Saudi Arabia says King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died in hospital reportedly of pneumonia, and his brother Salman has been named his successor.  State-run television cut to the recitation of Koranic versus, as is the custom on Saudi TV with the death of a member of the royal family. 

“His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1:00 AM this morning,” read the statement from the Saudi royal family early this morning.  Abdullah apparently was admitted to hospital on 31 December. 

Abdullah is believed to have been about 90 years old.  His body will be washed in the Islamic tradition and taken to the main Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh for funeral prayers. The body will then taken to the Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh for burial at 3:15 PM Friday local time, after the Third Prayers.

His successor King Salman is believed to be about 79-years old – but like his predecessor, personal details are strangely absent.  Salman takes charges of the wealthy oil kingdom that positions itself as the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, at a moment of unprecedented turmoil across the Middle East. 

Salman had been crown prince and defense minister since 2012.  It’s believed he will continue Saudi Arabia’s policies, including its alliance with the United States and the West, balancing it with deference to the extreme form of Islam called Wahhabism.  

But Oil is the thing everyone thinks of when it comes to Saudi Arabia.  And it remains to be seen if King Salman will continue to pump oil at the current rate which has brought down crude prices at the expense of the economies of Russia, Venezuela, and Iran.