The Order of Abdulaziz al Saud is a Saudi-Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

n Order of merit

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...

. The order has been named after Abdulaziz Al Saud

Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia

King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....

 who founded the Saudi kingdom and died in 1953.

History

In 1971 the introduction of orders was announced in a decree

Decree

A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...

. The first of the orders was the Great Chain of Badr. The Saudi king, Fons honorum of the orders, confirmed the decree in his Royal Decree. In 1976 the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud was founded.

The Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud

The collar

Collar

Collar may refer to:Human neckwear:*Collar , the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck*Ruff collar*Slave collar*Collar , a device of any material placed around the neck of the submissive partner in BDSM...

 is regarded as a separate order, it is also the highest ranking the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud, unlike the Great Chain of Badr it is awarded to non-moslim heads of state.

The Order of Abdulaziz al Saud

The order is awarded to citizens of Saudi-Arabia and foreigners for merit. The number of Saudi confirments is limited and the have to start their career in the order in the lowest class. A member can be promoted every five years.

There are a Special Class, the "Distinguished First Class" and three other classes corresponding with Grand-Officer, Commander, Officer and Member. The Saudi avoid the word "cross" as in "Grand-Cross".

Literature

• Guy Stair Sainty
  Guy Stair Sainty
  Guy Stair Sainty, KC*SG is an art dealer and author on royal genealogy and heraldry.-Life and education:Guy Stair Sainty was born on 7 December 1950, the eldest son of Christopher Lawrence Sainty and his second wife Virginia Cade Stair. His father was Chief Engineer and Director of Carrier...
  
  en Rafal Heydel-Mankoo, World Orders of Knighthood and Merit" (ISBN 0971196672), Londen 2006.