Abdulaziz Ibn Saud II: Founder and first king of Saudi Arabia. Great war in Arabia
In the early thirties, a British political agent in Kuwait spoke of the ruler of neighboring Saudi Arabia as "the cunning Ibn Saud, who is always prudent." In fact, Ibn Saud during these years could not afford to look far ahead. He was tormented by the problem: the treasury needed money, and as soon as possible. That's what made him think about oil. Of course, he was very skeptical about its presence in the country. And he didn't like it too much possible consequences her developments - in the unlikely event that she was actually discovered. Foreign capital and technical personnel could undermine or even destroy traditional values and attitudes. The issuance of a concession for oil exploration is quite another matter, especially if it is confirmed by appropriate financial measures. Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal al-Saud was then a little over fifty and had an imposing appearance. Six foot three, barrel-chested, he towered over the heads of most of his subjects. This is how a British official described the sheikh during a visit to Basra a decade earlier: “Although he is more massively built than the typical nomad sheikh, he has the features of a well-mannered Arab, a sharply defined aquiline profile, fleshy nostrils, thick lips and a long, narrow chin, accentuated by a sharp beard. His soldierly skills help him govern the state, which is highly valued by his fellow tribesmen. Ibn Saud used his talents both in the military field and in government. He achieved a lot in nation building and the creation of modern Saudi Arabia. The enormous wealth he subsequently accumulated was unique for a ruler in whose youth the entire national treasury would fit in a camel's saddle bag.
Founded the Saudi dynasty early XVIII century Muhammad ibn Saud, emir of the town of Darius on Nejd (a plateau in central Arabia). He took over the case of the spiritual leader, Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab, who professed a harsh "puritan" version of Islam, which became the religious instrument of the new dynasty and state. The Saudi family, in alliance with the Wahhabis, embarked on a program of rapid conquest that brought them dominion over much of the Arabian Peninsula in less than half a century. However, the expansion of the Saudi state alarmed the Turks, and they inflicted a crushing defeat on the Arabs in 1818. Muhammad's grandson, Abdullah, was taken to Constantinople, where he was beheaded. Later, Abdullah's son Türki restored the Saudi kingdom centered in Riyadh, but this first Saudi restoration failed due to a power struggle between Türki's two grandsons. For a time, a third grandson, Abdul Rahman, nominally ruled Riyadh under the hateful gaze of the rival al-Rashid family. But in 1891, Abdul Rahman was expelled from the country along with his entire family, including his son Abdul Aziz, the future Ibn Saud, who spent part of the way in a camel saddle bag. Abdul Rahman and his family wandered for two years, spending several months with a tribe of nomads far in the desert. In the end, the family of Sabah, who ruled Kuwait, invited them to settle in this small city-state on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
Abdul Rahman had two goals in life: to restore the Saudi dynasty and to make the Wahhabi branch of Sunnism in Islam universal. It was up to his son, Ibn Saul, to make those dreams come true. Mubarak, the Emir of Kuwait, took the young Prince Saud under his wing and gave him excellent knowledge. Mubarak helped him learn, Ibn Saud recalled, how to "take advantage of our superiority and our shortcomings." The boy received a severe religious upbringing, lived a Spartan life, having mastered in his youth the art of fighting and surviving in the desert. Soon he had the opportunity to apply these skills - the Turks knocked out the Rashids, the traditional enemies of the Saudis, to attack Kuwait, which was then under British protection. As a diversionary measure, the Emir of Kuwait sent twenty-year-old Ibn Saud to try to take Riyadh from the Rashids. Ibn Saud led a small force across the desert sands only to have his first onslaught repulsed. On the second attempt, combining surprise and force, Ibn Saud burst into the city at night and killed the Rashid ruler by morning. In January 1902, his father declared him, a young man of twenty-one years old, the ruler of Najd and the imam of the Wahhabis. Thus began the second restoration of the Saudi dynasty.
Over the next few years, conducting one military campaign after another, Ibn Saud became the recognized ruler of Central Arabia. At the same time, he became the leader of the Ikhwan, or "brotherhood," a new movement of highly religious warriors whose rapid expansion into Arabia provided Ibn Saud with many loyal soldiers. During 1913-1914 he took control of Eastern Arabia, including the large and densely populated oasis of Al Haza. Since the population was mainly Shia Muslims - while the Saudis were Sunnis, and not just Sunnis, but members of the harsh Wahhabi sect - Ibn Saud paid special attention to the administration and education in Al-Haz, preserving their status and preventing discontent. Wahhabist dogmas notwithstanding, Ibn Saud was a prudent politician and knew that it was in his interest not to encroach on the feelings of the Shiites. “We have thirty thousand Shiites living in peace and security,” he once said. - No one ever annoys them. All we ask of them is not to show their feelings too much in public on their holidays.
The last important territories for the Saudi empire were annexed almost immediately after the First World War. Ibn Saud captured northwestern Arabia. Then, in 1922, a member of the British high commission, infuriated by the disputes between Ibn Saud and the Emir of Kuwait, took a red pencil and drew the borders between their countries. He also singled out two "neutral zones" along the borders of Ibn Saud - one with Kuwait, the other with Iraq. They were called "neutral" because the Bedouins could cross them back and forth and graze their flocks there, and because they had to be managed jointly. By December 1925, Ibn Saud's detachments captured Hijaz, the sacred land of Islam in the west of the peninsula, washed by the Red Sea. Here were the port of Jeddah and two holy cities - Mecca and Medina. In January 1926, after a collective prayer in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Ibn Saud was proclaimed King of Hijaz. The Saudi dynasty became the custodian of the shrines of Islam. So, at forty-five years old, Ibn Saud was the master of Arabia. Within a quarter of a century, a skilled warrior and wise politician established Saudi rule over nine-tenths of the Arabian Peninsula. The restoration has actually been completed.
