History Overview of Saudi Arabia
Much of Saudi Arabia history has been influenced by its vast landscapes. The desert is the most outstanding aspect of the Arabian Peninsula, but the country also has long stretches of arid coastline along the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea and several major oases in the Eastern Province. It has a mountainous region in the southwest portion and an area known as the Hedjaz, which is on the northwest Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, and is the home of the holy of city of Mecca . It extends southward to Asir and the Hedjaz contains a low mountainous region that is bordered by the interior desert. The region of central Saudi Arabia is comprised of a rocky plateau sloping eastward from the mountains. This vast central desert region is called the Nejd.
The country is not uniform by any means, and the differences between coastal and desert life have played their part in Saudi Arabia history. Those living on the water have had more contact with people from other areas and have therefore developed a more cosmopolitan outlook than those living in the interior. Jeddah, for example, one of the major cities on the Western peninsula, is known for its ‘freer’ lifestyle. There, you will find Ethiopians, Somalis, Indians and others, some of whom will wear their colorful abayas. They contrast sharply to the black abayas worn by the Saudi women. The Saudi Arabia history is confusing, and the conquering of these varied landscapes goes hand in hand with the tribal wars in Saudi’s history. Nomadic people dotted this landscape, and developed their own form of Islamic practices. Many of these tribes people were peace lovers, and others experimented in herbal medicines, opening their hearts and minds to other religious philosophies. It was the House of Saud and the House of Wahhab that frowned on the adoption of incorporating other religious thought into Islam, believing that theses methodologies and philosophies corrupted the true heart of Islam. They therefore implemented change, enforcing doctrines, beliefs and societal structures. Because of power, greed and the desire for supremacy, many battles ensued over the course of two and a half centuries, and the end result is the Saudi Arabia we know today. To simplify the long and complicated history, and without getting into the detail of the numerous conquerors and the ruthless wars and battles, the basic Saudi Arabia history can be divided into three distinct periods : the first Saudi State, the Second Saudi state and the third and final Saudi State.
The beginning of the statehood began with the rise of two important elements: the Saud dynasty and Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab was a very important historical figure, from the Najd region in the Arab peninsula. He developed a keen interest and appetite for Islamic studies, and studied the Koran and Hadeeth for many years under some noble and distinguished Shieks. Fueled with knowledge from his religious teachings, beliefs and practices, he set out to propagate what he learned, and became a teacher of Islam, himself. He called upon his people to abstain from the erroneous and unauthentic religious practices and follow the original Sharia laws that were embraced and practiced by the first generation of Islam. He preached and taught the multitudes, and soon had a huge following. He criticized and denied polytheistic practices that arose over the decades. He and his followers destroyed the shrines, tombs, and anything that was erected and contrary to the original intent of the Prophet Mohammad.
The sparsely populated Nejd was not only secluded, but poverty-stricken. The majority of the people were restless and unhappy with life as they knew it. Just as the restlessness was at its peak, the Saud family moved in, along with their followers, and the House of Saud and its allies rose to become the dominant state in Arabia, controlling most of the Nejd, but neither coast.
In the early 1700 in Saudi Arabia history, Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahab, conspired with Prince Muhammed Ibn Saud to eliminate Islamic practices of heresy, thus forming the first Saudi state, which lasted for about seventy four years. Ibn Abdul Wahhab and Ibn Saud dynasties were two distinct groups with their own agendas, but both had an insatiable desire to rule and control. The religious doctrine of the Wahhabis provided the people of the Nedj with a perceived purpose, a sense of empowerment, social codes, and hope for a better life.
Saudi- wahhabi religious leaders were ruthless. They recruited the poor and convinced the desperate and destitute to die for them in the name of Allah. They twisted Islamic religious doctrine to promote their cause. They set out to oppress anyone and anything that stood in their way of achieving their goal: to gain ultimate control of the country. The Saudi-Wahhabi soldiers moved throughout the Arabian Peninsula, invading and conquering villages and tribes wherever they went. While their declared objective was to purify and unite Muslims, their actions indicated that their real goal was total dominion over the Arabian Peninsula. Those who resisted the Wahhabi-Saudi religious soldiers, were tortured and killed.
In the height of the Ottoman Empire, foreign leaders were concerned about the growing power of the Saudis. The Saudi peninsula was invaded by the then rulers of Egypt and Sudan, to reconquer the area. Their control was short lived, and the Saudis regained control after a few years, and then formed the second Saudi State.
The final era in Saudi Arabia history, the Third Saudi state was founded by the late King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia. In 1902 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 Hedjaz between 1913 and 1926.
When the numerous tribes and groups were coerced into statehood after the years of invasions, unrest and civil war, the pact between the followers of Ibn Abdul Wahhab and Ibn Saud dynasties was finalized. On January 8, 1926 Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud became the King of Hedjaz. The Treaty of Jeddah, which established the independence of Saudi Arabia from protectorate under the United Kingdom, was signed on May 20, 1927, the United Kingdom recognized the independence of Abdul Aziz's realm (then known as the Kingdom of Hedjaz and Nejd). [It should be noted that Saudi Arabia, unlike other Arab nations in the region, was never under the rule of the United Kingdom]. In 1932, the Hedjaz and Nejd were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, a division of power was finalized. The House of Saud would oversee the economy, politics and security. The Wahhabis were responsible for religious,
social, educational and judicial duties.
The newly formed country was named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after the Saud family.
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