The Ottomans exerted control over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, known as the Hejaz, through appointed Sharifs. The 1973 oil embargo demonstrated the immense power Saudi Arabia holds on the world stage, a position it leverages independently.
Colonial Question Saudi Arabia Answer: Ottoman Rule and Foreign Influence
Oil, Sovereignty, and Modern Geopolitics The discovery of oil in the 1930s transformed the region's relationship with the outside world. The area that would become Saudi Arabia existed within the sphere of the Ottoman Empire for centuries.
The British Empire, seeking to protect its route to India and counter French influence, established protectorates over the coastal regions of what is now Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Trucial States (modern-day UAE). Through a combination of strategic warfare, diplomacy, and forming alliances with the Ikhwan religious warriors, he conquered the Hejaz in 1924-1925 and consolidated the various tribes and regions into what he named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
Colonial Question Saudi Arabia Answer: Ottoman Rule and Foreign Influence
While the Saudi state maintained its political sovereignty, it became a prize for global powers. The Ottoman Connection: A Different Kind of Rule Before the unification of Saudi Arabia in the early 20th century, the Arabian Peninsula was largely fragmented.
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