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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Muslim leaders and Saudi princes bade farewell to King Fahd on Tuesday, saying prayers in a jammed mosque and then burying him in an unmarked desert grave in keeping with the kingdom's austere version of Islam.
Mourners -- all men from the Saudi royal family, some carrying brightly colored umbrellas to ward off the punishing sun -- crowded into the barren al-Oud cemetery, a desert plain with small patches of brush among simple piles of dirt and small uninscribed stones marking the graves. Snipers kept watch from nearby buildings.
The body of Fahd, who died Monday at age 84, was wrapped in his own brown abaya cloak as it was lowered into the grave by members of his family.
Satellite TV stations seen across the Arab world, many of them owned by Saudi businessmen, carried live coverage of the funeral after a day of tributes to Fahd's life.
Mourners packed the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque to say prayers for the man who led this oil-rich country for almost a quarter century.
Fahd's body was carried in on a wooden plank by his sons and placed in the middle of the mosque amid a crowd of thousands, including his successor, King Abdullah. Some people had tears in their eyes as the special prayer for the dead began.
The mourners stood, raising their arms and chanting ''Allahu akbar'' -- ''God is great'' -- during the two-minute prayer. Afterward, Fahd's body was carried to an ambulance for a procession of cars to the cemetery.
After the burial, Abdullah went to the royal court, where Saudis and foreign dignitaries filed by to express condolences, shake his hands and kiss his cheeks. On Wednesday, the new king will hold audiences with Saudis pledging their allegiance to him in a traditional investiture ceremony.
Non-Muslims were not allowed at the ceremony. Heads of state and delegations from Western nations, including Britain's Prince Charles, French President Jacques Chirac and a U.S. delegation, were expected to attend Wednesday's events. The makeup of the U.S. delegation was not announced.
The funeral rites were stark and simple despite the presence of royals, including Jordan's King Abdullah II, the emirs of Persian Gulf nations and the sultan of Brunei, and the presidents of Islamic and Arab powerhouses like Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari also attended.
The ceremony was not officially a state funeral, because the kingdom's strict version of Islam known as Wahhabism stresses the equality of all people in death.
Wahhabis also discourage visiting graves, as is common in other Muslim cultures, and frown on public displays of grief. The only sign of mourning in the streets of Riyadh were a few small condolence signs put up by foreigners.
Security was tight throughout the capital, with hundreds of police deploying in and around the mosque during the prayer for the dead. Shops and roads in a 650-foot radius around the mosque were closed and police used dogs and X-ray devices to check cars.
Saudi Arabia has been on high alert for terror attacks the past two years amid a crackdown on Islamic militants allied to Saudi dissident and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who has vowed to topple the ruling family for its close ties to the United States.
Stability is a major concern for this U.S. ally. Abdullah has taken small steps toward political reform -- including elections earlier this year for local councils -- but he faces popular pressure for greater change.
Before the prayer for the dead, Abdullah sat in a chair in the mosque, with Saudis and heads of state -- including Iraq's Kurdish president and Shiite Muslim prime minister -- greeting him. Some kissed Abdullah's right shoulder in a traditional sign of respect; others kissed his cheeks or shook his hand.
Arab and Islamic leaders mingled with the Saudi princes in the mosque, who were decked out in red headdresses, finely pressed white robes, and their best brown and black cloaks, embroidered with gold and doused with perfumes.
Saudis flocked to express their condolences and their allegiance to Abdullah, Fahd's half brother. Abdullah took the throne after Fahd's death in a smooth succession that suggested the sprawling royal family was unified in the need to show stability in the first change in the monarchy in 23 years.
Well-wishers lined up at the palaces of provincial governors across the country to pledge loyalty to Abdullah, who had been the kingdom's de facto ruler since Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995.
''Saudi Arabia bids farewell to King Fahd on his way to paradise,'' proclaimed a large front-page headline on the daily Al-Jazeera.
Saudi and pan-Arab newspapers were packed with poems and tributes to the late king and vows of loyalty to Abdullah. Businessmen, government agencies and private individuals took out full page -- or even two-page -- advertisements with their condolences, with large photos of the late monarch.
''It is a sad day for us but (the loss of Fahd) is a harsh reality that we have to face,'' said Khaled Saleh, a 30-year-old hotel customer relations manager.
Another Riyadh resident, Abdullah al-Dokry, 30, said he was ''worried about the future of our country'' and said ''more energetic people are needed to take us into the future.'' Abdullah is 81 and his successor as crown prince, half brother Sultan, is 77.
''These are tough times for us,'' said al-Dokry.
For now, Abdullah's accession smooths over a potential long-term rivalry between him and the circle of Fahd's full brothers known as the Sudairi Seven, after their mother. All are sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, but he had numerous wives.
Under Fahd, the Sudairi Seven dominated some of the government's most powerful posts. While they will stay in their positions, the next generation of royals -- Abdul-Aziz's grandsons -- are looking for position, with an eye on the still unclear succession in the years ahead when Abdullah and Sultan's aging generation moves aside.
One key post that may be the focus of dealmaking and contention in is the intelligence minister, a powerful position empty since January in which Abdullah may want to install a loyalist.