Saudi Arabia is grieving the loss of a man who didn’t just grow old, he grew alongside history. Nasser bin Radan Al Rashid Al Wadaei, believed to be the country’s oldest citizen, has passed away at an almost unbelievable 142. He was born in the late 1800s, long before the Saudi Arabia we know today even existed. The world he entered was nothing like the one he left behind.He didn’t just count years. He built an entire family across generations. Al Wadaei leaves behind around 134 children and grandchildren, all shaped by very different times. He married three times in his life. His third wife lived with him for 30 years and reached the age of 110. Their daughter is still alive. Two of his three sons survive him, and among his six daughters was one who lived into her 90s. That alone tells you how long and layered his life was.
But it’s the changes he saw that really stop you in your tracks. Al Wadaei lived through the reign of every Saudi king – from King Abdulaziz, who built the modern Kingdom, to today under King Salman. He watched deserts slowly turn into cities. Roads appeared where there were once dirt paths. Electricity, hospitals, oil wealth, and modern technology arrived right before his eyes. Most of us see change over decades. He saw it over a century.To the people around him, he wasn’t just “the old man everyone talked about.” He was known for his faith, his discipline, and how simply he lived. His family says he performed Hajj more than 40 times. Forty. Even regular pilgrims find that hard to believe. They say his long life came down to simple habits and a traditional diet rooted in southern Saudi customs.So when he passed away, people showed up. In large numbers. More than 7,000 gathered in Dhahran Al Janoub for his funeral prayers. That kind of turnout doesn’t happen by accident. Afterward, he was laid to rest in his ancestral village of Al Rashid – the same land where generations of his family began their lives.And as the news spread, Saudi social media filled with messages and memories. Many called him a symbol of faith, strength, and endurance. In a country that has changed at lightning speed, Al Wadaei’s life feels like a quiet anchor – a reminder of where it all began, and how far it’s come, through the story of one remarkable man.
