The House of Saud: A Brief History of the Family That Owns Saudi Arabia

posted on: Jan 28, 2015

The history of Saudi Arabia and its ruling dynasty are one. The two are inseparable. In fact, the country’s name, Saudi Arabia, means “Saud’s Arabia.”

The House of Saud can trace its history to the founding of a town named Diriyah (now part of the capital city, Riyadh), by a Bedouin chieftain named Mani al Muraidi in the 15th century.

Muraidi’s descendants remained undistinguished rulers of the small town and its surroundings for centuries. Then, in the mid-18th century, his great-great-great-grandson, Sheikh Muhammad bin Saud made an alliance with a pious Muslim Sunni revivalist named Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The two families formally bound their fates together through the marriage in 1744 of Bin Saud’s son, Abdul Aziz, with al-Wahhab’s daughter.

At that point, the two families, now united in strength, began a holy way to purify Arabia of the various Muslim sects that had splintered off from orthodox Sunni Islam over the years since the death of Muhammad (in the year 632).

Blood and brotherhood

By sword and alliances, Abdul Aziz managed to gain loose control over most of the Arabian peninsula and even beyond, founding what is known as the First Saudi State. The state, centered in Diriyah, was ruled by his male line, which from then on called themselves Al Saud – (the House of Saud), after Abdul Aziz’s father. (Saud is simply a Quranic given name, meaning “happy” or “blessed”.)

The First Saudi State reached its zenith under the grandson of its founder, Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad. He was assassinated in 1803, then shortly after his accession to the throne, his son and successor Abdullah bin Saud found himself facing a joint Egyptian-Ottoman invasion. In 1818 his armies were defeated, his capital of Diriyah was sacked, and he was taken to Istanbul, where he was beheaded. Thus ended the First Saudi State.

However, a Second Saudi State would soon follow, though it would prove less illustrious. In 1821, Abdullah bin Saud’s son Turki managed to stage a successful revolt. He formed a small kingdom centered on Diriyah, and established the city of Riyadh by it as his new capital.

But Turki was to be assassinated in 1834 and the kingdom, beset by civil war, assassinations and and attacks by the Al Rashid clan, a rival to the Sauds, barely stayed together.

In 1887 Turki’s grandson Abdul Rahman bin Faisal managed to wrest control of the kingdom and its capital Riyadh from his bickering kinfolk – only to be defeated in the Battle of Mulayda by the Rashids in 1891.

Source: www.haaretz.com