Research topic: Ibn Saud

Ibn Saud (Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud) , c.1880-1953, founder of Saudi Arabia and its first king. His family, with its regular seat at Riyadh in the Nejd , were the traditional leaders of the ultraorthodox Wahhabi movement in Islam. During Ibn Saud's youth the Saud family was in exile in Kuwait. In 1902 he and a small party of relatives and servants recaptured Riyadh. By 1912 he had completed the conquest of the Nejd and organized a well-trained army. During World War I the British made slight efforts to cultivate Ibn Saud's friendship but favored his rival, Husayn ibn Ali of the Hejaz... Read more