On this day, 72 years ago, November 9, 1953 (October 3, 1953 in the lunar calendar), Ibn Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, passed away. Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal Al Saud (1881-November 9, 1953), referred to as Ibn Saud, the first King of Saudi Arabia (reigned from 1932 to 1953). A real Bedouin nomad needs to eat a handful of dates, drink a bag of water, and sleep for three hours every day. Our ancestors ruled the world through this kind of life-the Arabian Peninsula has returned to a long period of silence since Mohammed brought his teachings and expansionist spirit to the world, but as the 20th century approaches, there is a The greatest man on the Arabian Peninsula since Mohammed is the founder of the modern Saudi Arabia state-Ibn Saud. Ibn Saud's ancestors established the First Saudi Kingdom in the oasis in the center of the Arabian Peninsula. When establishing this kingdom, it also accepted the Wahhabi sect founded by the religious reformer Wahhabi. It is a sect in Islam that is closer to the original teachings of Mohammed, and its influence on the Arabian Peninsula remains to this day. Since then, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rose and fell several times, and its power once advanced to the Hejaz region in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, but it was mainly based in the Nejaz region in the middle. In 1891, the Second Saudi Kingdom was destroyed by the Rashid family. The boy Ibn Saud followed his father into exile and later lived in Kuwait. The adventurous factor in the Bedouin blood, coupled with the hard work and tenacious spirit brought to him by his long exile, helped him overcome various difficulties in his life and achieve great achievements. One night on a new moon in 1902, Ibn Saud led more than 40 people from Kuwait to raid Riyadh, sneaked into Riyadh, attacked and killed the Riyadh governor appointed by the Rashid family, and took control of the old base of the Saudi family. This historical event, which seemed more like the plot of a legendary novel, became the starting point of Ibn Saud's lifelong career. Then, Ibn Saud used Riyadh as his base, continued to expand his power to the surrounding areas, attached to the Ottoman Empire, and unified the Nejic region. Since 1912, Ibn Saud has established a series of Ihwan agricultural reclamation areas with military character. This is an organization integrating religion, politics and military. Ibn Saud ordered religious scholars to issue fatwas declaring that Muslims were not born nomads and that it was Islamic to engage in agriculture, handicrafts and commerce, urging nomads to settle and join organizations. This strengthened its military power, and Ihwan members became the main force in Ibn Saud's war. In 1913, with the support of the British, Ibn Saud went to war against the Ottoman Empire and attacked the Hassa region. In the battle, Ibn Saud was blown open in his abdomen and his intestines flowed out. However, he fought calmly and finally won the victory and captured the Hassa region, thus gaining access to the sea. Thus Ibn Saud's kingdom was in a three-way relationship with the Hejaz kingdom of the Hashemite family in the west of the peninsula and the Rashid family in the north. In 1915, Ibn Saud signed the "Treaty of Ukir" with the United Kingdom, forming an alliance with the United Kingdom to oppose the Rashid family supported by the Ottoman Empire. In 1921, he sent troops to attack the enemy Rashid family. After half a year of siege, he captured the city of Hail, the Rashid family surrendered, and Ibn Saud declared himself the "Sultan of Nejj and the region to which he belongs." If it had stopped here, Ibn Saud would have restored the territory and glory of his ancestors, but he was not satisfied. In 1924, he attacked the Hejaz Kingdom, captured Mecca, Medina and Jeddah successively, and drove out the Hashemite family. Ibn Saud declared himself King of the Hejaz and Nejaz. In 1927, the Treaty of Jeddah was signed with Britain. The new treaty abolished British privileges and declared the country led by Ibn Saud to "complete and absolute independence." In 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejaz were merged to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy with unity of religion and religion. Ibn Saud was a devout follower of the Wahhabi sect of Islam all his life. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he also used the Wahhabi sect as the foundation of his country's belief. But in the face of rapid technological development, ancient religions are faced with the challenge of how to adapt to modernization. Ibn Saud was an enlightened man in this regard. He proposed that any new technology could be accepted even if it did not appear in the Koran as long as it did not conflict with the spirit of Islam. Ibn Saud introduced telephones, cars, radios, etc. to Saudi Arabia, and in 1929 used modern technical equipment to suppress riots launched by extremist religious organizations. Another change of great significance to the country during the Ibn Saud era was the extraction of oil. In 1933, Ibn Saudi authorized the American Mobil Company to extract oil in Saudi Arabia. The first batch of extremely large reserves of oil was discovered in Hassah in 1938. After World War II, the oil industry developed rapidly, and Saudi Arabia became the country with the largest oil extraction volume in the world. As international oil prices rose, the inflow of foreign exchange flowed in like a tide. Saudi Arabia jumped from a poor and backward country to one of the richest countries in the world. It is precisely because Saudi Arabia has established its status as a sovereign country that the oil extracted from Saudi land can become a welfare for the Saudi people, rather than a nutrient for the colonists in vain. While the oil industry develops, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States is also constantly strengthening, and both sides regard each other as indispensable allies. Wahhabi beliefs, oil and alliance with the United States are the three pillars of Saudi Arabia's stability, all three of which were established during the rule of Ibn Saud. During his long rule, mainly during the founding period, in order to win over various tribes, Ibn Saud extensively married various tribes and married more than 300 brides. He had 43 sons, and at the time of his death there were more than 160 children and grandchildren. Today, the Saudi royal family has more than 5000 male members. It is the largest royal family in the world and is widely distributed in various important departments of the country. As one of the many new countries born after the two world wars, the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is more marked by Ibn Saud's personal mark. In history, Saudi Arabia has never existed completely as an independent country. Ibn Saud laid the territory of this country and also laid the country's basic systems, such as the Wahhabi sect, the Ihwan organization, etc. With the importance of oil and the rise in prices, as the world's largest oil country, the Saudi Kingdom founded by Ibn Saudi Arabia has become a pivotal link in the world economic system and has achieved corresponding political status. For these reasons, Ibn Saud naturally occupies his place in this book, ranking 70th. Comments: Compared with the people-driven independence movements in most contemporary countries, the nation-building process in Saudi Arabia is more of the color of Saudi family struggle and tribal struggle. Ibn Saudi Arabia made full use of the gifts of the times. The two world wars, the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, and the eagerness of Britain and the United States to find allies on the Arabian Peninsula have all become favorable conditions for Ibn Saudi Arabia's successful founding of the country. Before the founding of Saudi Arabia, before its oil was extensively explored and developed, this enabled the Saudi royal family to largely control the dominant power in the country's oil exploitation.