History History

Archaeological research has uncovered stone tools and fossilized animals, some dating back 300,000 years. This discovery suggests that Homo Erectus were in transit through "Green Arabia", if not living there. A Paleolithic lake in the Rub' al-Khali desert has revealed ancient tools left on its shores by hunters, dated to 10,000 to 5,000 BCE.

The al-Magar civilization occupied southwestern Saudi Arabia, in the present-day province of Najd. It is perhaps the first human group to have domesticated animals. A statue of a horse equipped with reins dating back to 9,000 BC is a unique testimony. In November 2017, hunting scenes depicting 10,000-year-old Canaanite dogs on leashes were discovered in Shuwaymis.

The Dilmun civilization was established in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, placed on the trade routes between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. The capital was probably located on the island of Bahrain. The civilization that controlled trade in the region reached its peak in the early 2nd millennium BC.

The Thamud tribe is mentioned in writings as early as the 8th century B.C. It was settled along the Gulf of Aqaba. The tribe prospered until the Roman period. It is mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy. The tribe probably died out around 500. The Qur'an mentions the Thamud 23 times, setting them up as an example of the divine wrath that led to the extinction of sinful peoples.

The Nabataeans, who controlled a caravan route, founded the city of Hegra. Although their origins remain unknown to this day, their power was undeniable at the turn of the modern era. Hegra was an outpost of the capital city of Petra (Jordan), securing the road northward and access to the Red Sea towards Luxor (Egypt).

The Kinda tribe from the south of Saudi Arabia led raids towards the center and the north of the country. They founded a powerful kingdom by placing themselves at the head of a confederation of Arab tribes including the Ma'ad, the Iyad, the Murad and the Abd al-Qays. Around 500, the kingdom extended to the whole central plateau of the peninsula.

Muhammad was born around 570 in Mecca, in a region divided into clan cells. Mecca was already a religious center and an important stage on the caravan routes between Yemen and the countries of the Levant. Preaching a monotheistic religion, Muhammad escaped an attack in 622 and took refuge in Medina. This exodus constitutes the advent of Islam. He succeeded in unifying most of the Arab tribes and gained significant political power until his death in 632.

Abu Bakr succeeds the Prophet. As Caliph, he is the leader of the Muslims. He faced a revolt of the Arab tribes and attacked the Byzantine Empire. He died in 634. He was succeeded by three other caliphs, Omar, Othman and Ali. This period of the first 4 caliphs is known as the Rashidun caliphate or "the guided ones".

Muawiya became caliph and founded the Umayyad dynasty. Born in Mecca, he took an interest in the development of the city, which became an important cultural center. He transferred the seat of power to Damascus (Syria) and drove the Byzantine Empire out of the Levant and Iraq. While this decision consolidated Muslim power in the north, it marked the beginning of the political and economic decline of the Arabian Peninsula.

Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah won a decisive victory over the Umayyad Caliph Marwan II at the Battle of the Great Zab on January 25, 750. In 762, the capital moved to Baghdad, Iraq. The power of the Abbasids declined rapidly to be limited to religious functions in the 10th century.

At the fall of the Abbasid caliphate, Mecca was taken over by Hasan ibn Ali, a descendant of Muhammad's grandson. He founded a sheriffate which quickly extended its power to Medina, then to the Hijaz. Throughout its existence, the state was the vassal of the Islamic empire in place, from the Fatimids to the Ottomans.

Selim I obtained control of Mecca and Medina in 1517 and brought the Ottoman Empire into the territory. In the 16th century, the Empire extended its influence to Hijaz and Asir and to the shores of the Persian Gulf. In Hijaz, the sheriff kept control over his territory, but was assigned an Ottoman governor.

In 1744, the chief of the Saud tribe joined forces with the founder of the Wahhabi movement. Between them, they laid the foundations of Saudi Arabia by providing a religious and nationalist ideological foundation. The leaders of the tribe took turns fighting the Egyptians, the Ottomans and other local tribes in an attempt to take over the Arabian Peninsula.

Sultan Mustafa IV was worried about the hold of the Saud clan on the region. He brought in the Viceroy of Egypt at his command to counter the Sauds. The Arab clan was defeated in 1818, but managed to regain power in 1824. From then on, it had to face the internal threat of the Rashid clan. In 1891, the Rashids succeeded in defeating the Sauds and sent them into exile in Kuwait.

Abdulaziz al-Saoud returned from exile and seized Riyadh with the help of Wahhabi Bedouins. In 1906, he succeeded in driving the Rashids out of the Najd region. In 1913, he seized the oasis of Al-Hasa at the expense of the Ottomans, which gave him access to the Persian Gulf. Nevertheless, in 1914 he became affiliated with the Ottomans in order to continue his fight against the Rashid clan, which he managed to defeat definitively in 1921. The Sauds controlled all of northern Saudi Arabia. A year earlier, the Bedouins had conquered the southwest and the province of Asir.

In 1921, the Hijaz, where a war of influence was being waged between the British and the Ottomans, escaped the Saud clan. In 1923, the British withdrew from the province and troops were amassed outside Mecca. The Wahhabis did not look kindly on the liberality of the Hijaz shariah. The treaty of Jeddah signed on May 20, 1927 by the British recognized the independence of Abdulaziz al-Saoud. The Bedouins wanted to continue their conquest towards Transjordan, Iraq and Kuwait. Abdulaziz firmly opposed this. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was officially founded on September 21, 1932.

Ibn Saud died in 1953. His son Saud succeeded him on the throne and reigned until 1964. He was followed by his brother Faisal. The latter was assassinated in 1975 and his half-brother Khalid took over. In 1982, King Fahd ascended the throne following his brother. After being incapacitated by a stroke in 1995, his half-brother Abdullah took over until 2015. His half-brother Salman then ascended the throne and handed over power to his son Mohammed Ben Salman (MBS) in 2017. He is the last of Abdelaziz al-Saud's sons on the throne.

In order to establish his authority, the young prince MBS put 200 Saudi princes and businessmen under house arrest at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh. He will release them only after ensuring their allegiance. He launched the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to diversify the country's economy. He grants women the right to drive and to start their own business (without the consent of their guardian).