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.
William Facey - Author of Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers and The Story of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. He began his career as a classicist at Oxford and has emerged as a leading historian of the Arabian Peninsula. For many years he has worked as a consultant on museum projects in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the archaeology, history and people of the individual nations. He has also been involved in planning museums and exhibitions in England, Europe, Central America and the Far East.