monarch Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud (1293 AH / 1877 AD – 1373 AH / 1953 AD), is the creator and unifier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its first monarch. He was called the Sultan, Ibn Saud, and Mu’azi, and he is nicknamed Abu Turki, and he is the son of the last imams.The second Saudi state Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, the fourteenth ruler of the dynastyAl SaudHe assumed power in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when he was in his twenties, and spent 54 years in power, making him the longest-serving ruler in the history of the Saudi state.
Lineage of King Abdulaziz
His father is Imam Abdul Rahman, the fourth son of Imam Faisal bin Turki, one of the imams of the second Saudi state, which ruled in the period (1240 AH / 1824 AD – 1309 AH / 1891 AD), and his mother is Princess Sarah bint Ahmed Al-Sudairi, who was born and raised in Al-Ahsa, where Imam Faisal bin Turki appointed her father as emirate. Hasa. King Abdulaziz has 8 brothers: Muhammad, Saud, Abdullah, Ahmed, Musaed, Saad (the second), Abdul Mohsen, and he has a full brother named Saad who was slain at the Battle of Kenzan.
King Abdulaziz’s roots go back to the ruling family that founded and ruledThe first Saudi stateThe second was three centuries ago, and the roots of the Al Saud family’s stability in Diriyah go back to the middle of the ninth century AH (fifteenth century AD), when Prince Mani’ bin Rabi’ah Al-Muraydi, the twelfth grandfather of King Abdulaziz, moved with members of his clan from the east of the Arabian Peninsula to its center, where his tribe’s homes were. They took Wadi Hanifa in the Al-Yamamah region as their headquarters, and on its banks, Prince Mani’ founded the city of “Diriyah,” named after the name of the clan “Al-Dir’u’.” Diriyah is considered the nucleus of the founding of the first Saudi state, at the hands of Imam Muhammad bin Saud in the middle of the year 1139 AH/February 22, 1727 AD. Who made it the capital of his modern state.
The birth and upbringing of King Abdulaziz
King Abdulaziz was born on Dhul-Hijjah 19, 1293 AH / January 4, 1877 AD, inRiyadh cityThe capital of the second Saudi state, he was nurtured by his father, Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, and his mother, Princess Sarah Al-Sudairi. He acquired reading, writing, and the Holy Qur’an at the age of seven, and at the age of ten he learnt jurisprudence and monotheism, and in addition to that, he mastered horse riding and equestrian abilities.
King Abdulaziz experienced a period of internal turmoil over the government during the first period of his life, and he participated during the rule of his father, Imam Abdul Rahman, with a delegation that included senior notables from Riyadh that went out to negotiate peace with Ibn Rashid, after he had besieged Riyadh for 40 days, and he was not yet 15 years old at the time. It ended with an agreement that the Emirate of Riyadh and its dependents would stay under Imam Abdul Rahman.
After the end of the Second Saudi State in 1309 AH/1891 AD, King Abdulaziz left Riyadh at the age of 16 and moved with his father and his family in the desert between Qatar, Bahrain, and Al-Ahsa, between the deserts of “Al Murra” and “Ajman.” His father, Imam Abdul Rahman, relied on him for his political correspondence. He wrote it to Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain at the time, immediately after his departure from Riyadh to seek him for permission regarding the residence of ladies from his family in Bahrain, fearing for them the implications of the security disruption in the desert. Sheikh Isa then agreed. Imam Abdul Rahman returned to Riyadh after gathering his troops, and Ibn Rashid confronted him in “Huraymila”, but the Imam did not triumph in his combat, and he retreated to the desert. He then despatched King Abdul Aziz to Al-Ahsa to negotiate with the Mutasarrifate of the Ottoman Empire on the presence of the Imam and his family there, and his request was refused, and he stayed in Desert for seven months.
