Saudi Arabia’s early history dates back 15,000 to 20,000 years, but the modern Kingdom, founded on this day in 1932, has since become the most powerful Opec member and the world’s most influential oil exporter.

“Since King Abdulaziz Al-Saud established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, its transformation has been astonishing…On September 23, 1932, the country was named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an Islamic state with Arabic as its national language and the Holy Qur’an as its constitution.” – The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia