1920
1930
A world of opportunity
Sheikh Ahmed is born at a time of limitless potential for Saudi Arabia
Born into one of the region’s most distinguished families, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Juffali enjoyed a comfortable childhood and a good education. This beginning allowed him to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the soon-to-be formed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and make an indelible mark on his nascent and ambitious country.
Ahmed Abdullah Al-Juffali was born in the holy city of Mecca in 1924, at a time when the region was ruled by different tribes who were often in conflict with each other.
When Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (later known as Ibn Saud) captured Riyadh in 1902, he set his sights on unifying the region and forming a modern Saudi state. Ibn Saud solidified his control and gained religious and political legitimacy when his forces captured Mecca in 1924, and when Medina followed in 1925 and the Eastern Provinces two years after that, Ibn Saud was able to declare the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
He introduced a central government, implemented Sharia Law, and initiated a program of modernization that would see roads, hospitals, and schools built throughout the country.
For a young Ahmed, it was an exciting time to grow up, especially in the luxurious surroundings of his family's home in the centre of Mecca. As members of the Bani Khalid dynasty - a tribal confederation that once ruled southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Eastern Arabia, descended from of the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) esteemed general, Khālid ibn al-Walīd - the Al-Juffalis possessed great wealth thanks to their distinguished lineage.
It meant that Ahmed and his brothers were fortunate to be homeschooled to a high-level, as financiers, merchants, and scholars would help to tutor the boys alongside their mother, Madawi bint Ibrahim Al Obeid.
With internal conflicts in the Kingdom largely resolved, a new Saudi generation dreamt of endless possibilities for a brighter future. And when Ahmed became fluent in English alongside his native Arabic, it was only a matter of time before he set his sights further afield.
