Author Description
At The Turn Of The 20th Century, A Minor Principality With A Kingly Ambition Emerged From The Victorious Occupation Of The Strategic Town Of Riyadh By A Small Group Of Warriors Led By A Young Man, 'abd Al-'aziz Ibn 'abd Al-rahman Al Faysal Al Sa'ud. In The Qualification Of The City-oasis - Riyad In Arabic Is Plural For Rawda, Green Pasture, Meadow, Orchard - The Word 'strategic' Is Retrospective. No One Paid Attention To Yet Another Raid In The Middle Of The Arabian Desert - A Ghazwa, The Tribal Conquest Of Time Immemorial. The Raiders Were Local Protagonists, According To Saudi Lore Some Sixty Members Of The Followers Of Ibn Saud, As He Became Known In The West Many Years Later, Battling Their Rashid Rivals Whom They Dislodged From The Oasis And Its Surroundings. It Seemed Then To Be The Continuation Of A Small, Insignificant Turf War Between Tribal Protagonists Who Had Been At It For At Least Two Centuries-- Provided By Publisher.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the historical and legal evolution of the Saudi Arabian state, questioning how a minor tribal principality transformed into a modern sovereign entity governed by a distinct legal framework. Chibli Mallat, a legal scholar specializing in Middle Eastern law, examines the transition from traditional tribal customs to the formalization of state authority. The text utilizes historical records and legal analysis to trace the rise of the House of Saud, beginning with the 1902 capture of Riyadh. By contextualizing the early territorial expansion within the broader history of the Arabian Peninsula, the author provides a framework for understanding the consolidation of power and the subsequent development of the Saudi legal system.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Historical analysis of the 1902 capture of Riyadh and the rise of Ibn Saud.
- Examination of tribal governance structures versus modern state legal systems.
- Contextualization of Saudi political development within the 20th-century Middle East.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the formative period and early legal foundations rather than contemporary 21st-century judicial practice.
- It does not provide an exhaustive survey of all individual Sharia court rulings or civil statutes.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of Middle Eastern legal history and state formation. Readers frequently note the scholarly rigor of the prose and the author's ability to synthesize complex tribal history with formal legal evolution.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
2021-01-01
Publisher:
New York, NY : Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0190092785
ISBN-13:
9780190092788
History
Saudi Arabia
Law
Middle Eastern
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