King Abdullah will be remembered as a mild reformer and ally of the West
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 91 after ruling the desert nation for a decade.
He came to the throne in August 2005 and quickly gained a reputation for modernisation and cautious economic and social reform.
King Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924 and received a formal religious education at the royal court.
According to the website of the Saudi embassy in the US, he spent years living in the desert with Bedouin tribes which instilled "values of honor, simplicity, generosity and bravery".
In a ruling family known for its excesses, he has set himself apart by opting for retreats at his relatively modest desert camp.
In 1962, Abdullah was appointed to command the National Guard - one of the the three branches of Saudi Arabia's armed forces.
He was named Crown Prince when King Fahd came to the throne in 1982, but became the kingdom's effective ruler 13 years later after his half-brother Fahd suffered a stroke.
Upon succeeding to the crown, he set about curbing excesses within the royal family and tackling corruption. He also liberalised parts of the economy, allowing some private investment and stimulating job growth.
He has taken small steps towards greater equality for women, appointing 30 women to the Shura Council for the first time in 2013, and allowing women to take part in municipal elections for the first time.
King Abdullah was opposed to the pro-democracy protests in during the Arab Spring, and has largely avoided similar uprisings by granting social benefits.
After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, he took on the conservative clergy who had spread an intolerant Islamist message in schools and mosques.
He has travelled widely and has made efforts to build closer relationships with western governments including the US.
But he has also been routinely criticised by human rights groups for not tolerating political opposition or reforming the nation's strict religious legal system.
According to his embassy profile, he loves reading and horsemanship and breeds pure Arabian horses.