In present-day Saudi Arabia, except for a few major cities and oases, the harsh climate historically prevents much settlement. People of various cultures have lived in the peninsula over a span of more than 5,000 years. The Dilmun culture, along the Gulf coast, is contemporaneous with the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians and most of the empires of the ancient world trade with the states of the peninsula. Around 460 the Kingdom of Kindah. Kindah is a protegé state of Himyar (Yemen). Kindah is destroyed by Hirah in 540. Mohammed founds the islam faith in 622. The first islamic state is Hejaz. This state becomes in 634 the basis of the Caliphate, an islamic state, including large parts of North Africa and the Middle East. The region is under control of the Qarmati Theocracy. Between 1078 and 1517 the region is de facto ungovernable. Hejaz becomes part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. In the inland Jebel Shammar becomes the leading state.

The Saudi state begins in central Arabia in about 1735. A local ruler, Muhammad bin Saud, joins forces with an islamic reformer, Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab, to create a new political entity. They establish the al-Diriyah Emirate in 1735. By 1802 al-Diriyah dominates almost all of central Arabia. The emirate is under Egyptian occupation between 1817 and 1822 and becomes part of the Ottoman Empire in 1819. A second Egyptian occupation takes place between 1838 and 1843. In 1887 al-Diriyah is conquered by Jebel Shammar and between 1891 and 1902 it is formally annexed to Jebel Shammar. Abdul Aziz Al-Saud captures in 1902 Riyadh, the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital, establishes the Emirate of Nejd that secedes from Jebel Shammar as an independent state. After it incorporated al-Hasa in 1913 and Jebel Shammar in 1921 Nejd is restyled into the Sultanate of Nejd and its dependencies. Between 1924 and 1925 Nejd conquers Hejaz and a personal union between both states is formed. Hejaz incorporates Asir in 1926 and Nejd becomes the Kingdom of Nejd and its dependencies in 1927.

In 1932 Nejd and Heja formally merge into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. King Abdul Aziz dies in 1953 and is succeeded by his eldest son, Saud. In 1964 Saud abdicates in favor of his half-brother, Faisal. Under Faisal the king is also head of government. In 1975 king Faisal is assassinated by a nephew, who is executed after an extensive investigation concluded that he acted alone. Faisal is succeeded by his half-brother Khalid. After the death of Khalil in 1982 prince Fahd becomes king. Since 1997 crown prince Abdullah has taken on much of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the government. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy in which no parties are allowed.