SAUDI ARABIA

The story behind the portrait of the founding King, Abdulaziz

By Nader Al-Enizi Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — As part of Saudi royal traditions, a portrait of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, always looms large just behind where the incumbent King is seated. During the virtual extraordinary G20 summit held in Riyadh on Thursday, a portrait of King Abdulaziz , which was made sometime in the 1930s when the late founder was embarking on an expedition for unification of the country, was chosen for the occasion. It showed the late founder wearing the Saudi head gear “Shmaagh” tied around his face, from head to chin, a