Imam Abdul Rahman traveled to Qatar and remained there for four months, until he relocated with his family to Kuwait at the beginning of the year 1311 AH/1893 AD. This was what the Imam sought from his moves in the desert and his quest for a headquarters near to Riyadh. To be informed on the conditions in Riyadh and ready to return to it. Through the experience of moving in the desert and the successive events that accompanied his family’s journey, King Abdulaziz gained leadership experience, through which he learned about the character of the desert and the geography of the region in terms of roads and resources, and the administrative conditions of the surrounding regions.
The life of King Abdulaziz in Kuwait
The family of Imam Abdul Rahman settled in Kuwait since 1311 AH/1893 AD, and King Abdulaziz lived there for a period that lasted for nine years, but he remained informed of political developments and general conditions in Najd, through Najdi merchants and scholars coming to Kuwait, waiting for the appropriate opportunity to return to Riyadh and restore rule. The Saudi state. At the age of 19, he married a girl from the desert, but she died 6 months later. He subsequently married Wadhaa bint Muhammad bin Barghash from the Arayar dynasty, with whom he had his eldest son, Turki, then Saud, the second king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, then Munira.
During his time in Kuwait, King Abdulaziz observed various local and international events, which helped to strengthening his political expertise, as he learnt about the course of political problems that were taking place in the territory of Kuwait. He also benefited from his father’s experience and guidance, in addition to the encouragement and motivation of his older sister, “Noura,” to Restoring Riyadh, and he valued it very much, was proud of it, and always used its name as “Noura’s brother.” All of this contributed to the formation of his leadership personality, which he later employed in planning and preparing to regain Riyadh, and then unify the parts of the country and build the state.
The step of reconstructing Riyadh
Planning to restore Riyadh
The events of restoring Riyadh began with the return of Imam Abdul Rahman from the Battle of Al-Sarif, where King Abdulaziz kept urging his father to try again and move towards Riyadh, but his father refused to do so, so King Abdulaziz had no choice but to strive hard to convince him and his mother to be a mediator between him and his father. The sources mention, quoting King Abdulaziz, his insistence and determination on the matter, and that he met with his father one day in an empty place outside the city, and insisted on talking to him about restoring Riyadh, but he refused, so King Abdulaziz said, “You have two plans: Either you order one of your men to snatch my head from my shoulders, or you give me permission to facilitate my departure to fight in the heart of Najd.
Imam Abdul Rahman agreed to his son’s departure, and provided him with simple equipment that was barely sufficient for the journey, which was 40 dhalul, a type of fast-running camel, 30 rifles, and 200 riyals, so King Abdul Aziz gathered his men from his family and close followers, numbering 40 men, and left Kuwait in the spring. The other 1319 AH / July 1901 AD, that is, 5 months after his initial effort at the Battle of Al-Sarif.
The journey to Riyadh
King Abdulaziz marched from Kuwait, headed toward Al-Uyaynah (Uyaynah is like a river) north of Al-Ahsa. During his march, he raided a number of tribes loyal to Ibn Rashid, and scored successive successes in his fights. He sought to rally men around him and declare his prowess in preparation for entering Riyadh. The legend of his triumphs spread. between tribes; Which drove them join his ranks, and around 1,400 fighters rallied behind him, and he marched with them towards the west, into the Dahna desert. After five days of marching, he reached “Hafar Al-Atak”, and from there he sent vanguards to Riyadh to find out the possibility of attacking it, and to collect information about its conditions, and he remained in They waited until they returned to him with news that the time was not appropriate to advance to Riyadh.
King Abdulaziz postponed visiting Riyadh at that time, and continued his march towards the tribes loyal to Ibn Rashid in the valley of Najd. He was triumphant in his fights with them, and dispersed all the treasures he had captured among his warriors. This was his practice to assist and encourage his guys and increase their morale, and he intended for the raids to prepare his men. To recapture Riyadh, and find out how simple it was to travel in the territories under the sway of the Ottoman Empire at the time in the Al-Ahsa districts, then he returned with his soldiers to Al-Ahsa and changed the direction of his return. He remained at Al-Ahsa for about 4 days, then traveled towards the west and conducted another raid on other tribes in the Sudair desert, and headed to Benban near Riyadh. This attack in particular expanded the number of his soldiers, reaching around 2,100 between Hajan and Khayal.
