(CNN)Thousands
gathered in Riyadh on Friday to say farewell to Saudi Arabia's King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a cautious reformer who succeeded in
securing broader freedoms in the conservative kingdom but fell short in
gaining greater independence for women.
Abdullah died early Friday, Riyadh time,
several weeks after the state-run Saudi Press Agency said he was suffering from pneumonia and had been admitted to a hospital. The royal court didn't release an exact cause of death. He was 90.
To
ensure a smooth transition, the kingdom quickly appointed his
79-year-old half-brother, Salman bin Abdulaziz, to the throne. His
half-brother Prince Muqrin, a decade younger, is the new crown prince.
After
Friday afternoon prayers at Riyadh's Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand
Mosque, the body of Abdullah, wrapped in a pale shroud, was carried from
the mosque toward a cemetery, followed by a solemn procession of Saudi
men in traditional dress.
He
was later laid to rest after a simple, swift ceremony. Those present at
the graveside -- the royals closest to the late king -- were then to
move on to a royal palace, where they were to pay their respects to the
new monarch.
Salman was to receive both the Saudi royals and world leaders who come to express their condolences.
Condolences and remembrances poured in from all corners of the globe.
"To
God we belong and indeed to him we shall return," said the homepage of
the English-language Saudi newspaper Arab News on Friday.
Bahrain,
Jordan and the Palestinian territories, among others, declared days of
mourning. The U.N. secretary-general praised Abdullah for his Arab Peace
Initiative to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. And U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden said he would lead a delegation "in the coming days" to pay
respects.
"King Abdullah's life spanned
from before the birth of modern Saudi Arabia through its emergence as a
critical force within the global economy and a leader among Arab and
Islamic nations," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.
Salman urges unity
In
an address to the nation Friday morning -- his first televised
appearance since becoming king -- Salman offered his condolences to the
Saudi people.
"We will, with God's
will and power, adhere to the straight path this country followed since
its establishment by King Abdulaziz and his sons after him, and will not
deviate at all from it, since our constitution is the book of Allah
(Quran) and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed," he said.
He
also spoke of the "desperate need" for unity and solidarity among the
followers of Islam, saying Saudi Arabia would continue to promote that.
He
has already issued six royal decrees Friday, the Saudi Press Agency
reported, including appointing Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz as
the deputy crown prince.
Salman, who
has 1.33 million followers on Twitter but follows no one, has also
changed his Twitter handle from @PrinceSalman to @KingSalman.
A cautious reformer
Abdullah
became king of the oil-rich nation, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East,
in August 2005. But he had been running Saudi Arabia since 1996, after
his half-brother King Fahd's stroke.
In
the context of the kingdom's conservative circles, Abdullah was seen as
a reformer and often came up against more hardline clerics.
Monarchies around the world 34 photos
After
ascending to the throne, Abdullah took steps toward broader freedoms
and invested some of the country's vast oil wealth in large-scale
education and infrastructure projects.
"He
was really quite (an) extraordinary figure. He was probably the most
progressive and liberal-minded king of Saudi Arabia since King Faisal,
which is a long time ago, in the early 1970s," CNN's Fareed Zakaria said
about Abdullah, whom he described as "much loved."
"I
had the opportunity to meet with him once, and what you got a sense of
was somebody who really was determined to move his country forward,"
Zakaria said. "It's a conservative country and a conservative society --
and he kept emphasizing that to me -- but he was very clear in the
direction he wanted to go."
However,
resistance from conservative factions hindered some of his efforts,
leaving many women, in particular, disappointed by a lack of progress
toward greater independence.
What's next?
Under
Abdullah's leadership, the country slowly squashed al Qaeda, capturing
or killing its leaders in the kingdom, forcing the remnants underground
and sidelining radical preachers.
It also took a more prominent role in international affairs.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah 11 photos
Last year, it became the lead Arab nation in a U.S.-led coalition to eradicate the ultraradical ISIS group in Iraq and Syria.
Analysts
are predicting a smooth political transition despite the many
challenges facing Saudi Arabia, including Iran, the rise of ISIS, the
crisis in Yemen and the drop in oil prices.
Saudi
Arabia has 16% of the world's known oil reserves, according to the U.S.
Energy Information Administration. The country is widely seen as the
leader of OPEC and has a large influence on energy prices and political stability in the Middle East.
"Remember,
the last time the price of oil fell like this, the Soviet Union
collapsed," said Zakaria. "That said, the successor is a very competent
man."
He added: "I don't expect any major shift, but it marks a big change, and we'll have to see what the new king is like."
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