The Al Saud family is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia, founded by Muhammad ibn Saud in the 18th century. It traces its origins to the central Arabian region of Najd. The family rose to prominence through its alliance with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, establishing the first Saudi state in the 1740s. The modern Saudi state, established in 1932 by Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, unified the various tribal regions into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The current head of the family is King Salman, and the royal family continues to play a crucial role in the governance of the kingdom.
