Saudi Arabia is a wealthy and powerful country which exerts influence in the West and across the Islamic world. Yet it remains a closed society. The author traces its history from the age of emirates in the nineteenth century to the present day. Fusing chronology with analysis, personal experience with oral histories, she illuminates the social and cultural life of the Saudis. This rich and rewarding book will be invaluable to students as well as others trying to understand the enigma of Saudi Arabia.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"An accessible narrative that even those readers already familiar with the outlines of Saudi history can read with profit." Middle East Policy
"The book...is written in a style that quite simply makes for a 'good read.' If I were recommending one book on the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...this would be it." Middle East Journal
"Al-Rasheed's book is concise, timely, and well suited for a broad readership...Skillfully written and insightful." History: Reviews of New Books
"Madawi Al-Rasheed's critical reinterpretation of Saudi Arabian history is not only timely, it is provocative. It is informed by both excellent scholarship and a familiarity with the subject that comes from knowing it from the inside. Both sympathizers with and critics of the country will find their stereotypes of the Saudi reality challenged." F. Gregory Gause, III, University of Vermont
"This is one of the most refreshing, well-researched and clearly-written books to appear on Saudia Arabia in recent times." Hala Fattah, Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies
"Al-Rasheed has written a strong general history of Saudi Arabia that at the same time offers analysis of selected narrower issues and phenomena." - Peter C. Valenti, New York University
"The book...is written in a style that quite simply makes for a 'good read.' If I were recommending one book on the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...this would be it." Middle East Journal
"Al-Rasheed's book is concise, timely, and well suited for a broad readership...Skillfully written and insightful." History: Reviews of New Books
"Madawi Al-Rasheed's critical reinterpretation of Saudi Arabian history is not only timely, it is provocative. It is informed by both excellent scholarship and a familiarity with the subject that comes from knowing it from the inside. Both sympathizers with and critics of the country will find their stereotypes of the Saudi reality challenged." F. Gregory Gause, III, University of Vermont
"This is one of the most refreshing, well-researched and clearly-written books to appear on Saudia Arabia in recent times." Hala Fattah, Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies
"Al-Rasheed has written a strong general history of Saudi Arabia that at the same time offers analysis of selected narrower issues and phenomena." - Peter C. Valenti, New York University
Book Description
Saudi Arabia is a wealthy and powerful country which wields influence in the West and across the Islamic world. Yet it remains a closed society. The author traces its history from the age of emirates in the nineteenth century to the present day. Fusing chronology with analysis, personal experience with oral histories, she illuminates the social and cultural life of the Saudis. This is a rich and rewarding book which will be invaluable to students, and to all those trying to understand the enigma of Saudi Arabia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh Perspective on Nation/State building,
By Jamesian "pragma" (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Saudi Arabia (Paperback)
The Saud family is the monarchy, which is the state, of Saudi Arabia. This book shows how that state of affairs came to be.
I found the material on the 1930s especially illuminating, because it provides us with a picture of the Saud family, and to a degree a picture of Arabia, before the rest of the world came to appreciate the strategic significance of petroleum, and before the Second World War made all national boundaries something up for negotiation and renegotiation. We're also treated to an illuminating dicussion of when marriages (and by extension polygamy) is, and when it isn't, a valuable tool for the forging of political alliances. This is an analytical take on a subject usually rushed through with cliches.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Read,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A History of Saudi Arabia (Paperback)
Learned a bit about real history of how Saudi came to be a Kingdom. Didn't change my opinion of the royal family at all. Pictures were nice addition.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The Ottoman Empire maintained a nominal suzerainty over the territory which is today part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after its major expansion eastward in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
udi leadership, udi state, mosque siege, udi government, udi regime, ikhwan rebellion, local amirs, official historical narrative, tribal nobility, tribal shaykhs, tribal confederations, senior princes, tribal force, pilgrimage season, official historiography, religious specialists, royal group, political centralisation, religious universities, sedentary communities, maternal kin, oil concession, senior sons, muhammad ibn, paternal cousins Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Saudi Arabia, United States, Gulf War, Crown Prince, King Fahd, Ottoman Empire, National Guard, Second World War, King Faysal, Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Ibn Saud, Bin Laden, Banu Khalid, Soviet Union, First World War, Persian Gulf, Saddam Husayn, Bann Khalid, Council of Ministers, King Khalid, King Husayn, Abu Hakima, Imam Yahya, King Sa'ud New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The Ottoman Empire maintained a nominal suzerainty over the territory which is today part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after its major expansion eastward in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
udi leadership, udi state, mosque siege, udi government, udi regime, ikhwan rebellion, local amirs, official historical narrative, tribal nobility, tribal shaykhs, tribal confederations, senior princes, tribal force, pilgrimage season, official historiography, religious specialists, royal group, political centralisation, religious universities, sedentary communities, maternal kin, oil concession, senior sons, muhammad ibn, paternal cousins Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Saudi Arabia, United States, Gulf War, Crown Prince, King Fahd, Ottoman Empire, National Guard, Second World War, King Faysal, Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Ibn Saud, Bin Laden, Banu Khalid, Soviet Union, First World War, Persian Gulf, Saddam Husayn, Bann Khalid, Council of Ministers, King Khalid, King Husayn, Abu Hakima, Imam Yahya, King Sa'ud New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 31
books:
See all 31 books this book cites
19
books
cite this book:
See all 19 books citing this book
- Saudi Arabia (World affairs: national and international viewpoints) by Harry S. Philby on 7 pages
- Saudi Arabia: Power, Legitimacy and Survival (The Contemporary Middle East) by Tim Niblock on 4 pages
- Succession In Saudi Arabia by Joseph A. Kechichian in Back Matter
- The Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact by John L. Esposito in Back Matter
- Saudi Arabia: Guarding The Desert Kingdom (CSIS Middle East Dynamic Net Assessment) by Anthony H Cordesman in Back Matter
See all 31 books this book cites
- Transnational Connections and the Arab Gulf (Routledge Research in Transnationalism) by Madawi Al-Rasheed on 10 pages
- Contesting the Saudi State: Islamic Voices from a New Generation (Cambridge Middle East Studies) by Madawi Al-Rasheed on 8 pages
- L'Enigme saoudienne: Les Saoudiens et le monde, 1744-2003 by François Burgat Pascal Ménoret on 7 pages
- Counter-Narratives: History, Contemporary Society, and Politics in Saudi Arabia and Yemen by Madawi Al-Rasheed on 4 pages
- The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia (Library of Modern Middle East Studies) by David Commins in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 19 books citing this book
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