Ibn Rashid was an ally of the Ottoman Empire in Al-Ahsa, thus he requested them to place limits on King Abdulaziz and his forces, and prohibit them from supplying and dwelling in Al-Ahsa. His request was accepted, and as a consequence of these constraints, King Abdulaziz was obliged to march south towards Haradh, and part of the fighters dispersed around him, so he sought to keep the remainder of them. He prepared his forces for a last war against Al-Thulaima, south-east of Al-Kharj, hoping to inform his people of his power despite the Ottomans’ persecution of him. The remainder of his soldiers gradually separated from him, leaving just 40 individuals who departed with him from Kuwait, and 23 persons who joined him, with whom he traveled, concealed from view, towards Yabrin hatched a strategy to hide there, and furnished him and his men with supplies.
While King Abdulaziz was settled at Yabrin, an envoy from his father arrived to him begging him to halt continuing his marches and return to Kuwait. He collected his soldiers and informed them of the substance of the message, and showed them his willingness to finish his voyage and not return to Kuwait until he fulfilled his aim of recovering Riyadh, or he would die without it. He gave his friends the choice between returning or staying with him, and everyone opted to stay with him to the end. The pressure on King Abdulaziz mounted; As a consequence of his supplies being cut off and his movements being followed, he told his associates of a new plan centered on secrecy and surprise with a limited number of warriors. He took the choice to remain entirely disguised, and traveled with them to the dunes of Jafoura, north of the Rub’ al-Khali desert, which is an uninhabited location with a harsh character. He tried to conceal from Attention and preparations to march to Riyadh, depending on what was engraved in his memory from his early childhood, when he moved with his father in the desert of the Empty Quarter, which provided him knowledge of the topography of the region, its resources, and its highways. They stayed on the dunes of Jafoura for 50 days, amid terrible weather circumstances, from the beginning of Shaban to 20 Ramadan 1319 AH / November-December 1901 AD.
Reclaim Riyadh
King Abdulaziz and his army departed the sands of Jafoura, marching towards Riyadh, after 50 days. In fulfillment of his secret strategy, in which he sought to cut off news of him and hide his trail, to make his opponents believe that he had ceased fighting and returned to Kuwait. He was also waiting for the approach of winter to take advantage of its dark evenings, so that he could move in perfect stealth, and owing to the climatic conditions that they experienced in Al-Jafoura, the camels transporting them were injured and damaged. The extreme cold of winter in the desert, with sources quoting King Abdulaziz describing it as “bad.” King Abdulaziz chose an appropriate time to leave Al-Jafoura on the 20th of the month of Ramadan, which coincides with the month of fasting and Muslims’ abstention from worship, which means less traffic of commercial caravans in the region. Hence, an appropriate chance to move freely, and the duration of his trip from Al-Jafoura to Riyadh was 15 days.
King Abdulaziz and his forces marched till they camped at the “Al-Shaqib” side, which is a slope of “Jabal Abu Gharib”, south of Riyadh, the night before the fight, and there he began implementing his plan. He split his army into three groups, the first consisting of 23 men to be a reserve force that would settle in the area of “Al-Shuqaib” and defend the camels, and another force consisting of 33 men under the direction of his brother Muhammad, to be for security near the entrance to Riyadh. He personally led the last group, which contained 7 of the guys. His soldiers, namely: Abdulaziz bin Jalawi, Fahd bin Jalawi, Abdullah bin Jalawi, Nasser bin Saud, Al-Mashouq, and Ibn Sabaan, marched on foot into Riyadh.
