Saudi Arabia and Related Topics

Saud of Saudi Arabia

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King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964.

King Abdulaziz, founder of Saudi Arabia and father of Saud

Crown Prince Saud being received by Snouck Hurgronje (right) at Leiden University, 1935

With his father King Abdulaziz (seated) and half-brother Prince Faisal (later king, left), early 1950s

Kings Saud of Saudi Arabia and Hussein of Jordan visiting Jerusalem in 1953

Daughter Dalal, between her father and U.S president John F. Kennedy in Palm Beach, Florida.

Saud served as a commander in Abdulaziz's conquests that led to the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Aramaic inscription from Tayma (6th century BC.)

Tayma (تيماء) or Tema Teman/Tyeman (Habakkuk 3:3) is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Medina and Dumah (al-Jawf) begins to cross the Nefud desert.

Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia

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The Saudi government does not conduct a census on religion or ethnicity, but some sources estimate the Shiite population in Saudi Arabia to make up around 10-15% of the approximately 23 million natives of Saudi Arabia.

Ambigram depicting Muhammad and Ali written in a single word. The 180 degrees inverted form shows both words.

Isma'ilism

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Branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam.

Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, erected by al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, an Ismāʿīlī Imām and Fatimid Caliph.

Ismāʿīlīs believe the Quran has two layers of meaning, the zāhir meaning apparent, and the bātin, meaning hidden.

Branching of Ismāʿilism within Shia Islam at a glance. (Note: Kaysani's Imam Hanafiyyah is a descendant of Ali from Ali's wife Khawlah, not Fatimah.)

The divisions of the Mustaali, sometimes referred to as Bohras.

The biggest Ismaili community is in Gorno-Badakhshan, but Isma'ilis can be found in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Lebanon, Malaysia, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, Jordan, Iraq, East Africa, Angola, Bangladesh, and South Africa, and have in recent years emigrated to Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Arab Revolt

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Military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I.

The flag of the Arab Revolt in the Martyrs' Memorial, Amman, Jordan.

1918 British government map: Map illustrating Territorial Negotiations between H.M.G. and King Hussein

Lawrence at Rabegh, north of Jeddah, 1917

Lawrence of Arabia after the Battle of Aqaba.

The Hejaz railway (Damascus-Mecca pilgrim route), built at great expense by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, but quickly fell into disrepair after the Arab revolt of 1917

Arab fighters in Aqaba on 28 February 1918. Autochrome colour photograph.

Feisal party at Versailles Conference. Left to right: Rustum Haidar, Nuri as-Said, Prince Faisal (front), Captain Rosario Pisani (rear), T. E. Lawrence, Faisal's slave (name unknown), Captain Hassan Khadri.

The Aqaba Flagpole holding the flag of the Arab Revolt, commemorating the site of the Battle of Aqaba.

Moreover, the Ottomans relied upon the support of Emir Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar, whose tribesmen dominated what is now northern Saudi Arabia and tied down both the Hashemites and Saʻudi forces with the threat of their raiding attacks.

Black Stone

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The fragmented Black Stone as it appeared in the 1850s, front and side illustrations

A 1315 illustration from the Jami al-Tawarikh, inspired by the Sirah Rasul Allah story of Muhammad and the Meccan clan elders lifting the Black Stone into place.

Pilgrims jostle for a chance to kiss the Black Stone; if they are unable to kiss it, they can point towards it on each circuit with their right hand

The Kaaba in Mecca. The Black Stone is set into the eastern corner of the building.

The Black Stone (ٱلْحَجَرُ ٱلْأَسْوَد, al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad, 'Black Stone') is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, the ancient building in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Health care in Saudi Arabia

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Health care in Saudi Arabia is a national health care system in which the government provides free universal healthcare coverage through a number of government agencies.

Uyghurs

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The Uyghurs ( or ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.

Uyghur man in traditional clothing, playing a tambur, a traditional Uyghur instrument.

A possible Tocharian or Sogdian monk (left) with an East Asian Buddhist monk (right). A fresco from the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, dated to the 9th or 10th century (Kara-Khoja Kingdom).

Uyghur princes from Cave 9 of the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Xinjiang, China, 8th–9th century AD, wall painting

Uyghur Khaganate in geopolitical context c. 820 AD

Map showing the distribution of ethnicities in Xinjiang according to census figures from 2000, the prefectures with Uyghur majorities are in blue.

Protesters Amsterdam with the Flag of East Turkestan

Leaf from an Uyghur-Manichaean version of the ‘‘Arzhang’’.

Wall painting at Bezeklik caves in Flaming Mountains, Turpan Depression.

Doppa Maker, traditional Uyghur hats, Kashgar

A Uyghur man having his head shaved in a bazaar. Shaving of head is now seen mostly among the older generation.

Uyghur girl in clothing made of fabric with design distinctive to the Uyghurs

Uyghur women on their way to work, Kashgar. 2011

Smaller communities live in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Australia, Russia and Sweden.

Antisemitism in Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabian media often attacks Jews in books, news articles, and mosques with what some describe as anti-Semitic satire.

When in February 2004, Saudi Arabia started issuing visas to non-Muslims for the first time, in order to attract more foreign visitors, the website of the Saudi Arabian Supreme Commission for Tourism initially stated that Jews would not be granted tourist visas to enter the country.