This book is part of a Young Adult (YA) series called "Creation of the Modern Middle East." All of the books contain an introduction Islamic merchants in Mecca made their living off of the pilgrims who came to worship at the temple where the meteorite was housed. Many of the photographs in "Saudi Arabia" are of the Ka'ba, the cube-shaped building whose eastern cornerstone consists of the reassembled parts of the meteorite. This is now the holiest site in Islam, and it is toward the Ka'ba that Muslims face when they pray.

I've read four books in this series now, and "Saudi Arabia" is the best written. It reads more like a story than a longish newspaper article, as the other books did. The author focuses her history on the trials and triumphs of the 19th and 20th Century Al Saud family, and the daring exploits of Colonel T.E. Lawrence before and during World War I.

Unfortunately for the Saud family, Colonel Lawrence "had a very different candidate in mind to be the leader of the Arab revolt [against the Ottoman Empire]: the third son of the Sharif of Mecca, Feisal al Hussain."

Abdul Aziz, who was the current leader of the Saudi tribe turned to the Ikhwan (the 'Brotherhood'), a group of religious zealots linked to the Wahhabis. They were fierce fighters, who "could travel for hundreds of miles with only the most minimal supplies." With the help of these warriors, the Kingdom soon belonged to Abdul Aziz.

However, after the conclusion of World War I, the British stepped in and awarded the choicest portion of the Arabian Peninsula to Sharif Hussain (Colonel Lawrence's candidate): the Hejaz, which contained both Mecca and Medina, the chief pilgrimage sites for all Muslims. It was only after geologists concluded that there was little oil to be found in Arabia (!) that the British lost interest in the Peninsula, and Abdul Aziz was able to complete his conquest of the Hejaz. He was proclaimed the new king of the Hejaz on January 8, 1926. In 1932, after subduing his old allies, the Ikhwan, his new country became known as Saudi Arabia.

The author then takes us through the modern history of this country, beginning with the discovery of oil (that the British geologists had missed) and ending with the terrorist attacks on the United States on 09/11/2001.

Although you will need to turn to other books to learn about the early history of the Arabian Peninsula, including the life of Muhammad and the birth of Islam, "Saudi Arabia" is a very readable introduction to the recent history of this oil-rich nation.