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Imams of the Saudi states

Imam Turki bin Abdullah

Founder 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.

1769–1834Approved for publicationAvailable in Arabic and English
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, 2024; a contextual photo of the modern building named after him, not a portrait
Image credits
Image attribution: Deera Square and Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (1) — Radosław Botev (https://www.forumviatoris.org.pl/); copyright holder/licensor Fundacja Nomos, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 Poland. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deera_Square_and_Imam_Turki_bin_Abdullah_Mosque_(1).jpg ; license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/deed.en . Photograph dated 27 July 2024; modern rebuilt mosque opened in 1993, contextual to the Second Saudi State. / صورة سياقية ملتقطة عام 2024 للجامع ببنائه الحديث المفتتح عام 1993، لا لمبنى عصر الدولة الثانية. CMS derivative: converted to WebP at quality 85; proportionally resized within 2400 × 2400 without enlargement where needed. Card/hero display may crop to fit; original composition is not retouched. / نسخة CMS: تحويل إلى WebP بجودة 85 وتصغير تناسبي عند الحاجة ضمن 2400 × 2400 دون تكبير؛ قد يقتطع العرض داخل البطاقات أو رأس المقال أطراف الصورة، دون تنقيح محتواها. · License: CC BY 3.0 Poland — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/deed.en
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, 2024; a contextual photo of the modern building named after him, not a portrait

Early life and the defence of Diriyah

Imam Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud (1183–1249 AH/1769–1834 CE) founded the Second Saudi State and was a grandson of Imam Muhammad bin Saud. [1]

Known for his courage, he was among the foremost defenders of Diriyah against the Ottoman army, losing his son Fahd and his brothers Muhammad and Saud, and refused to surrender. His name is tied to his sword, al-Ajrab, which he mentions in a famous poem. [1]

Restoring rule

In Ramadan 1238 AH/May 1823 CE he came from the town of Al-Hulwah with thirty men and settled in Irqah, where supporters from Al-Washm, Sudair and elsewhere rallied to him. He recovered Riyadh in 1240 AH/1824 CE and made it the capital after Diriyah's destruction. [1]

By 1241 AH/1825 CE all the towns of Najd had pledged allegiance, and he later added Al-Ahsa. The state he founded lasted 69 years, until 1309 AH/1891 CE. [1]

Related people

Death

Imam Turki was assassinated on the last day of Dhu al-Hijjah 1249 AH/1834 CE as he walked unguarded from Friday prayer to his palace, after nine years of rule. [1]

Related topics

Sources & references

  1. Saudipedia: Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud (Arabic)