History

Famed as the birthplace of Islam with the holy cities of Mecca, Medina and Jedda, the modern state was founded by Saudi Arabia's first king, Ibn Saud, leader of the fundamentalist Wahhabi sect, who by 1932 had united the four tribal provinces of Hejaz, Asir, Najd and AI Hasa. Since the discovery of oil in the 1930s, Saudi Arabia has become the world's leading oil exporter. King Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Saud became both head of state and Prime Minister in 1982. He was succeeded by his brother Crown Prince Abdullah in 2005.

Early History

People of various cultures have lived in the Arabian Peninsula over a span of more than 5,000 years. The Dilmun culture, along the Persian Gulf coast, was contemporaneous with the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians, and most of the empires of the ancient world traded with the states of the peninsula.

Except for a few major cities and oases, the harsh climate historically prevented much settlement of the Arabian Peninsula. The earliest known events in Arabian history are migrations from the peninsula into neighbouring areas. About 3500 BC, Semitic-speaking peoples of Arabian origin migrated into the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia and became the Assyro-Babylonians. Some archaeologists argue that another group of Semites left Arabia about 2500 BC during the Early Bronze Age and settled along the Levant, mixing in with the local populations there, becoming the Amorites and Canaanites of later times. Some archaeologists argue that the migration instead came from the northern Levant.

The rise of Islam in the 620s AD, and the subsequent religious importance of the Arabian cities of Mecca (Makkah) and Medina (two of the holiest places in Islam), have given the rulers of this territory significant influence beyond the peninsula.

1744-1818: First Saudi State

The First Saudi State was established in 1744 when leader Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abd al Wahhab settled in Diriyah and Prince Mohammed Ibn Saud agreed to support and espouse his cause, with a view to cleansing the Islamic faith from distortions. The House of Saud rose to become the dominant state in Arabia controlling most of the Nejd.

The rulers of the first Saudi state were:

• 1726-1765: Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud
• 1765-1803: Imam Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohammed Ibn Saud
• 1803-1814: Imam Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohammed Ibn Saud (Saud Al Kabeer)
• 1814-1818: Imam Abdullah bin Saud

This Saudi state lasted for about seventy-five years. Concerned at the growing power of the Saudis, the Ottoman Sultan instructed Mohammed Ali Pasha to re-conquer the area. Ali sent his sons Tusun Pasha and Ibrahim Pasha who were successful in routing the Saudi forces in 1818.

It would only be a few years before the Sauds would return to power, forming the Second Saudi State.

1824-1891: Second Saudi State

After a rebuilding period following the ending of the First Saudi State, the House of Saud returned to power in the Second Saudi State in 1824. The state lasted until 1891 when it succumbed to the Al Rashid dynasty of Ha'il.

The rulers of the second state were:

• 1819-1819: Amir Mushari ibn Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz
• 1819-1820: Amir Turki ibn Abdallah ibn Muhammad (first time)
• 1824-1834: Amir Turki ibn Abdallah ibn Muhammad (second time)
• 1834-1834: Amir Mushari ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Mushari
• 1834-1838: Amir Faisal ibn Turki ibn Abdallah (first time)
• 1838-1841: Amir Khalid ibn Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz
• 1841-1843: Amir Abdallah ibn Thunayyan ibn Ibrahim
• 1843-1865: Amir Faisal ibn Turki (second time)
• 1865-1871: Amir Abdallah ibn Faisal ibn Turki (first time)
• 1871-1871: Amir Saud ibn Faisal ibn Turki (first time)
• 1871-1873: Amir Abdallah ibn Faisal ibn Turki (second time)
• 1873-1875: Amir Saud ibn Faisal ibn Turki (second time)
• 1875-1876: Amir Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki (first time)
• 1876-1889: Amir Abdallah ibn Faisal ibn Turki (third time)
• 1889-1891: Amir Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki (second time)

1902 - Present: Third Saudi State

The Third Saudi state was founded by the late King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (known internationally as Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud).

In 1902 Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud captured Riyadh, the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital, from the rival Al-Rashid family. Continuing his conquests, Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Hasa, the rest of Nejd, and the Hejaz between 1913 and 1926. On January 8, 1926 Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud became the King of Hejaz. On January 29, 1927 he took the title King of Nejd (his previous Nejdi title was Sultan). By the Treaty of Jeddah, signed on May 20, 1927, the United Kingdom recognised the independence of Abdul Aziz's realm (then known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd). In 1932, these regions were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The discovery of oil on March 3, 1938 transformed the country.

Boundaries

Boundaries with Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait were established by a series of treaties negotiated in the 1920s, with two 'neutral zones' created, one with Iraq and the other with Kuwait. In 1965, there was an exchange of territories between Saudi Arabia and Jordan in which Jordan gave up a relatively large area of inland desert in return for a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba. The Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone was administratively partitioned in 1971, with each state continuing to share the petroleum resources of the former zone equally. Tentative agreement on the partition of the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was reached in 1981, and partition was finalised in 1983.

The country's southern boundary with Yemen was partially defined by the 1934 Treaty of Taif, which ended a brief border war between the two states. A June 2000 treaty further delineated portions of the boundary with Yemen.

