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Origins and early history

Star and Crescent

The crescent and star have long been used in the Ancient Near East. The Göktürks used the crescent and star figure on their coins. One 1500-year-old coin includes three crescent moon figures and a star near a person.

The crescent was not a symbol used for Islam by Muhammad, as following the ancient Jewish custom, Islam is against appointing "Holy Symbols". During the early centuries, Muslim authorities didn't want any geometric symbols to be used to symbolize Islam, which is why early Islamic coins were covered with Arabic writing, but had no visual symbols.

However, some proponents of the crescent symbol cite verses in the Quran as their basis. Many Islamic nations and charities thus use the crescent on flags or logos. Currently none of the Arab states in Arabia or the Mashreq have crescents on their flags, though the first Saudi flag did. The crescent was the symbol of the Sassanid Empire of Persia and of the Ottoman Empire.

{The crescent is also used as a heraldic symbol but is not affiliated in any way with Islam. As an example, the roots of the Slavic crescent can be traced to the old Slavic pagan beliefs.}

Saudi Arabian FLAG: Green is the official color of Islam. The color green was the color used by Muhammad’s tribe on their flags. According to Muslims the color green symbolizes nature and life. In the Qur'an (Surah 76:21), it is said that the inhabitants of paradise will wear green garments of fine silk. The swordsymbolizes both the importance of the Islamic statement of faith by underlining it and the victories and justice of Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, the first Saudi King. Saudi Arabia is regarded as the ‘holiest land' among the people of Islamic faith.

El-Shahadaلا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهlā ’ilāha ’illa-llāh muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh

"There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"

The Saudi Arabian COAT OF ARMS consists of two crossed swords with a palm tree in the open upper space between the blades. The swordsrepresent the justice and strength rooted in faith and the two houses which founded modern day Saudi Arabia: the Wahhabi House of Saud which ruled the kingdom of Najd, and the Hashemite House of Hussein which ruled the kingdom of Al-Hejaz, united under Ibn Saud in 1926. The date palm treerepresents vitality and growth.


 

The House of Saud (Arabic: آل سعود‎ Āl Suʻūd), also called the Al Saud, is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. The family holds thousands of members, descendants of Muhammad ibn Saud and his brothers, though the ruling faction is primarily descendants of Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud. The family advocates Salafi Islam and unification of Arabia.

The most influential member of the family is the King of Saudi Arabia. The line of succession is not father-son but brother-brother of the children of Abdul-Aziz. The family is estimated to have 15,000 members. Most power and wealth is with the 2000 descendants of King Abdul-Aziz.



House of Saud is a translation of Al Saud, an Arabic dynastic name formed by adding Al, "family of" or "House of", to the personal name of an ancestor. In the case of the Al Saud, this is the father of the dynasty's 18th century founder, Muhammad ibn Saud . The surname "Al Saud" is carried by any descendant of Muhammad ibn Saud or his brothers. Al Saud's other branches are ‘cadet’; members hold high government positions though not in line to the throne, and intermarry within the Al Saud to re-establish their lineage and continue to wield government influence.

The House of Saud has gone through three phases: the First Saudi State, the Second Saudi State, and the contemporary nation of Saudi Arabia. The First Saudi State marked the expansion of Salafi Islam. The Second Saudi State was marked with continuous infighting. Today, the nation of Saudi Arabia wields considerable influence in the Middle East.

Origins and early history

The earliest recorded ancestor of the Al Saud was Mani' ibn Rabiah Al-Muraydi. He settled in Diriyah in 1446–7 with his clan, the Mrudah. Mani was invited by a relative named Ibn Dir. Ibn Dir was the ruler of a set of villages and estates that make up modern-day Riyadh. Mani's clan had been on a sojourn in east Arabia, near al-Qatif, from an unknown point in time. Ibn Dir handed Mani two estates called al-Mulaybeed and Ghusayba. Mani and his family settled and renamed the region "al-Diriyah", after their benefactor Ibn Dir.

The Mrudah became rulers of al-Diriyah, which prospered along the banks of Wadi Hanifa and became an important Najdi settlement. As the clan grew power struggles ensued. One branch leaving to nearby Dhruma, while another branch (the "Al Watban") left for the town of az-Zubayr in southern Iraq. The Al Migrin became the ruling family among the Mrudah in Diriyah.

First Saudi State

The First Saudi State was founded in 1744. This period was marked by conquest of neighbouring areas and by religious zeal. At its height, it included most of the territory of modern-day Saudi Arabia, and raids by Al Saud's allies and followers reached into Yemen, Oman, Syria, and Iraq. They called themselves the Muwahhidun or Ahl al-Tawhid ("the monotheists") – the Wahhabis.

