Early socio-political history of the emirate of Diriyah on the basis of Najdi chronicles of the 17th and 19th centuries

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Keywords: The Arabian Peninsula; Diriyah; Wahhabism; the First Saudi State; Najd; the Emirate of Diriyah

To cite this article

Fedor Y. Matveev Early socio-political history of the emirate of Diriyah on the basis of Najdi chronicles of the 17th and 19th centuries. // Lomonosov Oriental Studies Journal. 2022. N 3, p.73–81

Fedor Y. Matveev (Lomonosov Moscow State University)

Abstract

The article focuses on the main features of the socio-political life of the Emirate of Diriyah in the period preceding the emergence of the First Saudi State. The basis of the study is formed by a number of recently published Najdi chronicles of the 17th and 18th centuries. The new scientific material made it possible to reconstruct the mentioned historical period and analyze it comprehensively. The results of the study show that by the time the First Saudi State was founded in 1744, Diriyah was only a small agricultural settlement in Southern Najd. Its political and economic influence was undermined both by difficult natural conditions and constant political upheavals.