King Abdulaziz arrived to the courtyard of Al-Masmak Palace, the seat of the monarch of Riyadh. His strategy was to strike Ajlan in his residence without exposing the residents of the city to any damage. They invaded the houses adjacent the palace and learnt that Ajlan was spending the night with his guards inside Al-Masmak Palace. After securing their position, he dispatched for a group. His brother Muhammad camped near the entrance to Riyadh and they joined him, and at dawn on Shawwal 5, 1319 AH/January 15, 1902 AD, King Abdulaziz and his men attacked the palace, and clashed with the garrison of Ajlan bin Muhammad Al-Ajlan, the Emir of Riyadh at the time, in a quick battle that ended with the killing of Ajlan and some of his men and the surrender of the rest, and an announcement was made. The dominion belongs to God and then to Abdulaziz, and the restoration of the capital of his fathers and grandfathers signals the beginning of a new age, ten years after the fall of the second Saudi kingdom.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserves the credit for the participants with King Abdulaziz in the battle to regain Riyadh, and they are known as the “Pioneers” and the loyal men of King Abdulaziz, due to the support and loyalty they provided to King Abdulaziz at a stage considered the most difficult in the process of establishing the modern Saudi state, as they traveled with him from Kuwait on the move. Between Al-Ahsa, Wadi Najd, and the Jafoura Desert in harsh climatic conditions for about six months, and they participated in all his battles with the tribes, and in appreciation of them, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud directed, in 1419 AH/1999 AD, to honor the pioneers and give them a special medal called the “Pioneers Medal,” to be given to their families. On the occasion of the national celebration of the centennial of the creation of the Kingdom.
Pledging loyalty to King Abdulaziz as ruler of the state
After entering the Masmak Palace and announcing the restoration of the rule of the House of Saud, King Abdulaziz began building the wall of the city of Riyadh, which had been demolished earlier, and sent one of his men, Nasser bin Saud, to Kuwait, to carry the news of King Abdulaziz’s victory to his father, Imam Abdul Rahman, and Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, and to ask him for supplies. A month later, Prince Saad, King Abdulaziz’s brother, came with 100 troops and some munitions. A lot of people from Najd also joined the ranks of King Abdulaziz, so he had roughly 1,000 soldiers.
Imam Abdul Rahman came from Kuwait with the Saudi family, and King Abdulaziz informed him that the emirate was his, and that he would be a soldier in his service, but the father refused to have the emirate, and after the intervention of scholars and opinionated people among his people, King Abdulaziz accepted the emirate, on the condition that the father would have permanent supervision. For his effort and direction whenever necessary, and in 1320 AH/1902 AD, King Abdulaziz took over the state in front of the people. At that time, his father proclaimed his resignation of power, and delivered to King Abdulaziz the sword of Imam Saud the Great, the third imam of the first Saudi monarchy.
The commencement of King Abdulaziz’s unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
After restoring the control of Riyadh, King Abdulaziz conducted the greatest national unification movement in the history of the Saudi kingdom since its creation. The 32 years that King Abdulaziz spent in integrating major sections of the Arabian Peninsula contributed to restoring peace and stability, which contributed to establishing national unity, and the political influence of King Abdulaziz became recognized to the public. Neighboring nations at the time, and his successes were the subject of attention to authors and writers from Arab and Western countries, and he achieved personal importance, in addition to his political stature.
The suburbs of Riyadh and Qassim
The stages of unification of the kingdom went gradually, and certain provinces entered peacefully under the administration of King Abdulaziz. After the declaration of the reign of the House of Saud, the inhabitants of Al-Kharj, Al-Hareeq, Al-Hutah, Wadi Al-Dawasir, and Al-Aflaj came and swore loyalty and obedience to him. Then King Abdulaziz met Ibn Rashid’s army in 1320 AH/1903 AD, and defeated him in the Battle of Al-Dalam. The defeat of Ibn Rashid in the Battle of Dalam diminished his dominance in the region, which allowed King Abdulaziz push northward in 1321 AH/1904 AD, and seized Al Mahmal, Al Shuaib, Shaqra, Tharmada, and Al Washm, until he was able to capture the whole Sudair region.