However, here the soldiers began to criticize Ibn Saud for retreating from Wahhabism. They declared that the civilization that had begun to penetrate the kingdom - telephone, telegraph, radio, automobile - was the product of the devil, and condemned Saud for having any dealings with unfaithful Englishmen and other foreigners. Increasingly out of obedience, they raised an uprising against him in 1927. However, Saud won again, and in 1930 destroyed the Ikhwan movement. Ibn Saud's control over Arabia was now secured. From that moment on, his tasks shifted from conquest to preservation. He had to protect a nation that had been built in thirty years. To perpetuate the unification, the name of the state was changed in 1932 from "Kingdom of Hejaz, Najd and annexed areas" to what still exists today - "Saudi Arabia"10.
But at the very moment when Ibn Saud's efforts seemed to be crowned with complete success, a new threat arose. Simply put, Ibn Saud began to run out of money. With the onset of the Great Depression, the flow of pilgrims to Mecca (and all Muslims should try to make at least one pilgrimage in their lives) turned into a trickle. Meanwhile, pilgrims were the king's main source of income. The royal finances were in an extremely difficult position, bills were not paid, the salaries of civil servants were delayed for six to eight months. Ibn Saud's ability to distribute subsidies to the tribes was one of the most important factors that united the disparate kingdom. The state began to ferment. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the king began to execute an expensive and multilateral program that seemed to unite everything - from the creation of a local radio network to the reconstruction of Jeddah's water supply system. Where to find new sources of money? Ibn Saud attempted to collect taxes for the year ahead. He then sent his son Faisal to Europe to seek help or investment, but without success. His financial problems continued to multiply and the king did not know where to turn for help.
Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdu-Rahman ibn Faisal Al Saud(Arab. عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن بن فيصل آل سعود ), also called simply Ibn Saud or Abdulaziz II(November 26, 1880 - November 9, 1953) - founder and first king of Saudi Arabia (1932-1953). He fought numerous wars for the unification of Arabia.
In 1902-1926 - the emir of the state of Nejd, later - until 1932 - the king of the state Hejaz, Najd and annexed areas.
Place of Burial: Al-Aud Cemetery Riyadh
Genus: al saud
Father: Abdurrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud
Mother: Sarah
1) Waha al-Hazzam
2) Tarfakh
3) Jawhar al-Saud
4) Buzz
5) Jauhar al-Sudairi
6) Hassa al-Sudairi
7) Shahida
8) Fahda Ash-Shuraim
9) Buzz
10) Munayir
11) Moodni
12) Saida
sons: Turks, Saud, Khalid, Faisal, Saad, Mohammed, Khalid, Nasr, Saad, Fahd, Mansur, Abdallah, Bandar, Musayed, Sultan, Abdurrahman, Mutaib, Hussa, Talal, Badr, Badr, Nawaf, Nayef, Turks, Favvaz, Salman, Ahmed, Abdel-Majid, Sattam, Hamad, Mutaib, Majid, Mikrin and others.
daughters: Nuf, Sita, Nura, Sarah, etc.
early years
Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud was born on November 26, 1880, in Riyadh, in the Islamic State of the Saudis, whose territory at that time was actually limited to the outskirts of Riyadh. He was the son of a nominal emir Nejd Abd ar-Rahman and Sarah, daughters Ahmad al-Sudairi. The boy was more interested in games with a saber and a rifle than religious exercises. He was able to read the Koran only at the age of 11. The future king dreamed of restoring family honor, of returning the glory and wealth of the House of Saud.
Hike to Riyadh
The Rashidids, who seized power in the city of Riyadh in 1890, sent the Saudis to Bahrain, then to Qatar and, finally, to Kuwait, where the young Abdulaziz spent his childhood. In 1901, he began to assemble his own detachment to retake Riyadh. Having set out on a campaign, against the will of his father, on the night of January 15-16, 1902, Abdul-Aziz, with a detachment of 60 people, captured Riyadh, losing only two fighters and cracking down on the governor from the Rashidids. The father conceded to his son the title of emir and brought him a vassal oath. He became an adviser to his son.
Ikhwans
By 1912, Abdul-Aziz had captured almost the entire region of Najd, converting to "pure Islam" that same year. In an effort to achieve the loyalty of the largest tribes, Ibn Saud, on the advice of religious teachers, began to transfer them to settled life. To this end, in 1912, a military-religious brotherhood was founded. Ikhwans(Arabic "brothers"). All the Bedouin tribes and oases who refused to join the Ikhwan movement and recognize Ibn Saud as their emir and imam began to be seen as enemies of Nejd. Ikhvans were ordered to move to agricultural colonies (“hijras”), whose members were called to love their homeland, unquestioningly obey the imam-emir and not enter into any contacts with Europeans and residents of the countries they ruled (including Muslims). A mosque was erected in each Ikhvan community, which also served as the barracks of the local garrison. Thus, the Ikhwans themselves became not only farmers, but also warriors of the Saudi state. In 1913, Ibn Saud captured the region of Al-Khas. By 1915, more than 200 Ikhvan settlements were organized throughout the country, including at least 60,000 people who, at the first call of Ibn Saud, were ready to go to war with the "infidels." The beginning of the war for the unification of Arabia
With the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted the support of the British Empire. In 1920, using the material support of the British, Abdul-Aziz finally defeated the Rashidids. By the time of the collapse Ottoman Empire on the peninsula formed five independent states: Hijaz, Nejd, Jebel Shammar, Asir and Yemen. Abdul-Aziz made an attempt to annex Jebel Shammar in April-May 1921, but only in August, the capital of ar-Rashidids, Hail, was taken by the forces of Abdul-Aziz. On November 1 of the same year, Jebel Shammar ceased to exist.
Confrontation with the Sheriff of Mecca
After this victory, Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi, the sheriff of Mecca and the king of Hijaz, became the main opponent of Ibn Saud. In 1922, Abdul-Aziz captured northern Asir without a fight, and in July 1924 he called for a jihad against the heretics of the Hejaz. In August 1924, on the land of the war-torn Hijaz, the Soviet consul presented his credentials to the representative of Ibn Saud. In early September, Ikhwan detachments broke into the resort town of Et-Taif and killed mostly civilians here. The nobility of Hijaz, frightened by the events in Al-Taif, opposed Hussein. He was forced to abdicate in favor of his son Ali. The new king did not have the strength to defend Mecca and took refuge with his supporters in Jeddah.
