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Restoring Saudi rule in 1824
The Second Saudi State was the polity re-established by Imam Turki bin Abdullah after the first state's end in Diriyah in 1818. He recovered Riyadh and expelled Ottoman-Egyptian forces and their local allies in 1824. Saudipedia and English Wikipedia agree on this year as the second state's beginning; the latter also calls it the Emirate of Najd. This was not a return to Diriyah as capital, but a new phase centred on Riyadh.
Riyadh replaces Diriyah as capital
Turki bin Abdullah chose Riyadh as his seat of government, while Diriyah had suffered destruction and population loss after the events of 1818. The capital's centre was associated with Qasr al-Hukm and the nearby congregational mosque. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City states that the palace served as the ruler's headquarters and a meeting place with residents from Imam Turki's reign. The second state thus marks a stage in Riyadh's history as a political capital, not simply Diriyah's urban continuation under another name.
Turki and Faisal: succession, interruption and return
Turki bin Abdullah ruled until his death in 1834. His son Faisal bin Turki then recovered power after Mishari bin Abdulrahman's brief control. Faisal faced renewed military intervention from Egypt, and his rule was interrupted in 1838 when he was taken to Egypt. During his absence, Khalid bin Saud and then Abdullah bin Thunayan held power in Riyadh. Faisal returned in 1843, beginning a second reign that lasted until his death in 1865. The years 1834–1865 should therefore not be presented as an uninterrupted reign.
The state's reach and foundations of government
The state was centred on Najd, with rule extending into parts of eastern Arabia, including Al-Ahsa and Qatif. Relationships between the ruler, towns and tribes helped sustain authority, while religious scholars remained important in justice and education and rulers retained the title imam. Government institutions and resources were reorganised during Faisal's second reign. Nevertheless, influence changed over time and was affected by Ottoman intervention and regional competition; the place names do not describe fixed sovereign borders or a map identical to today's Kingdom.
After 1865: rival heirs and Ha'il's rise
Faisal bin Turki's death was followed by succession disputes, particularly between his sons Abdullah and Saud, who exchanged control of Riyadh during the conflict. These divisions allowed Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Rashid, ruler of Ha'il, to expand his influence and intervene in Riyadh. Abdulrahman bin Faisal was the state's last ruler, and its rule ended in 1891 with Al Rashid's ascendancy. Wikipedia associates the endpoint with the Battle of Mulayda, while Saudipedia also describes Abdulrahman's attempted return and setback at Huraymila. The end was the outcome of a sequence of events, not one episode that replaces the rest.
From the state's end to Riyadh's recovery
Abdulrahman bin Faisal and his family left Riyadh and moved through eastern Arabia before settling in Kuwait. Their relocation did not establish a Saudi state in Kuwait; residence there instead formed part of the period preceding his son Abdulaziz's return to Riyadh. Abdulaziz recovered the city in 1902, beginning the third Saudi phase. The transition between 1891 and 1902 shows a break in control of the capital alongside continuity in the family and its political connections.
Image question: is this mosque from the second state's era?
The mosque has a historical connection to the second state's founder, but the photographed building is not its original structure. Saudipedia dates Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque's establishment to his reign between 1824 and 1834, rather than to one exact year adopted here. It was rebuilt on its site within the Qasr al-Hukm redevelopment programme, and the modern building opened in 1993. The 2024 photograph illustrates the continuity of the mosque's name and location in the capital. It is a contextual view of a landmark associated with the period, not photographic documentation of nineteenth-century Riyadh.
Tourism and nature
Related people
- PersonImam Turki bin AbdullahFounder of the Second Saudi State in 1240 AH/1824 CE, grandson of Imam Muhammad bin Saud and the first to make Riyadh the seat of Saudi rule.
- PersonImam Faisal bin Turki Al SaudImam Faisal bin Turki Al Saud was the second Imam of the Second Saudi State. He ruled in two periods: the first from 1250 AH/1834 CE to 1254 AH/1838 CE, and the second from 1259 AH to 1282 AH (1843–1865 CE).
- PersonImam Saud bin Abdulaziz Al SaudImam Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud was the third imam of the First Saudi State, which took Diriyah as its capital. He led the Saudi forces at the First Battle of Al-Hanakiyah in 1228 AH/1813 CE, was described as close to his people and humble in his dealings, and his era saw the scholarly councils of Diriyah flourish.
- PersonImam Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al SaudImam Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al Saud was the last ruler of the Second Saudi State and the father of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud. He represented his family in negotiations with the Ottoman Empire over the future of Al-Ahsa in 1289 AH, left Riyadh with his family for Kuwait, and the family returned to Riyadh after its recapture in 1319 AH/1902.
- PersonImam Abdullah bin SaudImam Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud was the last imam of the First Saudi State, ruling after the death of his father over the period 1229–1233 AH/1814–1818. During his reign the siege of Diriyah took place; he then surrendered and was transferred to Egypt and then to Constantinople.
Related topics
- RegionRiyadh RegionA central Saudi administrative region encompassing the national capital and varied Najdi governorates, with connections to Diriyah, oasis settlement, government and modern economic activity.
- EventEmirate of Jabal ShammarThe Emirate of Jabal Shammar is an emirate that arose in the Hail region, and it came to govern the region after the Emirate of Al Ali that preceded it. In its last years it was linked to its position towards the Ottoman State during the First World War, and then its era ended with the annexation of Hail to the Saudi State in the reign of King Abdulaziz in 1340 AH.
- EventEgyptian Campaign on DiriyahThe Egyptian Campaign on Diriyah was a military campaign directed at the First Saudi State, launched by a commission from the Ottoman Sultan to Muhammad Ali, who assumed the rule of Egypt in 1220 AH; its forces reached Diriyah in 1233 AH/1818 CE after wars that lasted nearly seven years.
Sources & references
- Saudipedia: The Second Saudi State (Arabic)
- English Wikipedia: Second Saudi state
- Saudipedia: Unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic)
- Saudipedia: Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (Arabic)
- Royal Commission for Riyadh City: Mosques Built by the Commission (Arabic)
- Royal Commission for Riyadh City: Qasr al-Hukm District Development Programme (Arabic)