STATE STRUCTURE
General Information
Official name – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Form of government – absolute monarchy.
King – Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Crown Prince and Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
State language – Arabic.
Capital – Riyadh.
Foundation Period
The territory of the Arabian Peninsula, where the modern kingdom is located, is the historical center of the formation of Arab culture and Islam. In the middle of the 15th century, the first Saudi state – the Emirate of Diriyah – emerged on these lands, which became the basis for subsequent Saudi states and modern Saudi Arabia. In the 18th century, an alliance was concluded between the ruler of Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and the religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, which laid the ideological foundations of the state. After the destruction of Diriyah by the Ottomans in 1818, Saudi statehood was restored in the second Saudi state with its capital in Riyadh. At the end of the 19th century, after civil wars, the state ceased to exist.
The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1902, when Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud recaptured Riyadh, and was finally proclaimed on September 23, 1932, after the unification of the regions of Nejd, Hejaz, Al-Ahsa, and Qatif under a single authority. In 1938, the first major oil fields were discovered, which determined the country's economic development for the following decades.
Heads of State
Abdulaziz ibn Saud – was in power from 1932 to 1953. Founder of the modern kingdom, united Nejd and Hejaz into a single state, laid the foundations of public administration and began the development of oil resources.
Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – held the position from 1953 to 1964. His reign was characterized by increased government spending and difficulties in economic management.
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – held the position from 1964 to 1975. Carried out financial and economic reforms, initiated the use of oil as an instrument of international policy.
Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – held the position from 1975 to 1982. A period of significant economic growth and oil revenues.
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – held the position from 1982 to 2005. Introduced the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques", initiated the reform of the Consultative Assembly (Majlis ash-Shura) in 1993.
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – held the position from 2005 to 2015. Carried out moderate socio-economic reforms, contributed to the development of education.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – has held the position from 2015 to the present. Implements a strategy aimed at economic diversification, initiated large-scale social and economic transformations.
Administrative Division
The state is a unitary kingdom and is divided into 13 administrative provinces (mintaqah). Each province is headed by an emir (governor) appointed by the king and has subordinate local authorities.
- Riyadh – capital – Riyadh.
- Mecca – capital – Mecca.
- Medina – capital – Medina.
- Al Hayel – capital – Hail.
- Al Qassim – capital – Buraidah.
- Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province) – capital – Dammam.
- Asir – capital – Abha.
- Tabuk – capital – Tabuk.
- Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (Northern Borders) – capital – Arar.
- Jizan – capital – Jizan.
- Najran – capital – Najran.
- Al Bahah – capital – Al Bahah.
- Al Jawf – capital – Sakakah.
The greatest political and economic powers are concentrated in the provinces of Riyadh, Mecca, and the Eastern Province. The administrative center of the country is Riyadh.