In mid-October, the Ikhwans entered the Holy City, and in January 1925 the siege of Jeddah began. On December 6, Medina fell, and on December 22, Ali evacuated Jeddah, after which the troops of Najd entered the city. That same year, Ibn Saud captured Mecca, thus ending 700 years of Hashemite rule. On January 10, 1926, Abdul-Aziz al-Saud was proclaimed king of the Hijaz, the kingdom of Najd and Hijaz was formed. A few years later, Abdul-Aziz captured almost the entire Arabian Peninsula.
The completion of the unification of Arabia[edit | edit wiki text] Ikhwan Rebellion
Ibn Saud was very sympathetic to European civilization. He appreciated the importance of the telephone, radio, car and airplane and began to implement them in life. At the same time, he began to gradually limit the influence of the Ikhwans. Feeling a change on the part of the king, the Ikhwans revolted in 1929, and in the battle of Sibil, Ibn Saud defeated his former supporters. But the vanquished went to guerrilla war. Then the king unleashed all his might on them. They adopted some European methods of struggle for use. At the end of the year, the Ikhwans were driven to Kuwait, where they were disarmed by the British. The Ikhwan leaders, Davish and Ibn Hitlein's cousin Nayif, were later handed over by the British to Ibn Saud and imprisoned in Riyadh. The movement, which played an important role in strengthening the power of Abdul-Aziz and his conquests, was completely defeated and soon disappeared. Ibn Saud assumed the title of King of Hijaz, Najd and the annexed territories.
King of Saudi Arabia
On September 23, 1932, Nejd and Hijaz were merged into one state, called Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz himself became the king of Saudi Arabia. This was supposed not only to strengthen the unity of the kingdom and put an end to Hijaz separatism, but also to emphasize the central role of the royal house in the creation of the Arabian centralized state. During the entire subsequent period of Ibn Saud's reign, internal problems did not present any particular difficulties for him.
Foreign policy
The excesses of the Ikhwan led to the alienation of Saudi Arabia from the majority of Muslim governments, who considered the Saudi regime hostile and resented the complete control established by "Muslims of pure Islam" over the holy cities and the Hajj. Between Ibn Saud and the Hashemite rulers of Iraq and Transjordan - the sons of Hussein, who was overthrown by him - there was mutual hostility. Ibn Saud's relationship with the king of Egypt, whom he suspected of wanting to revive the caliphate and declare himself caliph, could hardly be called warm. In February 1934, Ibn Saud started a war with the Imam of Yemen over the demarcation of the Yemeni-Saudi border. Hostilities were terminated after the signing of the agreement in May of that year. Two years later, the border was de facto defined. Border problems also occurred in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula after Ibn Saud granted an oil concession to Standard Oil of California in 1933. Negotiations with Great Britain over the demarcation of borders with neighboring British protectorates and possessions - Qatar, Trucial Oman, Muscat and Oman and the Eastern Protectorate of Aden ended in failure.
Saudi-Yemeni War
In 1932, the former Emir Asir al-Idrisi declared the emirate's independence from Saudi Arabia. After the suppression of the Asir rebellion, al-Idrisi fled to Yemen. In March 1933, envoys from King Yahya of Yemen and King Abdulaziz met and discussed the possibility of restoring al-Idrisi's power. The envoys of Abdul-Aziz insisted on the transfer of northern Asir and the extradition of members of the al-Idrisi family. Bilateral negotiations were interrupted, and in May 1933, Yemen captured Nejran, which was considered by the Yemenis as part of Yemen, blocking the transport routes from Asir to Nejd. Members of the Saudi delegation were also captured in Sana'a. During the fighting in February 1934, the Saudis occupied southern Asir and part of Tihama. The Saudi troops had more modern weapons and vehicles. On the second front, Saudi Arabian forces occupied Nejran and advanced towards major center Saada. The Western powers were forced to send warships to Hodeidah and the Saudi coast. The Arab League in Cairo offered negotiating services. Yemen, which found itself in a difficult situation, accepted the offer of negotiations. In May 1934, the Saudi-Yemeni peace treaty was signed in Al-Taif, according to which part of Nejran and Asir remained part of Arabia, and its forces were withdrawn from Yemen. Successful fighting significantly increased the authority of Saudi Arabia in the international arena.
Oil discovery
In 1933, King Ibn Saud granted American oil companies a concession to explore and extract oil. It turned out that in the depths of Arabia there are huge reserves of "black gold". In 1938, colossal oil fields were discovered in Saudi Arabia. The king transferred the main rights to develop deposits to the Aramco company. Most of the oil produced went to the United States, and almost all of the proceeds from it went directly to the royal family. However, profits were constantly growing, and the money went to the state treasury. Saudi Arabia quickly became the richest state in the Middle East. The sale of oil made it possible for Abdul-Aziz to make a huge fortune, which in 1952 was estimated at 200 million US dollars.
During World War II, he remained neutral. He led the Arab struggle against the creation of a Jewish state and was one of the leaders of the Arab League.
World War II Ibn Saud speaks to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (right) aboard the cruiser HMS Quincy. February 14, 1945
The outbreak of World War II prevented the full-scale development of the Al-Hasa oil fields, however, part of the loss of Ibn Saud's income was offset by British and then American aid. During the war, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Germany (1941) and Italy (1942), but remained neutral almost until its end (officially declared war on Germany and Japan on February 28, 1945). At the end of the war and especially after it, American influence increased in Saudi Arabia. On May 1, 1942, the American legation was opened in Jeddah, headed by James S. Moose, Jr. Since 1943, Jeddah has become known as the diplomatic capital. In 1943, an American envoy arrived in Riyadh, thereby raising the level of diplomatic relations with the United States established in 1933. The United States extended the lend-lease law to Saudi Arabia. In early February 1944, American oil companies began building a trans-Arabian oil pipeline from Dhahran to the Lebanese port of Saida. In 1944, the American Consulate General opened in Dhahran. At the same time, the government of Saudi Arabia allowed the construction of a large American air base in Dhahran, which the United States needed for the war against Japan.