The location and status of Saudi Arabia's boundary with the United Arab Emirates is not final; a de facto boundary reflects a 1974 agreement. The border between Saudi Arabia and Qatar was resolved in March 2001. The border with Oman also is not demarcated.

1950s to 1970s

King Abdul Aziz died in 1953 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Saud, who reigned for 11 years. In 1964, Saud was forced to abdicate in favour of his half-brother, Faisal, who had served as Foreign Minister. Because of fiscal difficulties, King Saud had been persuaded in 1958 to delegate direct conduct of Saudi Government affairs to Faisal as Prime Minister; Saud briefly regained control of the government in 1960-62. In October 1962, Faisal outlined a broad reform program, stressing economic development. Proclaimed King in 1964 by senior royal family members and religious leaders, Faisal also continued to serve as Prime Minister. This practice has been followed by subsequent kings.

The mid-1960s saw external pressures generated by Saudi-Egyptian differences over Yemen. When civil war broke out in 1962 between Yemeni royalists and republicans, Egyptian forces entered Yemen to support the new republican government, while Saudi Arabia backed the royalists. Tensions subsided only after 1967, when Egypt withdrew its troops from Yemen.

Saudi forces did not participate in the Six-Day (Arab-Israeli) War of June 1967, but the government later provided annual subsidies to Egypt, Jordan and Syria to support their economies. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Saudi Arabia participated in the Arab oil boycott of the United States and Netherlands. A member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia had joined other member countries in moderate oil price increases beginning in 1971. After the 1973 war, the price of oil rose substantially, dramatically increasing Saudi Arabia's wealth and political influence.

In 1975, King Faisal was assassinated by a nephew, who was executed after an extensive investigation concluded that he acted alone. Faisal was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid as King and Prime Minister; their half-brother Prince Fahd was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. King Khalid empowered Crown Prince Fahd to oversee many aspects of the government's international and domestic affairs. Economic development continued rapidly under King Khalid, and the kingdom assumed a more influential role in regional politics and international economic and financial matters.

1980s

In June 1982, King Khalid died, and Fahd became King and Prime Minister in a smooth transition. Another half-brother, Prince Abdullah, Commander of the Saudi National Guard, was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. King Fahd's brother, Prince Sultan, the Minister of Defence and Aviation, became Second Deputy Prime Minister. Under King Fahd, the Saudi economy adjusted to sharply lower oil revenues resulting from declining global oil prices. Saudi Arabia supported neutral shipping in the Persian Gulf during periods of the Iran-Iraq war and aided Iraq's war-strained economy. King Fahd played a major part in bringing about the August 1988 cease-fire between Iraq and Iran and in organising and strengthening the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of six Persian Gulf states dedicated to fostering regional economic cooperation and peaceful development.

1990-91: Persian Gulf War

In August 1990, Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait. Iraqi troops began massing on the border of Kuwait and some feared that they were about to invade Saudi Arabia. King Fahd allowed American and Coalition soldiers to be stationed in Saudi Arabia to counter the Iraqi threat. Many Muslims were angered by this move, because it allowed foreign armies to be stationed in their holiest land.

King Fahd played a key role before and during the 1991 Persian Gulf War: Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. King Fahd's action also consolidated the coalition of forces against Iraq and helped define the tone of the operation as a multilateral effort to re-establish the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait. Acting as a rallying point and personal spokesman for the coalition, King Fahd helped bring together his nation's GCC allies, Western allies, and Arab allies, as well as non-aligned nations from Africa and the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. He used his influence as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to persuade other Arab and Islamic nations to join the coalition.

During the Persian Gulf War, Iraq fired Scud missiles into Saudi Arabia and even penetrated its northern border. These attacks were repelled, and Iraqi forces were expelled from Kuwait. American forces as well as some multinational contingents continued to occupy bases in the kingdom.

Post-War Terrorism

The stationing of Western troops angered many Muslims, and led radicals to declare a religious war against the United States. One of these was Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi expelled in 1991 after he voiced opposition to the monarchy, and a key ally of the United States in the early Soviet war in Afghanistan.

The foreign military presence caused militants to orchestrate attacks inside Saudi Arabia. In November 1995, a Saudi National Guard base was bombed, killing seven people. In June 1996, a truck bomb killed 19 American servicemen at the Khobar towers in Al-Khobar.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, it became known that 15 of the 19 suspected hijackers were Saudi. The Saudi government pledged their support to the War on Terror, and vowed to try to eliminate militant elements.

However, in May 2003, an insurgency in Saudi Arabia began, believed to be conducted by al-Qaeda affiliates. This consisted mainly of attacks on foreigners in an attempt to expel them from the country and damage the Saudi government. While the number of attacks dropped significantly in 2005, they exposed the vulnerability of the country.

Concern was also voiced over the large numbers of Saudis fighting American soldiers in Iraq following the 2003 invasion. It was suspected that these fighters, many of them young, had become radicalized in Saudi mosques and were travelling to Syria and then into Iraq.

2005: Death of Fahd

King Fahd suffered a stroke in November 1995, and died in July 2005. He was succeeded by his brother Crown Prince Abdullah, who had handled most of the day-to-day operations of the government.