Saudi King Abdullah dies, succeeded by half-brother

Salman, born in December 1935, is the 25th son of the desert kingdom's founder Abdulaziz bin Saud who conquered his rivals and welded disparate regions of the Arabian Peninsula into a kingdom in 1932.

For almost five decades, Salman served as governor of Riyadh province, home to the capital city. Since 2011, he has been minister of defense following the death of his brother Prince Sultan.

He was appointed as crown prince in 2012 after the death of Saudi Arabia's heir apparent and interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Since becoming heir to the throne, Salman, who also served as interior minister, has been chairing cabinet meeings for several months and paid a series of visits to Western and Asian nations.