Leadership during this time passed from father to son. The first imam, Muhammad ibn Saud, was succeeded by his eldest son Abdul-Aziz in 1765. Abdul-Aziz was killed in 1803 by an assassin, and was in turn succeeded by his son, Saud, under whom the state reached its greatest extent. By the time Saud died in 1814, his son and successor Abdullah had to contend with an Ottoman-Egyptian invasion seeking to retake lost Ottoman territory and destroy the Wahhabi call to return to pure Islam. The invaders took over the capital Diriyyah in 1818, and beheaded Abdullah.

Second Saudi State

A few years after the fall of Diriyyah in 1818, the Saudis were able to re-establish their authority in Najd, establishing the Second Saudi State, with its capital in Riyadh.

Compared to the First Saudi State, the second Saudi period had less territorial expansion and less religious zeal, although the Saudi leaders still went by the title of imam and employed Salafi religious scholars. There were also severe internal conflicts within the family, leading to the dynasty's downfall. In all but one instance succession occurred by assassination or civil war.

The first Saudi to attempt to regain power after the fall of Dir'iyyah in 1818 was Mishari ibn Saud, a brother of the last ruler in Dir'iyyah. Mishari was soon captured by the Egyptians and killed. In 1824, Turki ibn Abdullah, another Saudi who had managed to evade capture by the Egyptians, was able to expel Egyptian forces and their local allies from Riyadh and its environs. Turki, a grandson of the first Saudi imam Muhammad ibn Saud, is generally regarded as the founder of the second Saudi dynasty and is also the ancestor of the kings of modern-day Saudi Arabia. He made his capital in Riyadh and was able to enlist the services of many relatives who had escaped captivity in Egypt, including his son Faisal.

Turki was assassinated in 1834 by Mishari ibn Abdul-Rahman, a distant cousin. Mishari was soon besieged in Riyadh and later executed by Turki's son, Faisal, who went on to become the most prominent ruler of the Saudis' second reign. Faisal, however, faced a re-invasion of Najd by the Egyptians four years later. The local population was unwilling to resist, and Faisal was defeated and taken to Egypt as a prisoner for the second time in 1838.

The Egyptians installed Khalid ibn Saud as ruler in Riyadh and supported him with Egyptian troops. Khalid was the last surviving brother of the last imam of the First Saudi State, and had spent many years in the Egyptian court. In 1840, however, external conflicts forced the Egyptians to withdraw all their presence in the Arabian Peninsula, leaving Khalid with little support. Seen by most locals as nothing more than an Egyptian governor, Khalid was toppled soon afterwards by Abdullah ibn Thuniyyan. Faisal, however, had been released that year, and, aided by the Al Rashid rulers of Ha'il, was able to retake Riyadh and resume his rule. Faisal later appointed his son Abdullah as crown prince, and divided his dominions between his three sons.

Upon Faisal's death in 1865, Abdullah assumed rule but was challenged by his brother, Saud ibn Faisal. The brothers fought a long civil war, trading control several times. A vassal, Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Rashid of Hail intervened to increase his own power, gradually extending his authority over Najd, including Riyadh, and expelled the last Saudi leader in 1891.

Saudi Arabia

After his defeat at Mulayda, Abdul-Rahman ibn Faisal went with his family into exile in the deserts of eastern Arabia among the Al Murra bedouin. Soon afterward, however, Abdul-Rahman found refuge in Kuwait as a guest of the emir, Mubarak Al Sabah. In 1902, Abdul-Rahman's son, Abdul-Aziz, took on the task of restoring Saudi rule in Riyadh. Supported by a few dozen followers and some of his brothers and relatives, Abdul-Aziz captured Riyadh's Masmak fort and killed the governor put there by Ibn Rashid. Abdul Aziz, reported to have been barely 20 at the time, was immediately proclaimed ruler in Riyadh. As the new leader of the House of Saud, Abdul-Aziz became commonly known from that time simply as "Ibn Saud".

Ibn Saud spent the next three decades trying to re-establish his family's rule over as much of the Arabian Peninsula as possible, starting with his native Najd. His chief rivals were the Al Rashid clan in Ha'il, the Sharifs of Mecca in the Hijaz, and the Ottoman Turks in al-Hasa. Ibn Saud also had to contend with the descendants of his late uncle Saud ibn Faisal, who posed as the rightful heirs to the throne. Though for a time acknowledging the sovereignty of the Ottomans and even taking the title of pasha, Ibn Saud allied himself to the British, in opposition to the Ottoman-backed Al Rashid. From 1915 to1927, Ibn Saud ruled a protectorate of the British Empire.

By 1932, Ibn Saud had disposed of all his main rivals and consolidated much of the Arabian Peninsula. He declared himself king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that year.

