King Abdulaziz University (KAU) (Arabic: جامعة الملك عبد العزيز) is a public university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was established in 1967 as a private university, by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Abu Bakr Bakhashab and including writer Hamza Bogary. In 1974, King Abdulaziz University was converted to a public university by a decision of the Council Ministers of Saudi Arabia under then-King Faisal's orders. In 2021, it is ranked the #1 Arab university by Times Higher Education. King Abdulaziz University has been placed in the top 200 universities in the world by four major ranking tables.