| The Middle East is known as the "birthplace of civilization" because
people have been living there for over 5,000 years. Saudi Arabia is said to be the original home of the Semites who moved into Mesopotamia and Palestine, where they were known as Assyro-Babylonians and Amorites. The prophet Muhammad conquered Mecca in 630 AD and this lead to the rapid expansion of Islam into the Middle East. After 1269, the Egyptian Mamelukes controlled the western part of Arabia called the Hijaz and later the Ottoman Turks gained control. Source Muhhammad ibn Saud founded the Saud dynasty in the 15th century near Riyadh. In the early 18th century, religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab established a nationalist Arab state according to fundamental Islam traditions. In 1812, the Ottomans retook the western part of Arabia and the Al-Saud dynasty had to retreat to Kuwait. |
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In 1925, the great leader Abdul Aziz ibn Saud overtook the cities Riyadh and Jeddah. In 1926, after capturing Mecca, Medina, and Asir, Abdul Aziz ibn Saud proclaimed himself king of the Hijaz. In 1932, he unified the other conquered territories and renamed his vast realm Saudi Arabia.(pictured left in 1940 and right in 1952) |
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In 1953, the eldest son, Saud, became king after his father's death. Saud helped to improve technology, education, health care, and agriculture by instituting the Ministries of Health, Education, and Commerce. In 1957, the Kingdom's first institute of higher learning, King Saud University, was opened in Riyadh. In the same year, King Saud made the first trip by a Saudi monarch to the United States to meet with President Roosevelt. (pictured) After oil was discovered in 1938, the Saudi economy began to boom and it soon became the world's leading oil producer. |
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In 1964, Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz became king.(pictured left) King Faisal was very skilled at foreign affairs and he traveled extensively throughout the Arab and Islamic nations. He also implemented the five-year Development Plans which helped in Saudi Arabia's rapid modernization for the next 25 years. King Faisal was named Timemagazine's "Man of the Year" in 1975 and he proved to be one of the world's most respected leader. He was assassinated in the same year by a nephew, who was executed after an extensive investigation. |
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Today, King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz rules the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He held the positions of Minister of the Interior, Second Deputy Prime Minister, and Crown Prince before becoming King and this has give him much experience in modernization, leadership, and international relations. In 1993, King Fahd introduced the bylaws for the Council of Ministers who provide recommendations to the king on each of their specialized fields. King Fahd also launched an expansion project which increased the capacity of the Holy Mosque in Mecca to accommodate more the one million worshippers. |
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The Persian Gulf War caused economic problems for Saudi Arabia in 1990. After Iraq's takeover of Kuwait in August, King Fahd asked the US to help protect its borders from Saddam Hussein. Thousands of Western troops were stationed on the Saudi-Iraqi border to help stop an Iraqi invasion. After the war was over, the US insisted that Saudi Arabia pay for the the Gulf War and this cost the country about $51 billion. The government had to cut social and defense spending and also take out loans from international banks. |