Hey fellow adventurers! I hope I can cover Saudi Arabia’s history justly! If you feel anything needs expanding upon, please feel free to tell me in the comment section below! And as always, I highly encourage you to look deeper into anything in this post that interests you. And for those of you living in the United States, Happy Labor Day! I hope you’re enjoying your extended weekend!
For much of the history of the Arabian Peninsula, tribal rulers controlled most of the territory. In 570 CE, the prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca. In 622 CE, he moved to Medina and began to unite the tribes of Arabia under the banner of Islam. To this day, Mecca and Medina remain the most spiritually important places in the Muslim world.
In the 19th century CE, the Al Saud family fought nomadic tribes for territory within the Arabian Peninsula, especially the Rashidi family. In 1902, Abd-al-Aziz Bin-Abd-al-Rahman Bin-Faysal Bin-Turki Bin-Abdallah Bin-Muhammad Al Saud (often known as Ibn Saud) took control of Riyadh and gave the Saudi family the upper hand. In 1912, the Ikhwan (Brotherhood) was founded based on Wahhabism and promised to help Ibn Saud conquer the Arabian Peninsula. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Saud family started gaining more and more territory, until they finally took the holy cities, Mecca and Medina in 1925. In 1928, the Ikhwan turned against the Saudi family after the family welcomed non-Muslims into the territory and tried to modernize the region, and were defeated in 1930. In 1932, all the territories are united into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Ibn Saud crowned King.
Eureka! In 1938, oil is discovered and production begins under the US-controlled Aramco (the Arabian American Oil Company). In 1960, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran founded the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) whose mission is to “coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets, in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return on capital for those investing in the petroleum industry.” In 1972, Saudi Arabia gains 20% of Aramco, and in 1980 they take full control of Aramco so the US can’t control the oil in Saudi Arabia. In 1973, Saudi Arabia boycotts the western countries that supported Israel in the October war, quadrupling gas prices.
In 1981, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates founded the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with the intention to strengthen relations amongst participating countries and promote cooperation amongst the countries’ citizens. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait which Saudi Arabia quickly condemned and requested the assistance of the United States to defeat Iraq. The United States responded by stationing troops in Saudi Arabia so they could push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. However, removing the presence of American troops once the war ended became one of the main goals of Al-Qaeda (a terrorist group consisting of mostly Saudi citizens).
In the 1990’s, Al-Qaeda increases the number of terrorist incidents against western targets. All this eventually escalates and leads to the attacks of September 11th, 2001 in which 15 out of the 19 terrorists were Saudi nationalists (I’ll cover this subject in greater depth later). In which King Fahd’s response is to state that they need to work on the eradication of terrorism. In 2003, the United States pulls almost all their troops out of Saudi Arabia. King Fahd gives the Consultative Council (a legislative body that represents individual districts) more power, allowing them to propose legislation without his permission.
Once again, there’s an increase in Al-Qaeda related terrorist attacks as Saudi Arabia fights back against extremism. In 2007, the religious police are banned from detaining subjects. Starting in 2009, major reforms started to take place including the first woman minister, the sacking of the head of the religious police and the act of modernizing the government. The Arab Spring (protests due to deep seated resentment of the aging Arab ruler class, unemployment and corruption within the government) came to Saudi Arabia in 2011. This helped lead to an increase in women protests (protesting not only about that but also against things like the ban that states women aren’t allowed to drive). These protests weren’t effective in bringing about change. In response King Fahd announces an increase in welfare spending, his intent on creating more jobs and the intention to grant more rights to women. In 2012, women were allowed to compete in the Olympics, and in 2013 women are added to the Consultative Council for the first time.
In 2013, Saudi Arabia rejects an offer for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council because King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud believed that the UN was not doing enough to help Syria. Meanwhile, they continue to tighten laws against terrorists, labelling Islamic groups as terrorist organizations and banning any funding and/or support for those organizations listed; as well as participating with other Arab states in airstrikes against Islamic state militants. The government approves for far reaching reforms to diversify the economy away from oil. This year, Saudi Arabia sparks a diplomatic crisis by leading an air, land and sea blockade by Arab countries, to get Qatar to cut its alleged connections with terrorism and distance itself from Iran.
The past and present kings of Saudi Arabia:
- Ibn Saud (1932-1952): he fought for the territory that is now Saudi Arabia, ruled as king for 21 years and started a large-scale oil production that made his family rich.
- Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1953-1964): a lot of people gave him a hard time because when the Saud debt began piling up, rather than cut back on his lavish lifestyle, he cut government programs instead and was eventually forced by his family to abdicate the throne.
- Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1964-1975): he was known for rescuing the country’s finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform before being assassinated by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid in 1975.
- Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1975-1982): he showed an interest in improving the education, health-care and infrastructure of the country but failed to monopolize the power during his reign and was unsuccessful.
- Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1982-2005): he was a supporter of the United Nations and spent a lot of money on improving religious education for his country.
- Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2005-2015): he maintained strong relations with other countries, gave women the right to vote for municipal councils and to compete in the Olympics, and maintained the status quo during the Arab Spring.
- Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2015-?): he is the current king of Saudi Arabia and has so far ordered the bombing of Yemen and has lost support after the Mina Stampede in 2015 when over 2,400 people died during their Hajj pilgrimage.
If you prefer videos, please feel free to check out this short animation:
That wraps us this history portion. Thank you all for reading my blog! Until our next adventure! 😊
Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening.
I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this content together.
I once again find myself personally spending a
lot of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was
still worth it!
These are truly fantastic ideas in about blogging.
You have touched some pleasant things here. Any way keep up wrinting.
I have learn several good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting.
I wonder how much attempt you put to create this type of magnificent
informative website.
It is actually a great and helpful piece of information. I
am satisfied that you shared this useful information with
us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article. I like to write a little comment to
support you.
Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to
assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying
to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m
not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share.
Many thanks!
I have read so many posts regarding the blogger lovers except
this article is genuinely a nice piece of writing, keep
it up.
Hi! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone
4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your
posts! Carry on the great work!
Wow, that’s what I was searching for, what a stuff!
existing here at this blog, thanks admin of this site.
Hi to all, the contents existing at this site are actually remarkable for people knowledge,
well, keep up the nice work fellows.
Definitely believe that that you stated. Your favourite reason seemed to be at the
internet the simplest factor to take into account of.
I say to you, I definitely get annoyed at the same time as
other folks consider issues that they plainly do not realize about.
You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and also outlined out the whole thing without having
side-effects , folks can take a signal. Will likely be again to get
more. Thank you
I’m really impressed with your writing skills and also with the structure on your weblog.
Is this a paid topic or did you customize it your self? Anyway stay up the excellent high
quality writing, it is uncommon to see a nice blog like this one today..
Hello would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m having a
difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique.
P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is excellent, as well as the content!
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Thanks
I’m not sure why but this web site is loading extremely slow for me.
Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end?
I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
Hi just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you
know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.
Pretty component of content. I simply stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to say that
I get in fact loved account your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing on your
augment and even I fulfillment you get entry to constantly rapidly.
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s
to be exactly I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write with regards to here.
Again, awesome web site!
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better!
Looking through this article reminds me of my previous
roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to forward this post to
him. Pretty sure he’ll have a good read.
Many thanks for sharing!
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Thank you
Excellent pieces. Keep writing such kind of info on your
site. Im really impressed by your site.
Hi there, You have done an incredible job. I will certainly digg it and in my opinion recommend to my friends.
I’m confident they will be benefited from this web site.
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your content
seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Thanks
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a
sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.”
She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had
to tell someone!
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact loved
account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing on your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
Hey are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started
and set up my own. Do you require any coding expertise to make your
own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
My family members all the time say that I am killing my
time here at web, however I know I am getting familiarity daily by reading
thes pleasant articles or reviews.
Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening.
I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this content together.
I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments.
But so what, it was still worthwhile!
What’s up i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i read this paragraph
i thought i could also create comment due to this good piece
of writing.
It’s remarkable designed for me to have a website, which is useful designed for my know-how.
thanks admin
My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less.
I’ve been using Movable-type on several websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform.
I have heard very good things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against
hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
What i do not understood is actually how you are no longer actually a
lot more well-appreciated than you might be right now.
You are so intelligent. You know thus considerably in terms
of this matter, produced me in my opinion consider it
from so many various angles. Its like men and women aren’t interested except it’s one thing to
do with Lady gaga! Your individual stuffs great.
Always deal with it up!
These are truly enormous ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some pleasant points here. Any way
keep up wrinting.
This post is invaluable. Where can I find out
more?
Keep this going please, great job!
Hi my friend! I wish to say that this post is amazing, nice written and come with approximately all important infos.
I would like to look extra posts like this .
Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this website.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and
visual appeal. I must say that you’ve done a very good job with this.
Also, the blog loads super quick for me on Opera.
Outstanding Blog!
Hola! I’ve been following your web site for some time
now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Kingwood Texas!
Just wanted to tell you keep up the great work!
This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep
a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
With havin so much content and articles do you ever
run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced
but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission. Do you
know any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
I used to be able to find good info from your articles.
Thanks for finally writing about > History of Saudi Arabia –
Bryanna Vs The World < Loved it!
Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum
it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying
your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger
but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have
any tips for first-time blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.
This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve
found something that helped me. Thank you!
Hi there, I read your new stuff daily. Your story-telling style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a
daily basis. It’s always exciting to read through content from other authors and practice a little something from their
sites.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded
this onto a coworker who was doing a little homework on this.
And he actually bought me dinner due to the fact that I discovered it for
him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this subject here on your
website.
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all of us
you actually understand what you’re talking about!
Bookmarked. Please additionally discuss with my web site =).
We will have a link trade arrangement among us
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the best sites
on the net. I most certainly will recommend this blog!