Ibn Saud
The Desert Warrior Who Created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Ibn Saud grew to manhood living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham. Equipped with immense physical courage, he fought and won, often with weapons and tactics not unlike those employed by the ancient Assyrians, a series of astonishing military victories over a succession of enemies much more powerful than himself. Over the same period, he transformed himself from a minor sheikh into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt. A passionate lover of women, Ibn Saud took many wives, had numerous concubines, and fathered almost one hundred children. Yet he remained an unswerving and devout Muslim, described by one who knew him well at the time of his death in 1953 as “probably the greatest Arab since the Prophet Muhammad.” Saudi Arabia, the country Ibn Saud created, is a staunch ally of the West, but it is also the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. Saud’s kingdom, as it now stands, has survived the vicissitudes of time and become an invaluable player on the world’s political stage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The history of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia parallels that of its founder, Ibn Saud (1880 1953). Born to an impoverished clan of nomads embroiled in tribal politics and intent on winning back the respect his family name once commanded, he led a daring and successful dawn attack on the palace of the usurper in Riyadh. The massive wealth hidden under the desert sands transformed him overnight into one of the world's most powerful rulers. TV producer Darlow and the late Bray, a BBC Radio Drama Department staffer and award-winning translator, spent decades researching Saudi history and their enigmatic subject's place in it, and their easy familiarity with Ibn Saud's life comes across in lively prose that captures the romance and intrigue of the Arabian warrior. The authors pack each chapter with entertaining anecdotes that highlight the differentness of Ibn Saud's life. For instance, as a lunch guest of President Roosevelt, he was so impressed with the food that he "asked to be given the cook as a gift," a request the president handled with great diplomacy. All in all a successful narrative, though overlong on military exploits and personal vignettes and short on analysis of the massive changes in Arabian society. 56 b&w photos, maps.
