King Khalid Building

Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎ Khalid ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd; 13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982) was King of Saudi Arabia from 25 March 1975 to his death.Khalid was one of the sons of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. He served as viceroy of the Hejaz region for a brief time in the 1930s. Khalid represented Saudi Arabia abroad as a diplomat. He visited the United States in 1943, establishing relations between the two countries. Khalid was appointed as the deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia in 1962, and his brother King Faisal named him as crown prince in 1965.Following the murder of King Faisal, Khalid ascended to the throne. His reign saw both huge developments in the country due to increase in oil revenues and significant events in the Middle East. In 1979, a group of civilians seized the Grand Mosque of Mecca and sought but failed to kidnap Khalid. Saudi forces regained control over the mosque, but the seizure resulted in the introduction of stricter religious policies in Saudi Arabia. King Khalid died in 1982 and was succeeded by his brother Fahd.Khalid succeeded to the throne on 25 March 1975 when King Faisal was assassinated. He was proclaimed king after a meeting of senior members of Al Saud: his uncle Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman and his elder brothers Prince Mohammed, Prince Nasser, Prince Saad and younger brothers Prince Fahd and Prince Abdullah. The meeting occurred just hours after the assassination of King Faisal. King Khalid also became the de facto prime minister of Saudi Arabia.Although there are various reports stating that King Khalid was only a figurehead during his reign, he was in fact not a figurehead, but the final decision-maker on all major policy issues during his reign. Because King Faisal established a system in which the king was the final mediator in family problems. For instance, King Khalid reduced Sudairi Seven's power concerning succession in 1977 when he was in London for treatment. Following the unsuccessful attempt of Sudairi Seven to overthrow King Khalid and to install Prince Sultan as deputy crown prince instead of Prince Abdullah he asked Crown Prince Fahd and Prince Abdullah to fully obey the existing succession plan without any change.In addition, King Khalid was not an ineffective leader. Although he seemed to be reluctant to rule the country initially, he later warmed to the throne and displayed an apparent interest in improving the education, health-care and infrastructure of the country during his seven-year reign. In fact, during the first two years of his reign he was not active due to his poor health condition. However, later he became much more active in politics as a result of his much better health.King Khalid is also considered to have been a genial caretaker during his reign. However, he failed to monopolize the power during his reign, leading to the empowerment of the princes who had been in powerful posts in late King Faisal's reign. He had some personal characteristics that made him a respected king. He was admired as an honest man who managed to have good relations with the traditional establishment of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, he was granted support by other princes and powerful forces of the country. Ghadah Alghunaim, a board member of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, argues in her doctoral dissertation that his reign is known as the Saudi golden era and the era of goodness.

الله يرحمه ويغفر له..

I was at the venue for a business seminar. Good location (only 10 mins walk from Waverley Train Station) lecture theatre was comfortable and had good AV facilities. Catering was spot on. Attentive staff, quality buffet... chicken and leek pies were spot on. Can't comment on the cost as I was a delegate. But I noticed that they are a wedding venue also.

Near surgeon's hall museumSpace meant mainly for conference and events. Have free WiFi.

Plush lecture theatre

Excellent venue