian Peninsula
before Islam. It is a manuscript book he wrote before his death.
His books were published after his
death
1- Description of Kemalist Turkey
(1943-1945):
This book is a result of his work in
the Kingdom's commission in Ankara, where he recorded his observations and
observations with precision and care and monitored them in this book, which
remained in manuscript until his son Omar brought it out from the scenes of
oblivion and it was published by Dar Al-Jadeed in 2013 AD.
2 - The memoirs, which Al-Zarkali
referred to in Al-Alam, and they were recently published by the King Abdul Aziz
House in 2016 AD. They are originally diaries, but after publication, large
time gaps appeared in them.
His unpublished books
These are the works that he left in
manuscript, some of which were drafts and some of which were incomplete:
Total about Ismailia and esoteric
teams.
A message about Souk Okaz.
Caliph Omar bin Abdul Aziz: An
incomplete draft.
Al-Yamani-Madhariya: History of the
Arabs before Islam.
Tyranny Dictionary.
The genesis of writing.
Nuggets about Arabia.
Compendium of Roman History.
General history.
My Memoirs from the Arab Countries:
by Suleiman Shafiq Pasha, quoted from Al-Ahram newspaper.
History and civic politics.
Geography of the Mediterranean
region.
The princes of Mecca.
Search in dialects.
The effects of the island before
Islam.
He donated his library, which
contains 1257 titles and includes rare and precious collections of books, to
the King Abdul Aziz House Library, which declared it one of the most important
books gifted to it.
his illness
Fouad Hamzah had a heart disease
since early in his life and before he moved to work in the Saudi government. He
was subjected to heart attacks while performing his duties. A recent book
published by him in 2016 attributed the causes of these heart attacks to his
sincerity in work and thinking about Arab issues, and defending them in
Constant and sometimes intense discussions with politicians and diplomats, in
addition to the anxiety and preoccupation generated by the search for more
information and news. Being an intellectual and historian, he produced a number
of in-depth works.
his death
He died in Beirut, Lebanon, of heart
disease in 1951 at the age of 52, and was buried in his hometown, in the
village of Abey.
After Fouad Hamza's death, Philby
said, "His death was a great loss for Saudi Arabia, the country that
adopted him."
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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