King Abdulaziz arrived at the frontiers of his emirate to the Qassim area, northwest of Riyadh, after annexing Iqlim al-Sarr. A delegation came to him from Al Muhanna, the princes of Buraidah at the time, and Al Salim, the princes of Unayzah from Kuwait, promising fealty. King Abdulaziz’s armies assaulted Unayzah in 1322 AH/1904 AD, and were able to attach it to the government. In the year Buraidah himself was besieged and the Ibn Rashid garrison, headed by Abdul Rahman bin Dabaan, was forced to surrender, which made it easy for King Abdulaziz subsequently to conquer all the cities in Al-Qassim.
Ibn Rashid returned to Riyadh with supplies from the Ottoman Empire, represented by groups of the regular army, and met with King Abdulaziz with them in the Battle of Al-Bukayriyah 1322 AH/1904 AD, which ended in a draw between the two armies, but he gathered his forces again and met with them again in the Battle of Al-Shinana in the same year. He adopted a new military plan, which was to divide the army into two groups. One of them confronted Ibn Rashid’s army, while the other faced the regular army, and they were successful at that time. Ibn Rashid sought to replicate the scenario in 1324 AH/1906 AD, and he moved his army to Rawdat Muhanna, east of Buraidah, but King Abdulaziz was able to beat him, and the conflict concluded with the death of Ibn Rashid, and the evacuation of his army to Hail. He was followed by his son Mutaib, who made peace with King Abdulaziz, and so the whole Qassim became under the emirate of Al Qassim. Saud.
Al-Ahsa and Qatif
King Abdulaziz sought to extend towards the eastern fringes of the Arabian Peninsula, and he was determined to acquire Al-Ahsa to reach the frontiers of his realm to the sea, which would give it economic importance. In 1331 AH/1913 AD, he left Riyadh in stealth, headed to Al-Ahsa, and when he reached the Kut Wall that encircled the city of Al-Ahsa, King Abdulaziz’s troops stepped inside and declared the country’s accession under the authority of the Al Saud. The Ottoman army collapsed and surrendered, and they withdrew for Iraq across the sea, and King Abdulaziz was able to capture the rest of Al-Ahsa.
Difficult
The Asir area, southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, was under the emirate of Al Ayedh, and the frontiers of his emirate in the north were near to the borders of the contemporary Saudi state. The chiefs of various tribes there took refuge in King Abdulaziz to protest against the authority of Al Ayedh. King Abdulaziz provided him instruction regarding that, but he rejected, which compelled the king. Abdulaziz should deploy an army headed by Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi. He met with him at the Battle of Hajla in 1338 AH/1920 AD, and was able to enter Abha and annex it up to the boundaries of Al-Mikhlaf Al-Sulaymani to the west, but Al-Ayed turned after a short period and assaulted Abha and conquered it, during King Abdulaziz’s assaults in Hail. After completing the annexation of Hail to Saudi control, King Abdulaziz despatched an army headed by his son, Prince Faisal (later King Faisal), in 1340 AH/1922 AD, and restored Asir to Saudi sovereignty.
Oil discovery in the Kingdom
After the discovery of oil in vast amounts in the globe, King Abdulaziz was interested in looking for oil and minerals in the Kingdom’s domains. In the year 1342 AH/1923 AD, King Abdulaziz handed the oil concession to a British corporation, the English Eastern Syndicate corporation, however the business was unable to obtain results from its activities. Exploration. King Abdulaziz terminated the concession agreement in 1347 AH/1928 AD, and later commissioned geologist Twitchell to study the possibility of the presence of minerals in the country, after the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Jabal al-Dukhan in Bahrain in 1351 AH/1932 AD, especially since the eastern region is close to the geological formation of Bahrain.
A concession agreement was made between the Kingdom and Standard Oil of California Company (SOCAL), and its subsidiary was founded called “California Arabian Standard Oil Company” (CASOC) to administer this deal. Well drilling work began in the year 1354 AH/1935 AD, and the year 1357 AH/1938 AD witnessed the success of the efforts Prospecting andoil discoveryIn commercial quantities from Dammam Well No. 7, which was called “Al-Khair Well,” the company’s name was changed to Aramco, “Arab American Oil Company,” and crude oil production reached 500 thousand barrels per day in the year 1368 AH/1949 AD.
