King of Saudi Arabia
Head of state
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Through Head of state, Mecca and Medina
History
King Abdulaziz Al Saud, known in the West as Ibn Saud, regained his patrimony, which is known as today's Saudi Arabia, in 1902. Restoring his family as emirs of the Emirate of Riyadh, he then established the Sultanate of Nejd as his headquarters in 1922. Following the establishment of Riyadh as the capital of his state, Ibn Saud then captured Hejaz in 1925.
Ibn Saud proclaimed his dominions as the Sultanate of Nejd in 1921, shortly before completing the unification of the region. He was proclaimed king (malik) of Hejaz in 1926, and raised Nejd to a kingdom as well in 1927. For the next five years, Ibn Saud administered the two parts of his realm, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, as separate units. On 23 September 1932, he formally united his territories into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Succession
The kings since Ibn Saud's death have all been his sons, and all likely immediate successors to the reigning King Salman will be from among his progeny. This makes the Saudi monarchy quite distinct from Western monarchies, which usually feature large, clearly defined royal families and orders of succession, and use the primogeniture system of succession. Muhammad bin Nayef was the first grandson of Ibn Saud to be in the line of succession before being deposed from the position of Crown Prince by a royal decree in 2017.
Other functions
The king of Saudi Arabia is also considered the head of the House of Saud and, until 2021, the prime minister. The crown prince was also the "deputy prime minister" until 2021 and is currently prime minister. The kings after Faisal have named a "second deputy prime minister" as the subsequent heir after the crown prince.
Opposition
Criticism of the king, religious leaders, or government is not allowed and can generally mean jail time for the critics. It can also result in death.
Kings of Saudi Arabia (1932–present)
Current heir-apparent
- Crown Prince: Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, born 31 August 1985; son of King Salman and Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain.
Timeline
Royal Standard
The Royal Standard consists of a green flag, with an Arabic inscription and a sword featured in white, and with the national emblem embroidered in gold in the lower right canton of the year 1973.
The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script. It is the shahada or Islamic declaration of faith:
- لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله
- lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muhammadun rasūlu-llāh
- There is no god but God: Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
- The Royal Standard consists of a green flag, in the center of the national emblem embroidered with gold.