WESTERN ASIA

One-half of the worlds oil

reserves

SAUDI ARABIA

CAPITAL: Riyadh

Saudi Arabia occupies

most of the Arabian Peninsula,

with the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aqaba to the west and
the Persian Gulf to the east.

Fifth-largest state in Asia and

second-largest state in the Arab

world after Algeria

Saudi Arabi's highest point

is Jabal Sawda'
which peaks at
10,279 ft. (3,133 m).

I.

EARLY TIMES

II.

BIRTH OF SAUDI ARABIA

III.

SECOND SAUDI EMPIRE

IV.

DISCOVERY OF OIL

V.

GROWING PAINS

VI.

SAUDI ARABIA TODAY

Early Times:

As a state- 1932 by
Abdulaziz Al Saud

Human history- 15,000 to

20,000 years ago near the
end of the lase Ice Age

Last major wet period- 8000

to 4000 BC

Several civilizations flourished

around the peninsula deriving
their power from their position
along these mercantile routes.

Civilizations:

1.

Dilmun Persian gulf trading

routes; pearls

2.

Sabaeans- Annual Assyrian

war chronicles; aromatics
such as frankincense and
myrrh; technologically and
socially advance; Marib Dam

3.

Nabataea- highly skilled in

hydrology

The Arabs of the Interior

Jazirate Al-Arab Island of the Arabs

Assyrians, Babylonians, Israelites and other Civilizations

Arab biblical and Assyrian texts- Desert nomads

Sedentary- villages and towns often associated with oases, well

and other permanent water sources; agriculture, craftwork and
trade

Nomadic- primarily breeders of livestock

Clan- composed of several related families that form a group

Arabic Writing

Sinaitic script- Arabias fist form of writing

By 1000 BC two systems: North- Musnad al-shamali; southMusnad al-junabi

Spoken Arabic is a semitic language

8th and 9th centuries written Arabic evolved into the standardized
from of the language used today

The Bedouin

Badawi (French- bedu)

desert dweller

Bedouinization spurred by
economic and social
deterioration of the regions
settled population centers
shifting the balance of power
to its migratory people.

The spread of Islam

Muhammad- Prophet of
Islam- born in Mecca in
about 570 and first
began preaching in the
city in 610, but
migrated to Medina in
622. From there, he and
his companions united
the tribes of Arabia
under the banner of
Islam and created a
single Arab Muslim
religious polity in the
Arabian Peninsula.

Wars of Apostasy
Series of military campaigns
launched by the Caliph
Abu Bakr against rebel
Arabian tribes during 632 and
633 AD, just after
Muhammad died.

Wars of Apostasy
1.

Seek the tribes which are your objectives

2.

Call theAzaan.

3.

If the tribe answers with the Azaan, do not attack. After the
Azaan, ask the tribe to confirm its submission, including the
payment of zakat. If confirmed, do not attack.

4.

Those who submit will not be attacked.

5.

Those who do not answer with the Azaan, or after the Azaan do
not confirm full submission, will be dealt with by the sword.

6.

All apostates who have killed Muslims will be killed.

Umayyad and Abbasid

Muawiyah

Muslim factions fought about the

nature of their government, and
how religious or secular it should
be

He further changed traditional

Muslim governance by identifying
his son, Yazid, as his successor,
instead of leaving that decision up
to the respected elders of the
community

The Ottomans

Salem I acquired Mecca and

Medina in 1517; in 16th century
added the Hejaz and Asir- to
become Saudi Arabia

The degree of control over

these lands varied over the
next four centuries with the
fluctuating strength or
weakness of the Empire's
central authority

Birth of Saudi Arabia

The emergence of the Saudi
dynasty began in central Arabia
in 1744. In that year,
Muhammad ibn Saud, the tribal
ruler of the town of Ad-Dir'iyyah
near Riyadh, joined forces with
the religious leader Muhammad
ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, the founder
of the Wahhabi movement.

