“A succinct and successful summary of the past, present and future of this surprisingly busy desert.”

- Michael Palin

Saudi Arabia:

A Portrait of Life Behind the Sand Curtain.

Outline

Foundations: Sand or Stone?

Life Behind the Sand Curtain

The Kingdom’s Future

Foundations: Sand or Stone?

Population - 27 million (inc. 7 million non-Saudis)

Capital - Riyadh (pop. 6.8 million)

Size - 2,149,690 sq km (830,000 sq mi)

GDP (2010 est) - $438 billion - $16,765 per person

Hashemite Prince Faisal, later King of Iraq

Alec Guinness as Faisal

Faisal’s father, Sharif Sayyid HusseinEmir of Mecca, Sultan of the Hijaz

- started the anti-Ottoman Arab Revolt (1916-1918)

- which was supported by Britain

Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, or Ibn Saudfounder of Saudi Arabia

1744 - alliance between Muhammad ibn Saud andMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

1890 - Saudis exiled by al-Rashids

1925 - Sauds take Mecca, forcing Sharif Hussein out of Hijaz

ends 700 years of Hashemite rule in region

1932 - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia founded

اململكة العربية السعودية

literally, the Saudi Arab Kingdom

King Abdul Aziz (1876-1953)

Life Behind the Sand Curtain

The mysterious Orient?

Islam

Terrorism

Women

Oil

Islam

"ال إله إال اهللا , محمد رسول اهللا "

“There is no God but God, Muhammad is the Prophet of God.”

- the Shahada

The Wahhabi or Salafist form of Islam

- named after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

- eighteenth century religious reformer

- sought to return to “pure” Islam of 7th century

1979 - Siege of Mecca

1990s - Rise of al-Qaeda

Terrorism

Women

Just 6% of the country’s workforce

Oil

Blessing or Curse?

1938 - discovery of oil

1973 - oil embargo

- world’s largest oil exporter

- accounts for more than 90% of exports

- 75% of government revenues

The Kingdom’s Future

t or t?

50% of Saudi Arabians are under 16 years of age

Tourism

Trade

“The King is dead. Long Live the King”

Abdul Aziz, known as Ibn Sa’ud 1876-1953 (r. from 1902) - 51 years

Ibn Sa’ud, 1902 - 1969 (r. 1953 - 1964) - 9 years

Faisal b. 1906 (r. 1964 - 1975) - 11 years

Khalid b. 1912 (r. 1975 - 1982) - 7 years

Fahd, b. 1921 (r. 1982 - 2005) - 23 years

Abdullah b. 1923 (r. 2005 - to date)

Heads of the House of Saud(since 1932, Kings of Saudi Arabia)

Absolute Islamic Monarchy

- King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, 88 years old

- Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, 87 years old

- next four in line all in their 80s

King Fahd’s grave

Saud family numbers between 7,000 - 25,000

Friends and neighbours

Abdul Aziz and President Roosevelt, 14 February 1945 - Great Bitter Lake

Popular unrest - the response

- $10.7 billion in handouts

- 15% pay raise for public sector workers

- release of economic fraud prisoners

- no scheduled political reform

Thank you,

or as we say in Arabic,

شكرا(shukran!)

“A well-written book that armchair and desert travellers will appreciate. Explorers should certainly have a copy in their libraries.”

- Colonel John Blashford-Snell, OBE