After the Yalta Conference, an American delegation headed by US President Franklin Roosevelt flew to Egypt, where the heavy cruiser Quincy was waiting for her. On board this ship on February 14, President Roosevelt received Ibn Saud. In his memoirs, the son of the American president, Elliot Roosevelt, left a description of his father's negotiations with this Arab monarch, who for the first time traveled outside his kingdom specifically to meet with Roosevelt. He arrived in a tent, pitched right on the deck of an American destroyer. On board the cruiser, US President Franklin Roosevelt and King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement known as the Quincy Pact, giving the US a monopoly on the development of Saudi deposits. Under the pact, the US was given exclusive rights to explore, develop and acquire Saudi oil, in turn guaranteeing the Saudis protection from any external threat.
Reformer
Military establishment
Until the death of Ibn Saud in 1953, the armed forces retained a patriarchal tribal character. The Ministry of Defense, created in 1944, did not function until 1947 and did not change anything in the tribal structure. armed forces, forming only a modern facade. Petrodollars allowed Ibn Saud to send significant amounts to military and security needs, which in 1952-1953 amounted to 53% of all income.
Family
Abdulaziz became the founder of the royal dynasty of the Saudis. He left behind 45 legitimate sons from numerous wives, among them all the kings of Saudi Arabia who reigned after him (the throne usually passes from brother to brother). After the death of Abdulaziz, his son Saud became king.
At present, the Saudid family, the offspring of ibn Saud, is so numerous (from 5 to 7 thousand prince-emirs) that its representatives permeated the entire state and economic life of the country. The ruling group of the Saudis exercises power functions, determines the direction and solves emerging problems in the internal and foreign policy, in the development of the economy, disposes of the public sector of the national economy, the basis of which is the oil and gas industry. Several sons of King Abdulaziz became billionaires. The current king of Saudi Arabia is his son Salman. In addition to Salman, 12 more sons of King Abdulaziz are alive:
- Prince Bandar (born 1923) - held no public office
- Prince Mishaal (born 1926) - Minister of Defense (1951-1953), Governor of Mecca Province (1963-1971), Chairman of the Council of Devotion since 2007;
- Prince Abdul-Rahman (born in 1931) - Deputy Minister of Defense (1978-2011), dismissed by the king for refusing to recognize the choice of Prince Naif as heir to the throne;
- Prince Mutaib (born 1931) - Deputy Minister of Defense (1951-1956), Governor of Mecca Province (1958-1961), Minister of Public Works and Housing (1975-1980), Minister of Regional Development (1980-2009);
- Prince Talal (born 1931) - Minister of Communications (1951-1955), Minister of Finance and National Economy (1960-1962), resigned from the Council of Devotion in 2011;
- Prince Nawwaf (born 1932) - Minister of Finance (1962-1964), Special Adviser to the King on Gulf Affairs (1968-1975), Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service (2001-2005), Special Adviser to the King with the rank of Minister since 2005 ;
- Prince Turki II (born 1934) - Deputy Minister of Defense (1969-1978);
- Prince Abdul-Illah (born in 1939) - Governor of the province of Al-Qasim (1980-1992), Governor of the province of El-Jawf (1998-2001), special adviser to the king with the rank of minister since 2008;
- Prince Mamdouh (born 1940) - Governor of Tabuk Province (1986-1987), Director of the Saudi Center for Strategic Studies (1994-2004);
- Prince Ahmad (born 1942) - Deputy Minister of the Interior (1975-2012), Minister of the Interior since 2012;
- Prince Mashkhur (born 1942);
- Prince Muqrin (born 1945) - Governor of Hail Province (1980-1999), Governor of El Madina Province (1999-2005), Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service (2005-2012), Crown Prince from January 23 to April 29, 2015, Deputy Prime Minister since 2015.
Riyadh
Al Taif
2) Tarfakh
3) Jauhar al-Saud
4) Buzz
5) Jauhar al-Sudairi
6) Hassa al-Sudairi
7) Shahida
8) Fahda Ash-Shuraim
9) Buzz
10) Munayir
11) Moodni
12) Saida
daughters: Nuf, Sita, Nura, Sarah, etc.
Abdulaziz ibn Saud or Abdel Aziz II(Arab. عبدالعزيز آل سعود ) (November 26 - November 9) - founder and first king of Saudi Arabia. He fought for the unification of Arabia. In 1902-1927. emir of the state of Nejd, in 1927-32 king of the state of Hijaz, Najd and annexed areas.
early years
Abdel-Aziz or Ibn Saud was born on November 26 in Riyadh in the family of Emir Nejd Abd ar-Rahman and Sarah, daughter of Ahmad Aal Sudairi, in the Islamic State of the Saudis, whose territory was actually limited to the outskirts of Riyadh. The boy was more interested in games with a saber and a rifle than religious exercises. He was able to read the Koran only at the age of 11. The future king dreamed of restoring family honor, of returning the glory and wealth of the house of Saudis.
Hike to Riyadh
The Rashidi family, who seized power in the city, sent the Saudis to Kuwait, where the young Abdel Aziz spent his childhood. In he began to collect his own detachment to march on Riyadh. On the night of January 16, Abdel Aziz, with a detachment of 60 people, captured Riyadh, cracking down on the governor from Rashidi. The Rashidi asked the Ottoman Empire to help them overthrow Saud. The Turks brought their troops into Arabia, but were defeated and left.
Great war in Arabia
Ikhwans
The beginning of the war for the unification of Arabia
With the outbreak of World War I, he secured a protectorate from the British Empire. In , using the material support of the British, Abdel Aziz finally defeated Rashidi. By the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, five independent states had formed on the peninsula: Hejaz, Nejd, Jebel Shammar, Asir and Yemen. Abdel-Aziz made an attempt to annex Jebel Shammar in April-May 1921, but only in August the capital of the Alrashidids, Hail, was taken by the Muslims. On November 1 of the same year, Jebel Shammar ceased to exist.
