Al Faisaliah Hotel, a Rosewood Hotel turns on glittering show for King Faisal International Prize ceremony

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, received the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, one of the world's most prestigious awards, during the ceremony held at the hotel in March.

Over 1,000 guests including a large number of Royal Princes, VIPs, dignitaries and other guests attended the event at the impressive Prince Sultan Grand Hall at Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel to see King Abdullah receive the award in recognition of his outstanding services to Islam and Muslims at home and abroad.

King Abdullah was presented with the award by HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Director General of The King Faisal Foundation.

"We are absolutely delighted and honoured to be able to host the 30th King Faisal International Prize here at the Al Faisaliah Hotel" said Wolfgang Pachler, Managing Director, Al Faisaliah Hotel.

The Al Faisaliah Banquet and Conference Centre was a fitting venue for the presentation of King Faisal International Prize, which is the most widely known of the philanthropic activities of the King Faisal Foundation, established in 1976 by the eight sons of the late King Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz.

The King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Language and Literature was jointly awarded to Professor Ahmad Matloob Al-Nasiri, Professor of Arabic Rhetoric and Literary Criticism and Acting Chairman of the Iraqi Science Academy, and Tunisian Professor Muhammed Rashad Al-Hamzawi, former Professor of Linguistics and Chairman of the Department of Arabic Language at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.

The King Faisal International Prize for Medicine (Trauma Management) was awarded jointly to Professor Donald D.Trunkey, one of the most influential leaders in the field of trauma management, and fellow American Professor Basil Arthur Pruitt Jr., an internationally renowned clinical leader in burn surgery. The King Faisal International Prize for Science (Biology) was awarded to Germany's Professor Rüdiger Wehner, Professor at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, an outstanding neuroethologist.

The hotel's Prince Sultan's Grand Hall is the Kingdom's largest column-free public space, with a capacity for 4,000 delegates in conference style seating and banquets for 2,800 diners. The magnificent adjacent crystal ballroom, with its marble finishes, custom-woven carpets and spectacular chandeliers, is the grandest in Saudi Arabia.