The wife of Saudi Arabia's King Faisal, Effat al-Thunayan, known unofficially as Queen Effat,founded the first private college in Saudi Arabia just before her death in 2000. An early pioneer of women's education in Saudi Arabia, she inspired a generation of women to follow in her footsteps. Yet her life was not easy. She was born into poor circumstances in Turkey, and only by chance met her future husband, a distant relative, while visiting Saudi Arabia with her Aunt. She and her husband King Faisal worked side by side to modernize Saudi Arabia. After his assassination in 1975, she continued to strive to improve women's lives. Founding the college was a lifelong dream. Effat College was recently renamed Effat University. The article first appeared in Saudi Aramco World Magazine, January-February, 2007.

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