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The king of Saudi Arabia, officially the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: ملك المملكة العربية السعودية), is the head of state and head of government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud.[1] The king is the commander-in-chief of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and the head of the Saudi national honors system. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (خادم الحرمين الشريفين), a title that signifies Saudi Arabia's jurisdiction over the mosques of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina. The title has been used many times through the history of Islam. The first Saudi king to use the title was Faisal; however, King Khalid did not use the title after him. In 1986, King Fahd replaced "His Majesty" with the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and it has been since used by both King Abdullah and King Salman.[2] The king has been named the most powerful and influential Muslim and Arab leader in the world according to the Muslim 500.[3]
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2017) |
| King of Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|
| ملك المملكة العربية السعودية | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Salman since 23 January 2015 | |
| Details | |
| Style | The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques |
| Heir presumptive | Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud |
| First monarch | Saud I |
| Formation | 1720 |
| Residence | Al-Yamamah Palace (Riyadh) Al-Safa Palace (Mecca) Al-Salam Palace (Jeddah) Tayibah Palace (Medina) Al-Aziziya Palace (Dammam) |
| Website | https://houseofsaud.com/ |
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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 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.[4]
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.[5][6]
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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.[7] 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.[8]
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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.
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.[9][10]
This is a list of rulers of Saudi Arabia, a kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula.
Sheikhdom of Diriyah
- 1446–1727 Sheikhdom of Diriyah
First Saudi State
- 1727-1818 Emirate of Diriyah
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muhammad bin Saud
| 1687–1765 | 1727 | 1765 | Founder of the Saudi State and Son of Saud I | Saud |  |
Abd al-Aziz bin Muhammad
| 1721–1803 | 1765 | 1803 | Son of Imam Muhammad I | Saud | |
Saud bin Abd al-Aziz bin Muhammad
| 1748–1814 | 1803 | 1814 | Son of Imam Abdulaziz I. | Saud | |
Abdullah bin Saud
| 1785–1818 | 1814 | 1818 | He was the last ruler of the First Saudi State and was executed by the Ottomans. Son of Imam Saud II. | Saud | .jpg) |
Second Saudi State
- 1823-1891 Emirate of Nejd
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turki bin Abdullah
| 1755 – 1834 | 1823 | 1834^‡ | Founder of the Second Saudi State and grandson of Muhammad I | Saud | |
Mishari
| 1786 – 1834 | 1834 | 1834^‡ | Son of Imam Turki I | Saud | |
Faisal bin Turki
| 1785 – 1865 | 1834 | 1838 (First term.) | Son of Imam Turki | Saud | |
Khalid I
| ؟ - 1861 | 1838 | 1841 | Son of Imam Abdulaziz I | Saud | |
Abdullah II
| ؟ – 1843 | 1841 | 1843 | Son of Imam Saud II | Saud | |
Faisal bin Turki
| 1785 – 1865 | 1843 | 1865 (Second term.) | son of Imam Turki | Saud | |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1865 | 1871 (First term.) | son of Imam Faisal | Saud | |
Saud III
| ؟ – 1874 | 1871 | 1871 (First term.) | Son of Imam Abdullah I | Saud | |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1871 | 1873 (Second term.) | son of Imam Faisal | Saud | |
Saud III
| ؟ – 1874 | 1873 | 1875 (Second term.) | Son of Imam Abdullah I | Saud | |
Abdul Rahman bin Faisal
| 1850–1928 | 1875 | 1876 (First term.) | Son of Imam Faisal I | Saud |  |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1876 | 1889 (Third term.) | son of Imam Faisal | Saud | |
Abdul Rahman bin Faisal
| 1850–1928 | 1889 | 1891 (Second term.) | Son of Imam Faisal I | Saud | |
Third Saudi State (1902–present)
- 1902 - 1913: Emirate of Riyadh
- 1913 - 1921: Emirate of Nejd and Hasa
- 1921 - 1926: Sultanate of Nejd
- 1926 - 1932: Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd
- 1932–present: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
| 15 January 1875 – 9 November 1953 (aged 78) | 13 January 1902 | 9 November 1953 (death by natural causes) | Reign established by conquest Son of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal and Sara bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud |  |
Saud of Saudi Arabia
| 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969 (aged 67) | 9 November 1953 (aged 51) | 2 November 1964 (abdicated) | Son of King Abdulaziz and Wadha bint Muhammad Al Orair | Saud |  |
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
| 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975 (aged 68) | 2 November 1964 (aged 58) | 25 March 1975 (assassinated) | Son of King Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh | Saud |  |
Khalid of Saudi Arabia
| 13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982 (aged 69) | 25 March 1975 (aged 62) | 13 June 1982 (death by natural causes) | Son of King Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Al Saud | Saud |  |
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
| 16 March 1920 – 1 August 2005 (aged 85) | 13 June 1982 (aged 62) | 1 August 2005 (death by natural causes) | Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud |  |
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
| 1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015 (aged 90) | 1 August 2005 (aged 81) | 23 January 2015 (death by natural causes) | Son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim | Saud |  |
Salman of Saudi Arabia
| 31 December 1935 | 23 January 2015 (aged 79) | Incumbent | Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud | |
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| Family tree of Saudi monarchs[11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
Royal Flag of the King
(Ratio: 2:3)
Royal Standard of the King
(Ratio: 1:1)
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 other god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.[12]
Royal Flag of the King (1938-1953)
(Ratio: 2:3)
Royal Banner of the King (1938-1953)
(Ratio: 12:25)
Royal Standard of the King (1938-1953)
(Ratio: 1:1)
Royal Flag of the King (1953-1964)
(Ratio: 2:3)
Royal Standard of the King (1953-1964)
(Ratio: 1:1)
Royal Flag of the King (1964-1973)
(Ratio: 2:3)
Royal Standard of the King (1964-1973)
(Ratio: 1:1)
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Current heir-presumptive
- Crown Prince: Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, born 31 August 1985; son of King Salman and Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain.[13]
- The Royal Flag 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.[14]
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."[15]
- The Royal Standard consists of a green flag, in the center of the national emblem embroidered with gold.
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