Ibn Saud, Abdul-Aziz

Ibn Saud, Abdul-Aziz

 

Born Nov. 24, 1880, in Riyadh; died Nov. 9, 1953, in Taif. King of Saudi Arabia from 1932; a member of the Saudid dynasty and religious head of the Wahhabis.

Ibn Saud was emir of Nejd from 1902 to 1926. Striving to create a centralized feudal-absolutist state, he conducted wars against the neighboring kingdoms of the Arabian Peninsula. The war with Hejaz (1924–25) ended in Hejaz’s defeat. In 1927 ibn Saud was declared king of Hejaz, Nejd, and annexed regions (after 1932 called Saudi Arabia).