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Abdul Aziz ibn Saud

Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. 1876 (81?)-1953 Started conquest of Arabian peninsula in 1902 Proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 One of the “world’s greatest nation-builders”. T he Arabian Peninsula.

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Abdul Aziz ibn Saud

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  1. Abdul Aziz ibn Saud Saudi Arabia

  2. Abdul Aziz ibn Saud • 1876 (81?)-1953 • Started conquest of Arabian peninsula in 1902 • Proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 • One of the “world’s greatest nation-builders”

  3. The Arabian Peninsula http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/arabworld/xnejd.html

  4. British interests in the Persian Gulf; empire by treaty • Gulf piracy in the Persian Gulf  British shipping unsafe  the Persian Gulf turned into a “British lake” (Rogan, 175)in the early 1800s • The shaykhdoms (later emirates) along the Gulf coast made treaties with the British; no attacks on British shipping in return for access to British ports in the Gulf and Indian Ocean • The shaykhdoms became more or less British protectorates in the late 1800s • The oil made the Persian Gulf even more significant for the British

  5. New Arab state in the Gulf • Ibn Saud had conquered Riyadh in 1902; expanded towards the Gulf • 1913; the Hasa region conquered  dominant new power in the Gulf • 1915; the British concluded a treaty with Ibn Saud – recognition of his leadership in return for “allegiance” to the British • The British armed and supplied Ibn Saud’s forces hoping he would fight the Ottomans

  6. The western expansion • Ibn Saud used British arms to conquer the territories west of Riyadh; the Hijaz • Conflict between Sharif Husayn, another British ally, and Ibn Saud – they both aspired to rule the entire Arabian Peninsula • The Arab Revolt weakened Husayn’s position in the Hijaz progress for Ibn Saud 1916-1918

  7. Armed conflict • June 1918; first armed conflict between the Hashemites and Ibn Saud’s troops (at Khurma); the Hashemites decimated • Under British pressure, Ibn Saud suggested a truce; Hijaz would stay Hashemite, borders/territories to be mutually accepted • Sharif Husayn rejected the offer and sent troops against Ibn Saud who repelled them easily • May 1919; Amir Abdullah ordered by his father to lead attack on the Wahhabi forces (Turaba)  Disaster for the Hashemites • The British demanded that the Wahhabi forces withdraw from conquered oasis towns – Ibn Saud complied

  8. Downfall of the Hashemites • The British tried, with the help of T.E. Lawrence, to make agreement with Sharif Husayn rejected; Sharif Husayninsisted that the British wartime promises be fulfilled • He forfeited British protection against Ibn Saud • Sharif Husayn increasingly unpopular • In the Hijaz due to his shortcomings as a ruler • Seen as a traitor in the Arab territories • Denounced by Muslims worldwide when he claimed title of Caliph in 1924  Troublesome ally for the British

  9. September 1924; the Ikhwan attacked Taif (near Mecca) • The notables of the Hijaz forced Sharif Husayn to abdicate; his son Ali declared as king • Ibn Saud continued his advance nevertheless; • Mecca conquered by mid-October, 1924 • Jidda and Medina under siege by January 1925 • King Ali surrendered his kingdom in December 1925 The British claimed neutrality in the conflict

  10. The new state • Ibn Saud declared “sultan of Najd and king of the Hijaz” • New treaty with the British, the Treaty of Jiddah (1927); full independence and sovereignty recognized • The British did not believe there was oil in Saudi Arabia… • Ibn Saud further expanded his state and renamed it Saudi Arabia in 1932

  11. Key to success • Wahhabism and Ikhwan; puritanical reformist doctrine and military prowess • Ibn Saud able to combine position as secular, victorious tribal leader with his role as religious leader of the Wahhabi order; a “warrior” and a “preacher” • Strategy: • Tribes conquered • Tribes forced to settle; equipped with agricultural supplies and arms • Religious indoctrination; Wahhabism gave them a sense of communal loyalty beyond the tribes

  12. One of a kind? – A legitimate Arab ruler • Kingdom won through his own efforts  legitimacy • Rule founded on indigenous traditions of Wahhabi Islam and tribal politics • Legal system based on the shari`ah

  13. Personal qualities • Tall and imposing; a “warrior king” • Astute and brave • Fair and judicious ruler • Pious, dignified and accessible • Ruled as a first among equals rather than as absolute monarch • Respected existing customs • Preferred persuasion to coercion

  14. Policies • Basic administration and infrastructure developed • Ibn Saud’s own family a “true ruling house” • Oil not discovered until 1938; Saudi Arabia an impoverished kingdom in the interwar period • Cooperated with the Allies during WWII

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