Despite initial family poverty, Ibn Saud fathered dozens of sons and daughters by his many wives. He had at most only four wives at one time. He divorced and married many times. He made sure to marry into the noble clans and tribes in his territory, including chiefs of the Bani Khalid, Ajman, and Shammar tribes, as well as the Al ash-Sheikh (descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab). He also arranged for his sons and relatives to enter into similar marriages. He appointed his eldest surviving son, Saud as heir apparent, to be succeeded by the next eldest son, Faisal. The Saudi family became known as the "royal family," and each member, male and female, was accorded the title of amir or amira ("prince" or "princess"), respectively.

Ibn Saud died in 1953, after making an alliance with the United States in 1945. He is celebrated officially as the "Founder".

Upon Ibn Saud's death, his son Saud assumed the throne without incident, but his lavish spending led to a power struggle between him and the new crown prince, Faisal. In 1964, the royal family forced Saud to abdicate in favor of Faisal, aided by an edict from the country's grand mufti. During this period, some of Ibn Saud's younger sons defected to Egypt, calling themselves the "Free Princes" and calling for liberalization and reform, but were later induced to return by Faisal. They were pardoned but were barred from any future positions in government.

Faisal was assassinated in 1975 by a nephew, who was then promptly executed. Another brother, Khalid assumed the throne. Khalid died of a heart attack in 1982, and was succeeded by Fahd, the eldest of the powerful "Sudairi Seven", all sons of Ibn Saud's wife, Hassa al-Sudairi. Fahd did away with the royal title of "his Majesty" and replaced it with "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques." A stroke in 1995 left Fahd largely incapacitated, and the crown prince, Abdullah gradually took over most of the king's responsibilities until Fahd's death in August 2005.

Political power

The Head of the House of Saud is the King of Saudi Arabia who serves as Head of State and monarch of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The King holds almost absolute political power. The King appoints ministers to his cabinet who supervise their respective ministries in his name. The key ministries of Defence, the Interior, and Foreign Affairs are reserved for the Al Saud, as are most of the thirteen regional governorships. Most portfolios, however, such as Finance, Labour, Information, Planning, Petroleum Affairs and Industry, have traditionally been given to commoners, often with junior Al Saud members serving as their deputies. House of Saud family members also hold many of the Kingdom's critical military and governmental departmental posts. Ultimate power in the Kingdom has always rested upon the Al Saud, though support from the merchant community and the population-at-large are keys to maintaining the status quo.

Unlike Western royal families, the Saudi Monarchy does not have a clearly defined order of succession. Historically, upon becoming King, the monarch designates an heir apparent to the throne who serves as Crown Prince of the Kingdom. Upon the King's death the Crown Prince becomes King, and during the King's incapacitation the Crown Prince assumes power as regent. Though other members of the Al Saud hold political positions in the Saudi government, technically it is only the King and Crown Prince who legally constitute the political institutions.

Due to its authoritarian and theocratic rule, the House of Saud has attracted much criticism. Its opponents generally refer to the Saudi monarchy as totalitarians or dictators. There have been numerous incidents of demonstrations and other forms of resistance against the House of Saud.

Wealth

In 1915, Ibn Saud signed a "friendship and cooperation" pact with Britain to keep his militia up. Not only did the British pay a monthly allowance for his cooperation, in 1935 he was knighted. Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938 by American geologists working for Standard Oil. Substantial authority over Saudi oil fields was granted to American oil companies in 1944, to the dismay of the British who had invested in Ibn Saud's rise to power in hopes of access to reserves.

His new found oil wealth brought great power and influence that Ibn Saud used to advantage. He forced nomadic tribes to settle and abandon "petty wars" and vendettas. He enforced Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab teachings, making an end to traditional pilgrimages, so several apologies had to be issued to Muslim governments for beatings of pilgrims visiting the holy cities. With rivals gone, Ibn Saud's ideology was in full force, ending 1400 years of accepted religious practices.

The sharing of family wealth has been a critical component in maintaining the semblance of a united front within the royal family. An essential part of family wealth is the Kingdom in its physical entirety, which the Al Saud view as a totally owned family asset. Whether through the co-mingling of personal and state funds from lucrative government positions, huge land allocations, direct allotments of crude oil to sell in the open market, segmental controls in the economy, special preferences for the award of major contracts, outright cash handouts, and astronomical monthly allowances—all billed to the national exchequer—all told, the financial impact may have exceeded 40% of the Kingdom's annual budget during the reign of King Fahd. Over decades of oil revenue-generated expansion, estimates of royal net worth is at well over $1.9 trillion. This method of wealth distribution has allowed many of the senior princes and princesses to accumulate largely unauditable wealth and, in turn, pay out, in cash or kind, to lesser royals and commoners, and thereby gaining political influence through their own largesse.

During periods of high oil prices, national income has outpaced the developmental needs and social obligations of the Saudi government and the effects of royal skimming were diminished. According to rumour, King Abdullah intends to reduce the Al Saud share, an act which may sow discontent within the royal family, but would be popular with the Kingdom's citizenry.


Date: 2015-12-17; view: 962


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