For the history geeks

I was wondering the other day how on earth Riyadh, a city in the middle of the desert, became the capital of Saudi Arabia. I mean, for most of the world's capitals there are obvious natural, geographic, historic or political reasons for having become a country's capital. In this case there is definitely no natural or geograpgic factor which could trigger a natural growth in such an hostile environment. Therefore, I did some research on the history of Riyadh.

The first Saudi era:

Al-Riyadh (from the word Al-Rowdah, meaning garden) was a small settlement. It had not been the "capital" of the Al-Saud for long. The home base of the tribe was (and remains) Ad-Diriyah, a walled town to the north-west founded 500 years ago, where in the mid-eighteenth century an alliance was formed between Mohammed Ibn Saud and a muslim cleric Mohammed Ibn Abdul-Wahab, who advocated a return to a "pure" form of Islam. The mixture proved popular and, by a combination of conquest and alliances, the Al-Saud soon controlled much of the peninsula including the Hejaz (western Arabia), capturing Makkah in 1802. However, this was a time of colonialism and the Turkish Ottoman Empire resented Ibn Saud's power and control over the holy cities of Makkah and Medinah. A military force was sent from Egypt in 1815, which drove the Saudis out of the Hejaz and by 1819 had arrived at the gates of Diriyah. A six month siege ensued with daily artillery bombardment of the Al-Tob/adobe (mud-and-straw brick) town. Eventually surrender was the only option. The Saudis were driven out of the area. Diriyah was in ruins and was never rebuilt.

The second Saudi era:

Five years later, in 1824, Imam ibn Turki ibn Abdullah recaptured the area and set up a Saudi capital in Riyadh for the first time. The Saudi's influence grew strong again as the tribal conflicts continued. Riyadh became a political and economic centre, although still a very small settlement, consisting of one, two and three storey adobe houses and palaces. It was into this environment that Abdul-Aziz was born. Little did he know that he too would be driven out of his home. In 1891, the Al-Rashid and their allies from the north, who had been rivals of the Al-Saud for over 100 years, succeeded in capturing Riyadh, and Abdul-Aziz and his father Imam Abdul-Rahman fled to Kuwait, where they were given shelter by Sheikh Mubarak. Aged only fifteen, Abdul-Aziz was a refugee. And like many refugees his only thought was to return home. In these formative years, he listened carefully to what went on in Mubarak's court, learned the intricacies of tribal politics and family feuds (witnessing first-hand, assassinations and the like). He also learned about international diplomacy. At this time the British had an exclusive treaty with Kuwait and Abdul-Aziz was party to many important negotiations concerning control of the Gulf and the passage to India. Armed with this knowledge, but little else more than his desire to retake his homeland, Abdul-Aziz set out from Kuwait in late 1901 aged only 26, and headed for Riyadh with a small band of followers. His finest hour was soon to arrive.

Taking back his homeland and the beginning of the 3rd era:

Leaving most of his men on the outskirts, on January 2nd 1902, Abdul-Aziz and a small group slipped into the city under cover of darkness. Surprising the Rashidi governor Ajlan on his morning stroll outside the main gate of the Musmak fortress, the commando group attacked him and his guards with rifles and spears. One of Abdul-Aziz's men Ibn Jalawi threw his spear and its tip broke off in the gate itself and can still be seen today. Ajlan and his men scrambled back to the fort but, despite being seriously outnumbered, the Saudi force broke through, Ajlan was killed and the garrison surrendered. He who held the Musmak Fort, held Riyadh, so Abdul-Aziz was now in charge. This day, 15th Shawal 1319 in the Hejira calendar, is considered the first day of the 3rd Saudi era and the birth of what was to become Saudi Arabia.