Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah
Emir of Kuwait in 2006
Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah (Arabic: سعد العبد الله السالم الصباح, romanized: Saʿad al-ʿAbdullāh as-Sālim as-Sabāh) (13 May 1930 – 13 May 2008) was the Emir of Kuwait from 15 January 2006, succeeding Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, until abdicating nine days later on 24 January. Prior to that he had been Prime Minister of Kuwait from 1978 to 2006.
Saad was a general commander in the Military of Kuwait; in addition, the first to head the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior until 16 February 1978 and the first military officer to head the Ministry of Defense since 1964.
Early life
Saad, who was born in 1930, belonged to the Al-Salem branch of the Al-Sabah family and was eldest son of Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who ruled Kuwait from 1950 to 1965.
His mother is Ethiopian and he had two younger paternal half-brothers; Sheikh Khalid and Sheikh Ali. His youngest brother Sheikh Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah is a governor. He attended the Mubarakiya school in Kuwait and Hendon Police College in North London.
Early career
Saad debuted his career as the first military officer to head the ministry of interior and ministry of defense in 1962 and 1964, respectively. He served as the general commander of the Directorate of Public Security Force and the Directorate of Police from 1961 to 1962. Following the formation of the 3rd government on 6 December 1964; Saad was appointed both minister of interior and of defense simultaneously and held both posts until 1978.
“Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah” enters the record as emir of Kuwait in 2006. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Saad, Al-Salim and Al-Sabah can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Saad, Al-Salim and Al-Sabah provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q313661. VIAF identifies the subject as 285083708. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1930, 2008, 2006 and 1978.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah primary sources, Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah archive and Saad research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.