House of Saud
The House of Saud (Arabic: آل سُعُود, romanized: ʾĀl Suʿūd IPA: [ʔaːl sʊʕuːd]) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia.[2] It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia,[3] from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates.[4] The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 15,000 members; however, the majority of power, influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them.[5][6] Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion.[7]This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco, the state oil and gas company, and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves, making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.
"Saud" redirects here. For other uses, see Saud (disambiguation).
House of Saud
آل سعود
Al-Muqrin of house of Al-Muraydi of the Diriyah (1446) of Banu Hanifa of Banu Bakr bin Wa'il
1720
Saud I (died 1725)
-
- King of Saudi Arabia
- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
- The Great King (1932–1986)
- King of Hejaz and Nejd (1926–1932)
- Sultan of Nejd (1921–1926)
- Emir of Nejd and Hasa (1913–1921)
- Emir of Riyadh (1902–1913)
- Emir and Imam of Nejd (1824–1891)
- Emir and Imam of Diriyah (1744–1818)
Sunni Islam; Formerly Wahhabism (followers of Mohammed ibn Abdulwahhab)[1]
The House of Saud has had four phases: the Sheikhdom of Diriyah (1446–1744); the Emirate of Diriyah (1727–1818), marked by the expansion of Salafism; the Emirate of Nejd (1824–1891), marked with continuous infighting; and the current state (1902–present), which evolved into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 and now wields considerable influence in the Middle East. The family has had conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, the Sharif of Mecca, the Al Rashid family of Ha'il and their vassal houses in Najd along with numerous Islamist groups both inside and outside Saudi Arabia and Shia minority in Saudi Arabia.
The succession to the Saudi Arabian throne was designed to pass from one son of the first king, Abdulaziz, to another. The monarchy was hereditary by agnatic seniority until 2006, when a royal decree provided that future Saudi kings are to be elected by a committee of Saudi princes.[8] King Salman, who reigns currently, first replaced the next crown prince, his brother Muqrin, with his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef. In 2017, Muhammad bin Nayef was replaced by Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's son, as the crown prince after an approval by the Allegiance Council with 31 out of 34 votes. The king-appointed cabinet includes more members of the royal family.
History[edit]
Origins and early history[edit]
The earliest recorded ancestor of the Al Saud was Mani' ibn Rabiah Al-Muraydi, who settled in Diriyah in 1446–1447 with his clan, the Mrudah.[13] The Mrudah are believed to be descended from the Banu Hanifa branch of the larger Rabi'ah tribal confederation [13]. The Banu Hanifa played an important role in shaping the Middle East and Arabia from the 6th century, with prominent theologians such as Maslama ibn Ḥabīb descending from this tribe.
Mani' was invited to Diriyah by a relative named Ibn Dir, who was the ruler of a group of villages and estates that make up modern-day Riyadh.[14][15][16] 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.[17][18]
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 larger, power struggles ensued, with one branch leaving for nearby Dhruma, while another branch (the "Al Watban") left for the town of az-Zubayr in southern Iraq. The Al Muqrin became the ruling family among the Mrudah in Diriyah.
The name of the clan comes from Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, who died in 1725.
The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script. It is the shahada or Islamic declaration of faith: