Arabian peninsula

a huge block of rock, highest in the west and

sloping gradually down to the east; mostly
covered with the sand of several large
deserts
Saudi Arabia
 also contains mountain ranges, flat coastal plains,
and the rocky remains of hardened lava flows
 Boundaries:
North: Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait
East: Persian Gulf and Qatar
Southeast: United Arab Emirates and Oman
South: Yemen
West: Red sea and Gulf of Aqaba
 Area: 2,240,000 km2(about 864,900 mi2)
 Capital and Largest city: Riyadh
 Second largest city: Jiddah, which is in Al Hijas
 Also located in Al Hijas are the two holy cities of
Islam – Mecca and Medina
 2005 population=26.4 million
 2005 population density=12.3 persons/km2
 2005 population growth=2.31 % (one of the
world’s fastest)

23% of the population:

 Made up of foreign nationals living in Saudi
 Play an important role in the country by making
up the large portion of the labor force and the
consumer base.
 However, due to economic downturns, the
government has pursued a policy of Saudization
to reduce its reliance on expatriates in the
workforce.
Arabic
 Official language
 Used by most of the native population

English
 An important second language
 Used in government, commerce, and among
the non-Arab expatriate communities
Islam
 The official religion
 89% are Sunni Muslims and 5% are Shia Muslims
 King – the custodian of the two holy cities

Sharia(Islamic Law)
 guiding principle of rule the government employs
 consequently, Islamic tenets (doctrine or belief)
not only govern spirituall and religious practice,
but also guide practices of the law, business,
taxation, and government
 SaudiArabia has the most developed banking
system in the Middle East

 Saudiriyal (SR) – the unit of currency; 3. 75

SR=$ 1
Oil and Natural gas fields
 Represents the countries most economically
important natural resource
 Lie beneath Saudi Arabia and its offshore waters

Water source
 Saudi Arabia lacks permanent lakes and rivers
 But, considerable reserves of underground water
have been discovered across countries
 Desalination- a process of making sea water
drinkable
 Desalination plants (on the Persian Gulf and Red
Sea coasts) provide important, if expensive
source of water.
 1932

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established

 Its economy was fragmented and small
 People of Al Hijas derived most of their
income from the annual influx of thousands
of haji pilgrims

Mid-20th century

 Oil revenue transformed the Saudi’s economy

 Oil
 The most important sector of Saudi Economy
 Their petroleum reserves amount to ¼ of the
world’s total
 Brought tremendous wealth to the royal family
and their merchant friends
 Also, oil money eventually channeled by
government development programs into areas
such as:
Transportation
Housing
Health Education
Defense
Saudi Arabia
 Monarchy Government
 Has no separate legislature and no political
parties

Sharia
 The sacred Law of Islam
 Is interpreted according to the strict Hanbali
rite by the religious elders (known as ulama)
 Basis of governmental and legal systems of
Saudi
The Basic Law of Government(decrees issued by King)

 defined Saudi Arabia as: “A sovereign Arab, Islamic

state whose constitution is the Qu’ran and the Sunna
(traditions) of the prophet Muhammad”
 it stipulated that the country would be ruled by the
male descendants of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, the founder
of the kingdom
 the principles of government were stated to be
justice, equality, and consultation, in accordance
with the Sharia
 it states that the dutied of the state are to protect
Islam, to protect human rights, and provide public
services and security for all citizens according to
Sharia
King

 he is the chief government and religious official of Saudi

 he is advised by a cabinet of ministers
 he serves as prime ministers
 in theory, his power is absolute
 in practice, it is modified according to certain factors such as:
 the king’s personal political skills(or lack of it)
 actions of the members of the royal family
 the influencial ulama

 in 1992, King Fahad decreed that the king could designate or

remove the crown prince
 also, the crown prince would not automatically rise to the throne
upon the death of the king; but would serve only as provisional
ruler until fully confirmed by religious and government leader.
 REMAINS FOUND: fossils of elephants,
hippopotamous, crocodiles, and other large
animals found in parts of the Arabian Peninsula
 INDICATION: the climate could support much
more vegetation between 11 million and million
years ago from today
 
 REMAINS FOUND: prehistoric flint tools and rock
drawings in various parts of the peninsula
 INDICATION: scattered habitation by Stone Age
people
 570 A.D.- Muhammad the prophet of Islam was born in
Mecca.

 Quaraysh- the dominant tribe in Mecca.

 
 Islam means “submission to will of Allah”.
 
 Quran or Koran- its holy book
 
 622 A.D.- Muhammad had more success wiyh tribes in
nearby Medina, hence he moved there. His emigration ,
known as Hegira (Hirah in Arabic) marks the first year of
the Islamic Calendar.
 630 A.D.- he returned with his followers and conquered Mecca.

 632 A.D.- Muhammad died.

 
 650 A.D. – organized Islamic state ruled a newly unified Arabian
Peninsula as well
 
 as, the Entire Fertile Crescent (what is now the site of Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Israel & Egypt).
 
 661 A.D.- the Umayad Dynasty of caliphs moved the seat of caliphate to
Damascus in
 
 After 1269- most of Hijas was ruled by the Egyptian Manluks.
 
 1517- Ottoman empire gained control of Al Hijas when it conquered
Egypt.
 Family is the focal point of identity, loyalty,
social status & economic prospects.
 Women bear 4 children on average, according to
2005 statistics.
 Roles of men and women are sharply divided in
many respects, a reflection of conservative
Islamic practice and local custom. Men are
expected to lead the household and provide for
its financial well-being. Women are expected to
marry, have children and raised them according
to Islamic principles.
Saudi clothing is designed to cover & conceal the body from a hot, dusty
climate.
Women:
 Veils- traditionally use to cover their hair in public.

 Burka or batula- a mask to cover their faces.

 At home, they usually wear a caftan (full length, loose

robe with long sleeves) which maybe ornamented and
embroidery.
 Abaya- is out of garnment of women when they going
outside, is often made of dark gauzy material that also can
help cover the head.
Men:
 Thob- most common garment of men, similar to the caftan that
reaches the ground and has long sleeves.

 Aba or Bisht- a coarcer robe usually of brown wool, men wear

over the thob.

 Men also tend to cover their heads, first with a small skullcap
then with a large square kerchief called ghoutra- is often white
but also found in red or black checkered patterns.
 Typical meal includes:
 mutton (meat of sheep)
 Chicken
 Fish with rice
 bread
 vegetables
 
 dates( an edible fruit from palm trees) a local delicacy
 Most popular beverages are:
 Coffee
 Tea
 Fruit juices

> Kingdom’s of conservative religious authorities attempt to control

cultural expression strictly, forbidding theaters, singing and
dancing at religious observances.
 The emergence of the Saudi dynasty began in central
Arabia in 1744. That year, Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler
of the town of Ad-Dir'iyyah near Riyadh, joined forces with
a cleric, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, to create a new
political entity. This alliance formed in the 18th century
and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today.
 Over the next 150 years, the fortunes of the Saud family
rose and fell several times as Saudi rulers contended with
Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and other Arabian families for
control on the peninsula. The third and current Saudi state
was founded in the early 20th century by King Abdul Aziz
Al-Saud (known internationally as Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud).

this is Crown Prince

Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
 In 1902, at the age of only 22, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud re-
captured Riyadh, the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital,
from the rival Al Rashid family.

 Continuing his conquests, Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Hasa, Al-

Qatif, the rest of Nejd, and Hejaz between 1913 and 1926.
On January 8, 1926, Abdul Aziz bin Saud became the King
of Hejaz.

 On January 29, 1927, he took the title King of Nejd (his

previous Nejdi title was Sultan).

 By the Treaty of Jeddah, signed on May 20, 1927, the U.K.

recognized the independence of Abdul Aziz's realm, then
known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. In 1932, the
principal regions of Al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and Hejaz were
unified to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
 Abdul Aziz's military and political successes were not
mirrored economically until vast reserves of oil were
discovered in March 1938.

 Development programmes, which were delayed due to the

onset of the Second World War in 1939, began in earnest
in 1946 and by 1949 production was in full swing.

 Oil has provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity

and a great deal of leverage in the international
community.

 Prior to his death in 1953, Abdul Aziz, aware of the

difficulties facing other regional absolute rulers reliant on
extended family networks, attempted to regulate the
succession.
 Saud succeeded to the throne on his father's death in
1953.

 However, by the early 1960s the Kingdom was in jeopardy

due to Saud's economic mismanagement and failure to
deal effectively with a regional challenge from Egyptian
president Gamal Abdel Nasser. As a consequence, Saud
was deposed in favour of Faisal in 1964.

 Intra-family rivalry was one of the factors that led to the

assassination of Faisal by his nephew, Prince Faisal bin
Musa'id, in 1975.

 He was succeeded by King Khalid until 1982 and then by

King Fahd. When Fahd died in 2005, his half-brother,
Abdullah, ascended to the throne.