* Study the history of great country through interactive reading *
* Become a real expert and participate in the global rankings of erudites *
The history of Saudi Arabia in its current form as a state began with its foundation in 1932 by Abdulaziz Al Saud, although the human history of the region that is now Saudi Arabia extends as far as 20,000 years ago. The region has twice in world history had a global impact: in the 7th century it became the cradle of Islam and the first center of the Arab Empire from the mid-20th century the discovery of vast oil deposits propelled it into a key economic and geo-political role At other times, the region existed in relative obscurity and isolation, although from the 7th century the cities of Mecca and Medina had the highest spiritual significance for the Muslim world, with Mecca becoming the destination for the Hajj annual pilgrimage. For much of the regions history a patchwork of tribal rulers controlled most of the area. The Al Saud (the Saudi royal family) emerged as minor tribal rulers in Najd in central Arabia. From the mid-18th century, imbued with the religious zeal of the Wahhabi Islamic movement, they became aggressively expansionist....