Confrontation with the Sheriff of Mecca
After this victory, the Sheriff of Mecca and King Hussein of the Hejaz became the main opponent of Ibn Saud. In 1922, Abdel-Aziz captured Northern Asir without a fight, and in July 1924 he called for jihad against the heretics of the Hijaz. In early September, detachments of the Ikhwans broke into the resort town of Taif and killed mostly civilians here. The nobility of Hijaz, frightened by the events in Taif, opposed Hussein. He was forced to abdicate in favor of his son Ali. The new king did not have the strength to defend Mecca and took refuge with his supporters in Jeddah. In mid-October, the Ikhwans entered the holy city, and in January 1925 the siege of Jeddah began. On December 6, Medina fell, and on December 22, Ali evacuated Jeddah, after which the troops of Najd entered the city. That same year, Saud captured Mecca, thus ending 700 years of Hashemite rule. On 10 January, Abdulaziz al-Saud was proclaimed king of the Hejaz. A few years later, Abdel Aziz captured almost the entire Arabian Peninsula. On September 23, Najd and Hejaz were merged into one state, called Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz himself became the king of Saudi Arabia.
Completion of the unification of Arabia
King of Saudi Arabia
On September 22, 1932, Ibn Saud changed the name of his state to a new one - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was supposed not only to strengthen the unity of the kingdom and put an end to Hijaz separatism, but also to emphasize the central role of the royal house in the creation of the Arabian centralized state. During the entire subsequent period of Ibn Saud's reign, internal problems did not present any particular difficulties for him.
Ikhwan uprising
Ibn Saud treated European civilization with great understanding. He appreciated the importance of the telephone, radio, car and airplane and began to implement them in life. He also began to gradually limit the influence of the Ikhwans. Feeling changes to themselves on the part of the king of the Ikhwans, in 1929 they raised an uprising. And in the battle of Sibil, Ibn Saud defeated his former supporters. But the vanquished switched to guerrilla warfare. Then the king unleashed all his might on them. They were taken to use some European methods of struggle. At the end of the year, the Ikhwans were driven to Kuwait, where they were disarmed by the British. The Ikhwan leaders, Davish and Ibn Hitlein's cousin Nayif, were later handed over by the British to Ibn Saud and imprisoned in Riyadh. The movement, which played an important role in strengthening the power of Abdel-Aziz and his conquests, was completely defeated and soon disappeared. Ibn Saud assumed the title of King of Hejaz, Najd and the annexed territories.
Foreign policy
The excesses of the Ikhwan led to the alienation of Saudi Arabia from the majority of the Muslim governments, who considered the Saudi regime hostile and resented the complete control established by the Muslims of pure Islam over the holy cities and the Hajj. Between Ibn Saud and the Hashemite rulers of Iraq and Transjordan - the sons of Hussein, who was overthrown by him - there was mutual hostility. Ibn Saud's relationship with the king of Egypt, whom he suspected of wanting to revive the caliphate and declare himself caliph, could hardly be called warm. In February 1934, Ibn Saud started a war with the imam of Yemen over the demarcation of the Yemeni-Saudi border. Hostilities were terminated after the signing of an agreement in May 1934. Two years later, the border was de facto defined. Border problems also occurred in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula after Ibn Saud granted an oil concession to Standard Oil of California in 1933. Negotiations with Great Britain over the demarcation of borders with neighboring British protectorates and possessions - Qatar, Trucial Oman, Muscat and Oman and the Eastern Protectorate of Aden ended in failure.
During World War II, he remained neutral. He led the Arab struggle against the establishment of a Jewish state and was one of the leaders of the Arab League.
The Second World War
The outbreak of World War II prevented the full-scale development of the Al-Hasa oil fields, however, part of the loss of Ibn Saud's income was offset by British and then American aid. During the war, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany(1941) and Italy (1942), but almost until its end it remained neutral
Ibn Saud speaks with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (right) aboard the cruiser Quincy. February 14, 1945
(officially declared war on Germany and Japan on February 28, 1945). At the end of the war and especially after it, American influence increased in Saudi Arabia. In 1943, the United States established diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and extended the lend-lease law to it. In early February 1944, American oil companies began building a trans-Arabian oil pipeline from Dhahran to the Lebanese port of Saida. At the same time, the government of Saudi Arabia allowed the construction of a large American air base in Dhahran, which the United States needed for the war against Japan.
After the Yalta Conference, an American delegation headed by US President Franklin Roosevelt flew to Egypt, where the heavy cruiser Quincy was waiting for her. On board this ship on February 14, President Roosevelt received Ibn Saud. In his memoirs, the son of the American president, Elliot Roosevelt, left a description of his father's negotiations with this Arab monarch, who for the first time traveled outside his kingdom specifically to meet with Roosevelt. He arrived in a tent, pitched right on the deck of an American destroyer. On board the cruiser, US President Franklin Roosevelt and Saudi King Ibn Saud signed an agreement known as Quincy pact, about the US monopoly on the development of Saudi deposits. Under the pact, the US was given exclusive rights to explore, develop and acquire Saudi oil, in turn guaranteeing the Saudis protection from any external threat.
Ibn Saud Abd al-Aziz(11/24/1880, Riyadh - 11/9/1953, Taif), from the Saudi dynasty: the religious head of the Wahhabis. In 1902-27 Emir of Nejd. In an effort to create a centralized feudal-absolutist state, he waged wars with the neighboring principalities of the Arabian Peninsula. The war with Hijaz (1924-25) ended with the conquest of the latter. In 1927, Ibn Saud was proclaimed king of the Hijaz, Najd and the annexed regions (since 1932 - Saudi Arabia).
