Saudi Arabia

Where the name comes from

Saudi Arabia honours the House of Saud, whose founder’s name means “happiness”; Arabia is an older regional name of uncertain origin.

First people

People have lived in Arabia since the Stone Age, and Nabataeans carved the tombs of Hegra, now AlUla, about 2,000 years ago.¹

Known for

Saudi Arabia holds Mecca and Medina, where Islam began in the 600s; Muslims everywhere face Mecca to pray, and the Hajj brings pilgrims from many countries.^2,3

Outside rule

The Ottomans controlled the holy cities of the Hejaz from 1517, but most of Arabia was never colonized.⁴

The modern country

The Saud dynasty’s rise began with an alliance in central Arabia in the 1700s, and the kingdom was founded in 1932.⁵