| King ofSaudi Arabia | |
|---|---|
| ملك المملكة العربية السعودية | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Salman since 23 January 2015 | |
| Details | |
| Style | The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques |
| Heir apparent | Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud |
| First monarch | Saud I |
| Formation | 1720 |
| Residence | Al-Yamamah Palace (Riyadh) Al-Safa Palace (Mecca) Al-Salam Palace (Jeddah) Tayibah Palace (Medina) Al-Aziziya Palace (Dammam) |
| Website | https://houseofsaud.com/ |
.svg) |
|---|
|
| Basic Law |
|
 Saudi Arabia portal |
Theking of Saudi Arabia, officially theking of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic:ملك المملكة العربية السعودية,romanized: Malik al-Mamlakat al-ʿArabiyat as-Suʿūdiyya), ishead of state of theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, who holdsabsolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, theHouse of Saud.[1] The king is thecommander-in-chief of theSaudi Arabian Armed Forces and the head of the Saudi nationalhonors system. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (خادم الحرمين الشريفين;Khadim al-Haramayn aš-Šarīfayn), a title that signifies Saudi Arabia's jurisdiction over the mosques ofMasjid al-Haram inMecca andAl-Masjid an-Nabawi inMedina. The title has been used many times through the history of Islam. The first Saudi king to use the title wasFaisal; however,King Khalid did not use the title after him. In 1986,King Fahd replaced "His Majesty" with the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and it has been since used by bothKing Abdullah andKing Salman.[2] The king has been named the most powerful and influential Muslim and Arab leader in the world according toThe Muslim 500.[3]
King Abdulaziz Al Saud, known in the West as Ibn Saud, regained his patrimony, which is known as today's Saudi Arabia, in 1902. Restoring his family as emirs of theEmirate of Riyadh, he then established theSultanate of Nejd as his headquarters in 1922. Following the establishment of Riyadh as the capital of his state, Ibn Saud then capturedHejaz in 1925.[4]
Ibn Saud proclaimed his dominions as theSultanate of Nejd in 1921, shortly before completing the unification of the region. He was proclaimed king (malik) ofHejaz in 1926, and raisedNejd to a kingdom as well in 1927. For the next five years, Ibn Saud administered the two parts of his realm, theKingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, as separate units. On 23 September 1932, heformally united his territories into theKingdom of Saudi Arabia.[5][6]
The kings since Ibn Saud's death have all been his sons, and all likely immediate successors to the reigning King Salman will be from among his progeny.[7] This makes the Saudi monarchy quite distinct from Western monarchies, which usually feature large, clearly definedroyal families and orders of succession, and use theprimogeniture system of succession.Muhammad bin Nayef was the first grandson of Ibn Saud to be in the line of succession before being deposed from the position ofCrown Prince by a royal decree in 2017.[8]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(July 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The king of Saudi Arabia is also considered the head of theHouse of Saud and, until 2021, theprime minister. Thecrown prince was also the "deputy prime minister" until 2021 and is currently prime minister. The kings after Faisal have named a "second deputy prime minister" as the subsequent heir after the crown prince.
Criticism of the king, religious leaders, or government is not allowed and can generally mean jail time for the critics. It can also result in death.[9][10]
This is alist of rulers ofSaudi Arabia, a kingdom on theArabian Peninsula.