Ibn Saud, Abdel Aziz (1880-1953), King of Saudi Arabia, son of Abdurrahman, Sultan of Najd. Born in Riyadh, the capital of the Wahhabi state of Najd in the central part of the Arabian Peninsula. After the death of Ibn Saud's grandfather, the Sultan of Najd from 1834 to 1867, the country entered a period of conflict, when his two eldest sons fought for the throne. Taking advantage of the situation, the Turks gradually advanced to the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and the Arab leader Ibn Rashid advanced from the north. When Riyadh was occupied in 1891, Ibn Saud went into exile with his family in Kuwait. Abdurrahman's unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne in 1900 led to his abdication in favor of Ibn Saud's eldest son. In 1902, Ibn Saud, with a small group of loyal supporters, unexpectedly captured Riyadh and was proclaimed the ruler of Najd and the imam (head) Wahhabis. He immediately set about consolidating his power and in 1904 defeated his rival, Ibn Rashid, and his Turkish allies at the battle of el-Bukayriyya. Ibn Saud pursued a policy aimed at the destruction of tribal traditions and the development of national identity. As a result of the military campaigns of 1907-1912, the Turks left the Arabian Peninsula, and Ibn Saud managed to establish control over most of the territory of northern Arabia. During World War I Ibn Saud maintained a policy of neutrality. Despite his support for the actions of the allied powers, the British government, on the advice of T. Lawrence, relied on Hussein Sheriff of Hijaz. Ibn Saud waited at first, and in 1919 defeated Hussein's forces. In 1921 he captured Hail and established control over the central part of Arabia. Attempts by the British government to act in April 1924 as an intermediary ended in failure. A few months later, Ibn Saud again defeated the troops of King Hussein, in December 1924 entered Mecca and soon established his authority over the entire Hijaz. In 1925, Ibn Saud began to be called the king of the Hejaz and the Sultan of Najd. Despite the issue of disputed borders with Iraq, Ibn Saud's relationship with the British government improved. In 1932, his possessions and territories subject to him became known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1933, oil concessions were granted to two American companies in the country. During World War II Ibn Saud remained neutral. He led the Arab struggle against the creation of a Jewish state Israel and was one of the leaders of the Arab League. Thanks to the huge funds that came to Najd from oil concessions and state experience, Ibn Saud became one of the most influential leaders in the Arab Middle East. Ibn Saud died on December 9, 1953.
Encyclopedia "Circumnavigation".
Ibn Saud, Abd al-Aziz (b. 1880) - King of Saudi Arabia. The son of the emir (ruler) of the Arabian principality of Nejd, conquered in 1885 by the neighboring Arab emir, I. spent his youth with his father in exile, in Koveit. Using the Anglo-German struggle for dominance in the Persian Gulf and Arabia, the young Ibn Saud, with the help of the British, won back his father's principality in early 1902 and became its emir. In 1904, Ibn Saud repelled a Turkish invasion of Najd. In 1913, he conquered the region of Al-Khasa (on the Persian Gulf), expelled the Turks from there, and then concluded secret agreements with England, which sought to oust the Turks from the Persian Gulf, and with Turkey, which tried to use Ibn Saud to strengthen its position in Arabia. In 1915, Ibn Saud concluded a protectorate treaty with England (see Anglo-Naji treaties). Despite England's attempts to involve Nejd in the first world war on his side, Ibn Saud remained neutral. In 1919, Ibn Saud repelled the attack of King Hussein of the Hijaz and inflicted a serious defeat on him. Only the diplomatic intervention of England in defense of Hussein prevented Ibn Saud from building on his success. In 1920, Ibn Saud annexed the Mountainous Asir region to his possessions, in 1921 - the Shammar emirate and the Juf oasis. In 1921, Ibn Saud was proclaimed the Sultan of Najd and the annexed regions. In 1924-1925, Ibn Saud led new war with Hijaz, conquered it and in January 1926 was proclaimed king of Hijaz. At the same time, Hijaz was not directly attached to Najd, but united with it by a personal union. In 1927, on behalf of Hijaz-Nejd, Ibn Saud concluded the Treaty of Jidda (...) with England, which recognized the independence of his state. In 1926, Ibn Saud established a protectorate over the emirate of Asir, and in 1930 annexed it to his state. In 1932, Ibn Saud renamed the kingdom of "Hijaz-Nejd and the annexed regions" into the Arab Saudi Kingdom (Saudi Arabia). This state united almost the entire Arabian Peninsula (with the exception of Yemen and the English protectorates in eastern and southern Arabia). Ibn Saud's war with Yemen in 1934 ended in victory for Ibn Saud; however, under pressure from the British, he evacuated his troops from Yemen.
The main political task of Ibn Saud was the creation of a centralized feudal absolutist Arabian state. To achieve this goal, Ibn Saud used, along with others, diplomatic means of struggle.
England, pursuing a policy of "divide and conquer" in Arabia, involved Ibn Saud in conflicts with other Arabian feudal lords and in most cases hindered the activities of Ibn Saud. So, even before the First World War, England supported the uprisings of the separatist feudal lords against Ibn Saud and through its agent, the Koveit sheikh, formed coalitions hostile to him. In 1919, England prevented Ibn Saud from seizing the Hejaz, and in 1928-1929 provoked riots on the Iraqi-Najdi border in order to achieve the collapse of the Saudi state. In 1932, similar riots were provoked on the border with Transjordan, as well as in Asir and in other areas. In 1934, England prevented Ibn Saud from seizing Yemen.
However, Ibn Saud skillfully maneuvered in his relations with England and its Arab satellites in the person of the Hashemite dynasty ruling in Iraq and Transjordan, and even concluded a number of treaties of friendship and alliance with them (see Iraqi-Najdi and Iraqi-Saudi treaties).
Israel granted the United States a number of important concessions (for the extraction of oil, in terms of which Saudi Arabia occupies one of the first places in the capitalist world, for the construction of oil pipelines, highways, air bases, seaports, etc.). The United States provides loans to Ibn Saud, designs construction on its territory railways, irrigation facilities, car factories, etc., considering Saudi Arabia as his sphere of influence Maneuvering between the United States and England, Ibn Saud seeks to preserve the independence of his state.
