Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – By Cancillería Argentina – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrecic-argentina/45363322135/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81110649

Originally a sheikhdom ruled by local sheikhs, Kuwait became a British Protectorate in 1899. The sheikhs still had power during the British Protectorate. Kuwait was granted independence in 1961 and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 11th Ruler of Kuwait became the first Emir of Kuwait. The rulers of Kuwait belong to the House of Al-Sabah.

The Emir of Kuwait is nominated by a family council headed by prominent members of the family. The Crown Prince of Kuwait is also nominated by the family council and must be a senior member of the House of Al-Sabah. Both the Emir and the Crown Prince must be approved by the Kuwaiti parliament.

Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait was born on June 25, 1937, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He is the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 10th Ruler of Kuwait from 1944 – 1950 and Al-Yamamah. Nawaf grew up at Dasman Palace in Kuwait City with the sons and grandsons of his father. He was educated at the Al Mubarakiyya School, established in 1911 as one of Kuwait’s first modern educational institutions. Afterward, he attended university in the United Kingdom.

Nawaf married Sharifah Suleiman Al-Jasem in the 1950s. They had four sons and one daughter:

  • Ahmed bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1956), married Sheikha Basma bint Mubarak, had two sons and three daughters
  • Faisal bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1957, married Hana‘an, née Al-Badr, had two sons and two daughters
  • Abdullah bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1958), married ?, had four daughters
  • Salem bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1960), married ?, had two sons and two daughters
  • Shekha bint Nawaf Al-Sabah, married Skeikh Jabir bin Duaij Al-Sabah, had three sons and one daughter
Embed from Getty Images 
Kuwaiti Interior Minister Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah attending a meeting of interior ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council states in October 2004

Before he became Emir, Nawaf was one of the most senior members of the House of Al-Sabah and served Kuwait in various capacities since 1962. Nawaf has played an important role in establishing programs that support national unity in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – except Iraq.  In Kuwait, Nawaf worked to encourage Kuwaiti youth to serve in all levels of government including the Kuwait National Guard, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of the Interior.

Nawaf bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah served in the following positions in the government of Kuwait:

  • Governor of Hawali (1962-1978)
  • Minister for the Interior (1978-1988, 2003-2006)
  • Minister for Defense (1988-1991, 1992-1994)
  • Minister for Social Affairs and Labor (1991-1992)
  • Deputy Chief of the National Guard (1994-2003)
  • First Deputy Prime Minister (2003-2006)
  • Crown Prince (2006-2020)

Upon the death of his half-brother Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was named by the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers as his successor. During a special session of the National Assembly on September 30, 2020, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait, took the constitutional oath as Emir of Kuwait.

Funeral of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

In 2021, it was reported that Nawaf had received treatment in the United States for an unspecified medical condition. On November 29, 2023, Nawaf was admitted to the hospital following an emergency health issue. Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait died on December 16, 2023, aged 86. Nawaf’s half-brother Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, succeeded as Emir of Kuwait. After a funeral for family only at the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Nawaf was buried at Sulaibikhat Cemetery in Kuwait City.

Burial site of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. نواف الأحمد الجابر الصباح. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD> [Accessed 30 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawaf_Al-Ahmad_Al-Jaber_Al-Sabah> [Accessed 30 September 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Genealogy Of Kuwait – Al-Sabah Dynasty. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Kuwait/kuwait14.htm> [Accessed 30 September 2020].