The business finished the pipeline for transporting oil.”Tapline“With a length of 1,617 km, the Tapline line connected the eastern portion of the Kingdom to the Mediterranean Sea, which eased the export of oil to Europe. After two years of investigation in the seas of the Arabian Gulf, the Safaniyah field was discovered in the year 1370 AH/1951 AD, which is considered the biggest offshore oil field in the world. .>>Composition of the military sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
King Abdulaziz made great efforts in building security and maintaining stability. He developed security groups that were the first of their kind in the country, and his responsibility for the protection of pilgrims encouraged him to redouble his efforts in the security area. He established the infantry forces, the morality police, the vehicles and cavalry, and traffic troops, and he founded a school. To the police, with the purpose of qualifying officers and their helpers, and bringing in security professionals to create the gadgets and improve their effectiveness.
Saudi Radio
Saudi Radio was created during the era of the founding monarch, when he was determined to guarantee that his new kingdom maintained pace with world civilizational growth. On Tuesday, Ramadan 23, 1368 AH / July 19, 1949 AD, a royal order was published in which King Abdulaziz created the main structure for Saudi Radio, in which he highlighted the necessity to adhere to honesty. Honesty, reality, dedication to objectivity in all that is conveyed, and moral commitment so that no one is humiliated or insulted, or exaggerated in inappropriate praise. He also underlined the significance of paying attention to religious affairs and broadcasting the Holy Qur’an and religious discourses.
The first Saudi radio station was created in the city of Jeddah, and began broadcasting on Dhu al-Hijjah 9, 1368 AH/October 1, 1949 AD, which is the Day of Arafat. It commenced with a statement presented by Prince Faisal on behalf of his father, the founding king, which included praising the pilgrims and welcomed their presence in the Holy Lands. The broadcast was following the signing of a contract. With a company from outside the Kingdom, the “Jeddah Station” was established, and additional studios were established in Mecca, and the contract was signed between the Kingdom’s government and the company at the headquarters of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo on Wednesday, Rajab 13, 1368 AH / May 11, 1949 AD.
Aspects of King Abdulaziz’s life
Children of King Abdulaziz
King Abdulaziz had a number of sons and daughters as follows:
Turki (first), Saud, Faisal, Fahd (first), Muhammad, Khaled, Nasser, Saad, Mansour, Fahd (second), Abdullah, Bandar, Musaed, Abdul Mohsen, Meshal, Sultan, Abdul Rahman, Miteb, Talal, Mishari, Badr , Turki (second), Nawaf, Nayef, Fawaz, Salman, Majid, Thamer, Mamdouh, Abdul-Ilah, Sattam, Ahmed, Mashhour, Hathloul, Abdul Majeed, Muqrin, Hammoud, Munira, Noura (first), Sarah, Sheikha, Al-Anoud, Al-Jawhara (first), Dalil, Modhi, Hessa, Al-Bandari, Qamasha, Nouf, Seeta, Haya, Sultana, Noura (second), Mashael, Madawi, Gemini, Lulwa, Latifa, Jawaher, Al-Jawhara (second), Ata’a, Shaia, Falwa, Twinkle, Fahda.
The death of King Abdulaziz
The founding monarch, Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, died after nearly 80 years full of events. He experienced his infancy during the authority of the Second Saudi State and witnessed the end of its control in Riyadh. He traveled in his childhood away from his familial basis, till his leadership personality was established, with which he went out to construct the contemporary Saudi state. He died. He unified its parties for 32 years, and his rule stretched for 54 years. His death happened on Rabi’ al-Awwal 2, 1373 AH/November 8, 1953 AD, in the city of Taif, and his remains was carried to the city of Riyadh to be interred in the Al-Oud Cemetery. After his death, the Crown Prince at the time, his son King Saud bin Abdulaziz, seized authority.