In 1945, Ibn Saud participated in the formation of the League of Arab States. However, unable to secure a leadership role for himself in this league, he treated her undertakings with restraint. He was especially afraid of the establishment in the Arab League of the influence of the hostile Hashemite dynasty, against which he blocked with the Egyptian king Farouk I.
The Soviet Union was the first power to recognize Ibn Saud as the king of Hijaz-Nejd and established diplomatic relations with him (1926). In 1932, the son of Ibn Saud, Emir Faisal, visited Moscow. On the eve of World War II, the Soviet mission in Jeddah was closed, and diplomatic relations between the USSR and Saudi Arabia have been maintained since then through the Saudi mission in London.
Diplomatic Dictionary. Ch. ed. A. Ya. Vyshinsky and S. A. Lozovsky. M., 1948.
Read further:
Treaty of Jeddah 1927, 20 May.
Iraqi-Najdi protocol of 1930, 23 February.
The Iraqi-Neji Treaty of 1931, 7 April.
Minutes of the interrogation of Major General O. von Niedermeier. 28 August 1945 (about Ibn Saud's connections with Nazi Germany).
Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdu-Rahman ibn Faisal Al Saud, also called simply Ibn Saud or Abdul-Aziz II (November 26, 1880 - November 9, 1953) - the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia (1932-1953). He fought for the unification of Arabia. In 1902-1927 he was the emir of the state of Nejd, later - until 1932 - the king of the state of Hijaz, Nejd and the annexed regions.
Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud was born on November 26, 1880 in Riyadh in the Islamic State of the Saudis, whose territory was actually limited to the outskirts of Riyadh. Son of Emir Nejd Abd al-Rahman and Sarah, daughter of Ahmad al-Sudairi. The boy was more interested in games with a saber and a rifle than religious exercises. He was able to read the Koran only at the age of 11. The future king dreamed of restoring family honor, of returning the glory and wealth of the house of Saudis.
Hike to Riyadh
The Rashidi family, who seized power in the city, sent the Saudis to Kuwait, where the young Abdulaziz spent his childhood. In 1901, he began to collect his own detachment for a campaign against Riyadh. On the night of January 15-16, 1902, Abdul-Aziz, with a detachment of 60 people, captured Riyadh, cracking down on the governor from Rashidi.
Ikhwans (Brothers)
In 1912, Abdul-Aziz took over the entire region of Najd, converting to "pure Islam" the same year. In an effort to achieve the loyalty of the largest tribes, Ibn Saud, on the advice of religious teachers, began to transfer them to settled life. For this purpose, in 1912, the military-religious brotherhood of the Ikhvans (Arabic for “brothers”) was founded. All the Bedouin tribes and oases who refused to join the Ikhwan movement and recognize Ibn Saud as their emir and imam began to be seen as enemies of Nejd. Ikhvans were ordered to move to agricultural colonies (“hijras”), whose members were called to love their homeland, unquestioningly obey the imam-emir and not enter into any contacts with Europeans and residents of the countries they ruled (including Muslims). A mosque was erected in each Ikhwan community, which also served as a military garrison, and the Ikhwans themselves became not only farmers, but also warriors of the Saudi state. By 1915, more than 200 such settlements were organized throughout the country, including at least 60,000 people who, at the first call of Ibn Saud, were ready to go to war with the "infidels."
The beginning of the war for the unification of Arabia
With the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted the support of the British Empire. In 1920, using the material support of the British, Abdul-Aziz finally defeated Rashidi. By the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, five independent states had formed on the peninsula: Hejaz, Nejd, Jebel Shammar, Asir and Yemen. Abdul-Aziz made an attempt to annex Jebel Shammar in April-May 1921, but only in August the capital of the al-Rashidids, Hail, was taken by the Wahhabis. On November 1 of the same year, Jebel Shammar ceased to exist.
Confrontation with the Sheriff of Mecca
After this victory, Hussein bin Ali, the sheriff of Mecca and the king of Hijaz, became the main opponent of Ibn Saud. In 1922, Abdul-Aziz captured northern Asir without a fight, and in July 1924 he called for a jihad against the heretics of the Hejaz. In early September, Ikhwan detachments broke into the resort town of Et-Taif and killed mostly civilians here. The nobility of Hijaz, frightened by the events in Al-Taif, opposed Hussein. He was forced to abdicate in favor of his son Ali. The new king did not have the strength to defend Mecca and took refuge with his supporters in Jeddah. In mid-October, the Ikhwans entered the Holy City, and in January 1925 the siege of Jeddah began. On December 6, Medina fell, and on December 22, Ali evacuated Jeddah, after which the troops of Najd entered the city. That same year, Ibn Saud captured Mecca, thus ending 700 years of Hashemite rule. On January 10, 1926, Abdul-Aziz al-Saud was proclaimed king of the Hijaz, the kingdom of Najd and Hijaz was formed. A few years later, Abdul-Aziz captured almost the entire Arabian Peninsula.
Ikhwan uprising
Ibn Saud treated European civilization with great understanding. He appreciated the importance of the telephone, radio, car and airplane and began to implement them in life. At the same time, he began to gradually limit the influence of the Ikhwans. Feeling a change on the part of the king, the Ikhwans revolted in 1929, and in the battle of Sibil, Ibn Saud defeated his former supporters. But the vanquished switched to guerrilla warfare. Then the king unleashed all his might on them. They were taken to use some European methods of struggle. At the end of the year, the Ikhwans were driven to Kuwait, where they were disarmed by the British. The Ikhwan leaders, Davish and Ibn Hitlein's cousin Nayif, were subsequently handed over by the British to Ibn Saud and imprisoned in Riyadh. The movement, which played an important role in strengthening the power of Abdul-Aziz and his conquests, was completely defeated and soon disappeared. Ibn Saud assumed the title of King of Hijaz, Najd and the annexed territories.
King of Saudi Arabia
On September 23, 1932, Nejd and Hijaz were merged into one state, called Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz himself became the king of Saudi Arabia. This was supposed not only to strengthen the unity of the kingdom and put an end to Hijaz separatism, but also to emphasize the central role of the royal house in the creation of the Arabian centralized state. During the entire subsequent period of Ibn Saud's reign, internal problems did not present any particular difficulties for him.
