1. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mr. Sweet
12/04/2015

2. Middle East is commonly used to describe the regional area which surrounds the Persian Gulf, and is generally regarded to include Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is located centrally within this region and is bordered with Jordan and Iraq to the North, Abu Dhabi and Dubai (known more commonly as the United Arab Emirates), Bahrain and Qatar to the East, and Oman and Yemen to the South. To the West it borders with the Red Sea.
Religions: Majority follow Islam, with some minority areas that are Christian and in the case of Israel; Jewish.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is solely Islamic.
The Middle East
The term Middle East is commonly used to denote the regional area which surrounds the Persian Gulf, and is generally regarded to include Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. There are other terms used to describe areas within this region (e.g. Levant, Near East and the Arabian Peninsular), however for simplicity we will refer to the more generic name of Middle East throughout.
During the mid-20th century the discovery of vast oil deposits propelled Saudi Arabia into a key economic and geo-political role, that it continues to hold today. The countries wealth and influence within the region and globally can be seen as a direct result of its oil economy. .
As I am sure you are aware, there are currently several armed conflicts being fought in this region, which present very clear threats to sovereign nations within the region and wider implications to the global economy and security of many other nations including that of the U.S.A. We will discuss these conflicts within the region in more detail over the coming weeks, however it is important to gain an understanding of the region; it’s culture, religion and politics in order to better understand why these conflicts are happening.
In addition to this I will aim to show you pictures and video footage of what daily life in Saudi Arabia is like, we will look at the climate, food, culture, religion, politics and anything else that you would like to know more about. If you have questions, ask them and Mr. Sweet will forward them to me that I might answer them.

3. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia A “young” country, founded in 1932
Arabian recorded history dates back to 600s AD and beyond
In early history it was a crossroads for trading caravans
Goods such as almonds, spices, dates, frankincense, and myrrh were moved along trade routes throughout the region in Saudi Arabia’s early history
Today Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy
The first monarch was Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who took power after making an alliance with the Wahhabi religious movement (a Salafist branch of Sunni Islam. He ruled from 1932 – 1953
In January 2015 the seventh king Aziz’s line, Crown Prince Salman became Saudi Arabia’s newest king.
King
Salman
King Abdul Aziz
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a relatively new state that was founded in It has a longer dated history that can be traced back to the 7th century, (when it became the ‘center of gravity’ for the Islamic faith and the Arab empire), and beyond. It is ruled by an absolute monarch and was first established by Abdul Aziz Al Saud, after making an alliance with the Wahhabi religious movement (a Salafist branch of Sunni Islam). From 1932 until his death in 1953, Abdul Aziz ruled Saudi Arabia as an absolute monarch. Thereafter six of his descendants in succession have reigned over the kingdom, the last taking place earlier this year (January 2015) when King Abdullah past and was succeeded by the then Crown Prince and now King, Salman.

4. Within the Middle East Islam is the dominant religion, indeed in Saudi Arabia, Islam is the only religion permitted to be practiced. Islam is predominantly divided into two core sectarian factions; Sunni and Shi’a. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Sunni, with a small minority (approximately 10-15% of the population), being Shi’a.
Although Sunni and Shi’a Muslims agree on the core tenants of Islam, the two groups have developed unique differences and adopted distinct religious traditions. At the heart of this sectarian divide are the core beliefs of legitimacy.
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam, frequently referred to as mainstream or orthodox Islam. Shi’a Islam is a branch of Islam that recognizes Ali, the prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law, and only descendants as the rightful leaders of the Muslim community.
Muslims believe that because God’s message indicated that Muhammad would be the last prophet, it was unclear who should guide the Muslim community after his (Muhammad) death. By general consensus, his family and followers decided that the community should be lead by a caliph. The caliphs were not seen as replacements for Muhammad or as prophets; they were simply leaders selected to rule the caliphate (a political, religious state lead by a caliph), in the tradition that he had established.
The first four caliphs were known as the Rightly Guided Caliphs and reigned consecutively from The death of the third caliph precipitated a serious debate and resulted in a fracturing of the Muslim community. One group, whose members came to be known as Sunni Muslims, believed that the leader could be any male member of the Quraysh tribe chosen by the authorities of the Muslim community. Another group, whose members came to be known as Shi’a Muslims, believed that the leader needed to be a direct male descendant of Muhammad. Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law), was in fact chosen to be the fourth caliph but was subsequently assassinated and the following caliphs were not direct descendants of Muhammad and did not have the support of the entire Muslim community.
Shi’a Muslims objected to the caliphs selected to succeed Ali, and questioned the legitimacy of the government. The conflict came to a head when Husayn (Ali’s son, Muhammad’s grandson and the individual that the Shi’a community recognized as the rightful leader), directly challenged the reigning caliph. Husayn and his family were killed by the caliph’s forces during the battle at Karbala. Husayn’s death, his martyrdom, became central to the identity of the Shi’a community. Over the next thousand years, the Shi’a identity was informed by this early experience with martyrdom, persecution and suffering that resonates today. By contrast, the Sunni identity was influenced by the political, military and cultural successes of the Sunni caliphate.
Much of the regional instability and conflict has been influenced by this sectarian divide. We will discuss this more over the following sections and it will no doubt provide some context, explanation and understanding as to why particular states, governments and organisations are motivated to act the way they do.
Islam

5. Questions?