Birth of Saudi Arabia

1803 the Saudi army marched

on the Hejaz and defeated
Sherif Hussain of Mecca

The first Saudi empire stretched

from Al-Hasa in the east to
Hejaz in the west and to Najran
in the south

Second Saudi Empire

Al Saud- 1824 in Saudi Heartland

of the Najd region (Second Saudi
State)

However soon contested by

Rashidis of Hail

By 1891, the Al Saud were

conclusively defeated by the Al
Rashid, who drove the Saudis into
exile inKuwait.

Meanwhile, in the Hejaz, following

the defeat of the first Saudi State,
the Egyptians continued to
occupy the area until 1840

Arab Revolt

By the early 20th century,

the Ottoman Empire
continued to control over the
peninsula.

In 1916, with the encouragement

and support of Britain and France
(which were fighting the Ottomans
in the World War I), the Sharif of
Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, led a panArab revolt against the Ottoman
Empire with the aim of securing
Arab independence and creating a
single unified Arab state spanning
the Arab territories from Aleppo in
Syria to Aden in Yemen.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In 1925 the Saudi-Wahhabi

alliance took Mecca and
Medina. The following year
Ibn Saud proclaimed himself
King of the Hejaz and Sultan
of Najd, and on 23
September 1932, Ibn Saud
announced the formation of
the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.

Discovery of Oil

Saudi Arabias first oil concession- 1933

Four years later, the Arabian American Oil

Company (Aramco) discovered
commercial quantities of oil near Riyadh
and in the area around Dammam in the
east

1943 President Roosevelt- the Kingdom

was vital for the defence of the USA

In response to the USAs unconditional

support for Israel, Saudi Arabia imposed
an oil embargo on the USA in 1974, a
move that quadrupled world oil prices,
drew support from across the region and
reminded the world of Saudi Arabias
importance in a world economy
dependent upon oil.

Saudi Arabia today

August 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait

Saudi Arabias subsequent decision to allow foreign military

forces to operate from Saudi soil would later prove one of the
catalysts for propelling Osama bin Laden, a Saudi, and his AlQaeda movement onto the world stage

In 1991 a petition calling for reforms and greater openness was

sent to King Fahd by liberal intellectuals. It was quickly followed
by a contrary petition by conservative Islamic scholars a
struggle symbolic of the two opposing sides of Saudi politics that
continues to this day.

Latest developments in Saudi

Arabia

Population increase of 2.4% (751,000 people)

Population of the country is estimated

to be around 31,000,000 in 2016,

the 43rd largest in the world.

Economic Outlook

2015 collapse in oil prices has

slashed the Kingdoms main source

of revenue which makes
77 to 88% of its total income

Economy slowed to a 3-year low

in the first quarter of 2016- austerity

measures.

By the first quarter of 2017,

GDP growth rate is forecasted to

2.5%, with 6% unemployment and
3.9% inflation rate

Jeddah Tower-Kingdom Tower

and Mile-High Tower

It will accommodate the

worlds highest observatory
and be a mixed-use building
with a gross floor area of
245,000 square metres.

Saudization
-private sector to increase
employment among Saudi
youths and to take back the
workforce share from foreigners

Yemeni Rebels Pose a Rising Threat in

Southern Saudi Arabia

Yemeni fighters have killed and

captured hundreds of Saudi
soldiers in a conflict that
presents Saudi Arabia with the
biggest challenge to its
territory in years.

Womens Right to Drive

Among the many rights that

women are denied in the
country, is being allowed to
drive.

Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz,

who has shown a great deal
of interest in stimulating the
educational, economic,
social, and political
development of Saudi
women

Fun Facts about Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia takes witchcraft so seriously that the country has

banned the Harry Potter books, and the government has set up
an Anti-Witchcraft Action Unit, which is under the Committee for
the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPV), or Saudi
Arabias religious police. The unit is charged with apprehending
sorcerers and reversing the harmful effects of their spells.

Officially, Saudi women may not travel abroad without the

permission of their husbands.

Women are officially forbidden to drive within Saudi cities,

although this became a formal law only in 1990. Saudi and
foreign women are allowed to drive inside the foreign oil
compounds.