Saudi Arabia

The Birth of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula

The Prophet Muhammad received divine revelation beginning in 610 CE, founding Islam — the world's second-largest religion.

Muhammad and the foundation of Islam

The Prophet Muhammad's revelations (610–632 CE), recorded in the Quran, founded Islam — the world's fastest-growing religion with 1.9 billion adherents — and inspired a civilisation that preserved ancient learning, advanced mathematics and medicine, and stretched from Spain to Indonesia.

Mecca and the Hajj Pilgrimage

The annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, gathering the largest annual human gathering on Earth.

Battle of Badr — Islam's first great victory

The 624 CE battle in which Muhammad's small Muslim force defeated a much larger Qurayshi army from Mecca, establishing the military viability of the early Islamic community.

Battle of the Trench — Medina defended

In 627 CE the Prophet Muhammad ordered a defensive trench dug around Medina, frustrating a 10,000-strong coalition army and securing the Muslim community's survival at its most vulnerable moment.

Battle of Hunayn — Islam's hardest victory

In 630 CE, just weeks after the bloodless conquest of Mecca, the Prophet's army suffered a near-catastrophic ambush by the Hawazin tribe at Hunayn before rallying to a decisive victory.

Rashidun Caliphate — the age of the rightly guided caliphs

The first Islamic caliphate (632–661 CE) that under the four "rightly guided" caliphs expanded Islam from Arabia across Persia, Egypt, and the Levant at astonishing speed.

Battle of Yarmouk — Arab conquest of the Levant

The August 636 CE battle in which Arab Muslim forces decisively defeated the Byzantine army, opening Syria, Palestine, and eventually Egypt to Islamic rule.

Umayyad Caliphate — Islam's first dynasty

The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE) built the first great Islamic empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia, the largest state in the world at the time.

One Thousand and One Nights — the Islamic world's great tales

The Thousand and One Nights (compiled c. 9th–14th century CE) is the most celebrated collection of Middle Eastern stories in the world — the frame story of Scheherazade telling tales to postpone her execution contains Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin, Ali Baba, and dozens of the world's most enduring folk narratives.

Rise of the First Saudi State

The alliance between Muhammad ibn Saud and religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in 1744 created the ideological foundation of modern Saudi Arabia.

Ibn Saud Unifies Arabia and Founds the Kingdom

Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud's 30-year campaign of conquest created the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Discovery of Oil in Saudi Arabia

The 1938 discovery of oil at Dammam Well No. 7 transformed Saudi Arabia from one of the world's poorest countries to one of its wealthiest within a generation.

1973 Oil Embargo — Saudi Arabia's Geopolitical Moment

The Arab oil embargo of 1973 demonstrated petroleum as a political weapon and permanently changed the global energy landscape.

The Kaaba and the Grand Mosque Seizure of 1979

The November 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque by Islamic militants was the most shocking event in modern Saudi history, shaking the kingdom's foundations.

Vision 2030 and Saudi Modernisation

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 programme aims to diversify Saudi Arabia's oil-dependent economy and modernise its social fabric.