Foreign policy
The excesses of the Ikhwan led to the alienation of Saudi Arabia from the majority of Muslim governments, who considered the Saudi regime hostile and resented the complete control established by Muslims of pure Islam over the holy cities and the Hajj. Between Ibn Saud and the Hashemite rulers of Iraq and Transjordan - the sons of Hussein, who was overthrown by him - there was mutual hostility. Ibn Saud's relationship with the king of Egypt, whom he suspected of wanting to revive the caliphate and declare himself caliph, could hardly be called warm. In February 1934, Ibn Saud started a war with the Imam of Yemen over the demarcation of the Yemeni-Saudi border. Hostilities were terminated after the signing of the agreement in May of that year. Two years later, the border was de facto defined. Border problems also occurred in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula after Ibn Saud granted an oil concession to Standard Oil of California in 1933. Negotiations with Great Britain over the demarcation of borders with neighboring British protectorates and possessions - Qatar, Trucial Oman, Muscat and Oman and the Eastern Aden Protectorate - ended in failure.
Saudi-Yemeni War
In 1932, the former Emir Asir al-Idrisi declared the emirate's independence from Saudi Arabia. After the suppression of the Asir rebellion, al-Idrisi fled to Yemen. In March 1933, envoys from King Yahya of Yemen and King Abdulaziz met and discussed the possibility of restoring al-Idrisi's power. The envoys of Abdul-Aziz insisted on the transfer of northern Asir and the extradition of members of the al-Idrisi family. Bilateral negotiations were interrupted, and in May 1933, Yemen captured Nejran, which was considered by the Yemenis as part of Yemen, blocking the transport routes from Asir to Nejd. Members of the Saudi delegation were also captured in Sana'a. During the fighting in February 1934, the Saudis occupied southern Asir and part of Tihama. The Saudi troops had more modern weapons and vehicles. On the second front, the Saudi Arabian forces occupied Nejran and advanced towards the major center of Saada. The Western powers were forced to send warships to Hodeidah and the Saudi coast. The Arab League in Cairo offered negotiating services. Yemen, which found itself in a difficult situation, accepted the offer of negotiations. In May 1934, the Saudi-Yemeni peace treaty was signed in Al-Taif, according to which part of Nejran and Asir remained part of Arabia, and its forces were withdrawn from Yemen. Successful military operations have significantly increased the authority of Saudi Arabia in the international arena.
Discovery of oil fields
In 1933, King Ibn Saud granted American oil companies a concession to explore and extract oil. It turned out that in the depths of Arabia there are huge reserves of "black gold". In 1938, colossal oil fields were discovered in Saudi Arabia. The king transferred the main rights to develop deposits to the Aramco company. Most of the oil produced went to the United States, and almost all of the proceeds from it went directly to the royal family. However, profits were constantly growing, and the money went to the state treasury. Saudi Arabia quickly became the richest state in the Middle East. The sale of oil enabled Abdulaziz to make a huge fortune, which in 1952 was estimated at 200 million US dollars. During the Second World War, he remained neutral. He led the Arab struggle against the creation of a Jewish state and was one of the leaders of the Arab League.
The Second World War
The outbreak of World War II prevented the full-scale development of the Al-Hasa oil fields, however, part of the loss of Ibn Saud's income was offset by British and then American aid. During the war, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Germany (1941) and Italy (1942), but remained neutral almost until its end (officially declared war on Germany and Japan on February 28, 1945). At the end of the war and especially after it, American influence increased in Saudi Arabia. On May 1, 1942 in Jeddah (since 1943 Jeddah became known as the diplomatic capital) the American diplomatic mission headed by James S. Moose Jr. was opened. In 1943, an American envoy arrived in Riyadh, thereby raising the level of diplomatic relations with the United States (established in 1933). The United States extended the lend-lease law to Saudi Arabia. In early February 1944, American oil companies began building a trans-Arabian oil pipeline from Dhahran to the Lebanese port of Saida. At the same time, the government of Saudi Arabia allowed the construction of a large American air base in Dhahran, which the United States needed for the war against Japan.
After the Yalta Conference, an American delegation headed by US President Franklin Roosevelt flew to Egypt, where the heavy cruiser Quincy was waiting for her. On board this ship on February 14, President Roosevelt received Ibn Saud. In his memoirs, the son of the American president, Elliot Roosevelt, left a description of his father's negotiations with this Arab monarch, who for the first time traveled outside his kingdom specifically to meet with Roosevelt. He arrived in a tent, pitched right on the deck of an American destroyer. On board the cruiser, US President Franklin Roosevelt and King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement known as the Quincy Pact, giving the US a monopoly on the development of Saudi deposits. Under the pact, the US was given exclusive rights to explore, develop and acquire Saudi oil, in turn guaranteeing the Saudis protection from any external threat.
Reformer
Military establishment
Until the death of Ibn Saud in 1953, the armed forces retained a patriarchal tribal character. Created in 1944, the Ministry of Defense did not function until 1947 and did not change anything in the tribal structure of the armed forces, forming only a kind of modern facade. Petrodollars allowed Ibn Saud to send significant amounts to military and security needs, which in 1952-1953 amounted to 53% of all income.
Family
Abdulaziz became the founder of the Saudi royal dynasty. He left behind 45 legitimate sons from numerous wives, among them all the kings of Saudi Arabia who reigned after him (the throne usually passes from brother to brother). After the death of Abdul Aziz, his son Saud became king. At present, the Saudi family, the offspring of ibn Saud, is so numerous (from 5 to 7 thousand prince-emirs) that its representatives permeated the entire state and economic life of the country. The ruling group of the Saudis exercises power functions, determines the direction and solves emerging problems in domestic and foreign policy, in the development of the economy, manages the public sector of the national economy, the basis of which is the oil and gas industry. Several sons of King Abdulaziz became billionaires.
