Milestone·Modern
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Founded
- Date
- 23 September 1932 CE1351 AH94 years ago
- Place
- Riyadh
- People
- Abdulaziz ibn Saud
On 23 September 1932 CE, Abdulaziz ibn Saud unified the territories he had conquered in Arabia into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The unification followed decades of campaigns across Najd and the Hejaz. Oil discoveries in the Eastern Province in 1938 later transformed the economy. The kingdom has been responsible for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina since the 1920s.
Why it matters
The kingdom controls Islam's two holiest cities and became one of the largest oil exporters in the world.