<P> King Abdulaziz (known in the West as Ibn Saud) began conquering today's Saudi Arabia in 1902, by restoring his family as emirs of Riyadh . He then proceeded to conquer first the Nejd (1922) and then the Hejaz (1925). </P> <P> Ibn Saud proclaimed his dominions as the Sultanate of Nejd in 1921, shortly before completing the conquest of the region . He was proclaimed king of Hejaz in 1926, and raised Nejd to a kingdom as well in 1927 . For the next five - plus years, Ibn Saud administered the two parts of his realm as separate units . In 1932, he formally united his territories into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . </P> <P> The kings since Ibn Saud's death have all been his sons, and all likely immediate successors to the reigning King Salman will be from his progeny . Sons of Ibn Saud are considered to have primary claim on the throne of Saudi Arabia . This makes the Saudi monarchy quite distinct from Western monarchies, which usually feature large, clearly defined royal families and orders of succession . The current Crown Prince is the first grandson of Ibn Saud to be in the line of succession . </P> <P> Saudi Arabia is ruled by Islamic law (Sharia) and purports to be an Islamic state, but many Muslims see a hereditary monarchy as being a discouraged system of government in Islam . </P>

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