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saud I
| 1640 – 1725 | 1720 | 1725 (death by natural causes) | Was the eponymous ancestor of the House of Saud Son ofEmir Muhammad bin Muqrin | Muqrin |
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muhammad bin Saud
| 1687–1765 | 1727 | 1765 | Founder of theSaudi State and Son of Saud I | Saud | |
Abd al-Aziz I
| 1721–1803 | 1765 | 1803 | Son of Imam Muhammad I | Saud | |
Saud II
| 1748–1814 | 1803 | 1814 | Son of Imam Abdulaziz I. | Saud | |
Abdullah I
| 1785–1818 | 1814 | 1818 | He was the last ruler of theFirst Saudi State and was executed by theOttomans. Son of Imam Saud II. | Saud | .jpg) |
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turki
| 1755 – 1834 | 1823 | 1834^‡ | Founder of theSecond Saudi State and grandson of Muhammad I | Saud | |
Mishari
| 1786 – 1834 | 1834 | 1834^‡ | Son of Imam Turki I | Saud | |
Faisal I
| 1785 – 1865 | 1834 | 1838 (First term.) | Son ofImam Turki | Saud | |
Khalid I
| ؟ - 1861 | 1838 | 1841 | Son of Imam Abdulaziz I | Saud | |
Abdullah II
| ؟ – 1843 | 1841 | 1843 | Son of Imam Saud II | Saud | |
Faisal I
| 1785 – 1865 | 1843 | 1865 (Second term.) | son ofImam Turki | Saud | |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1865 | 1871 (First term.) | son ofImam Faisal | Saud | |
Saud III
| ؟ – 1874 | 1871 | 1871 (First term.) | Son of Imam Abdullah I | Saud | |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1871 | 1873 (Second term.) | son ofImam Faisal | Saud | |
Saud III
| ؟ – 1874 | 1873 | 1875 (Second term.) | Son of Imam Abdullah I | Saud | |
Abdul Rahman
| 1850–1928 | 1875 | 1876 (First term.) | Son of Imam Faisal I | Saud |  |
Abdullah III
| 1831 – 1889 | 1876 | 1889 (Third term.) | son ofImam Faisal | Saud | |
Abdul Rahman
| 1850–1928 | 1889 | 1891 (Second term.) | Son of Imam Faisal I | Saud | |
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abd al-Aziz II of Saudi Arabia
| (1875-01-15)15 January 1875 – 9 November 1953(1953-11-09) (aged 78) | 13 January 1902 | 9 November 1953 (death by natural causes) | Reign established by conquest Son of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal andSara bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud |  |
Saud of Saudi Arabia
| (1902-01-15)15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969(1969-02-23) (aged 67) | 9 November 1953 (aged 51) | 2 November 1964 (abdicated) | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andWadha bint Muhammad Al Orair | Saud |  |
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
| (1906-04-14)14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975(1975-03-25) (aged 68) | 2 November 1964 (aged 58) | 25 March 1975 (assassinated) | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andTarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh | Saud |  |
Khalid of Saudi Arabia
| (1913-02-13)13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982(1982-06-13) (aged 69) | 25 March 1975 (aged 62) | 13 June 1982 (death by natural causes) | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andAl Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Al Saud | Saud |  |
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
| 16 March 1920 – 1 August 2005 (aged 85) | 13 June 1982 (aged 62) | 1 August 2005 (death by natural causes) | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andHussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud |  |
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
| (1924-08-01)1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015(2015-01-23) (aged 90) | 1 August 2005 (aged 81) | 23 January 2015 (death by natural causes) | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andFahda bint Asi Al Shuraim | Saud |  |
Salman of Saudi Arabia
| (1935-12-31)31 December 1935 (age 89) | 23 January 2015 (aged 79) | Incumbent | Son ofKing Abdulaziz andHussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud |  |
The Royal Standard consists of a green flag, with anArabic inscription and a sword featured in white, and with thenational emblem embroidered in gold in the lower right canton of the year 1973.
Royal Flag of the King
The script on the flag is written in theThuluth script. It is theshahada or Islamic declaration of faith:
.svg)
Royal Flag of the King (1938-1953).svg)
Royal Banner of the King (1938-1953).svg)
Royal Standard of the King (1938-1953).svg)
Royal Flag of the King (1953-1964).svg)
.svg)
Royal Flag of the King (1964-1973).svg)
The script on the flag is written in theThuluth script. It is theshahada or Islamic declaration of faith:
^‡ assassinated.
Heads of state of theG20 | |
|---|---|
