Dir'iyyah and the First Saudi State

by William Facey

Two and a half centuries ago, the first Saudi state arose in the heart of Arabia. It dominated the Peninsula and its holy places from 1745 to 1818. Then it was crushed by the mighty Ottomans. This major work by historian William Facey tells the gripping story of this little-known empire. He traces the rise of the capital Dir'iyyah, whose crumbling ruins lie scattered in the desert north of Riyadh. This is a tale of national identity, power politics and war. The ruins of Dir'iyyah have been specially photographed for this book. A reconstruction of life as it would have been lived 200 years ago sheds new light on this dramatic story.

112 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996