{"product_id":"swords-of-saud-volume-1-birth-of-the-desert-empire-1744-1930-9781804518731","title":"Swords of Saud, Volume 1: Birth of the Desert Empire, 1744-1930","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe volume combines vivid narrative with military analysis, drawing on a wide range of sources to reconstruct battles, alliances, and the shifting tribal landscape of early 20th century Arabia.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis first volume traces the dramatic rise of Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and the early campaigns that laid the foundations of modern Saudi Arabia. Beginning with the audacious 1902 night raid on Riyadh--where the young prince, known as \"the Leopard\", reclaimed his family's ancestral capital--the book follows two decades of warfare, diplomacy, and tribal manoeuvring across central Arabia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVolume 1 details the key conflicts in the unification of the Nejd and surrounding territories, including the wars against the Rashidi dynasty and their Ottoman allies, the capture of Qasim, and the strategic conquest of al-Hasa. It explores the emergence of the Ikhwan, the zealous tribal militia that became Ibn Saud's principal instrument of expansion during the 1910s and early 1920s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet against the wider backdrop of the First World War, the book also examines Ibn Saud's position relative to the more visible Hashemite-led Arab Revolt supported by the British. While Lawrence of Arabia captured the Western imagination, Ibn Saud was building a power base in the interior that would ultimately prove more enduring.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe volume combines vivid narrative with military analysis, drawing on a wide range of sources to reconstruct battles, alliances, and the shifting tribal landscape of early 20th century Arabia. It also outlines the origins of the enduring alliance between the House of Saud and Wahhabism, a force that would shape the emerging state's religious and political identity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnding in 1921 with the fall of the Rashidi emirate and Ibn Saud's firm control over central Arabia, this volume captures the formative years of a leader whose ambition and resilience would alter the course of Middle Eastern history. The story continues in Volume 2, which will cover the conquest of the Hejaz, the clash with the Hashemites, the Ikhwan rebellion, and the final unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGarcia de Gabiola, Javier:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Javier Garcia de Gabiola, is from Spain and works as a lawyer. He has published numerous articles and books related to legal issues. Always interested in military history, he also regularly contributes to various Spanish military history magazines, for which he has written more than 50 articles and has published multiple pieces with the Universidad Autónoma de México. This is his first instalment for Helion's @War series.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCooper, Tom:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \"Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian. Following a career in worldwide transportation business - during which he established a network of contacts in the Middle East and Africa - he moved into narrow-focus analysis and writing on small, little-known air forces and conflicts, about which he has collected extensive archives. This has resulted in specialization in such Middle Eastern air forces as of those of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, plus various African and Asian air forces. Except for authoring and co-authoring more than 30 books - including about a dozen of titles for Helion's @War series - and over 1000 articles, Cooper is a regular correspondent for multiple defense-related publications.\"","brand":"Helion \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52038912246034,"sku":"9781804518731","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_1885f14e-36fc-48e6-8fe7-5f4f3763271b.jpg?v=1771341157","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/swords-of-saud-volume-1-birth-of-the-desert-empire-1744-1930-9781804518731","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}