People & Histories
From 1925; royal title adopted 1986

Custodians of the two holy mosques

Ruling Mecca and Medina gives the Saudi state its deepest legitimacy, and the kingdom transforms the holy cities to receive millions of pilgrims, at the cost of much of their historic fabric.

  • A History of Saudi Arabia (2nd edition) — Madawi Al-Rasheed, Cambridge University Press (2010)
  • Hajj Statistics Publication 2024 — General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Arabia (2024)
  • The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine — Yaroslav Trofimov, Doubleday (2007)
  • Islam: The Straight Path — John L. Esposito, Oxford University Press

Well established faithpilgrimagelegitimacyheritage

Since conquering the Hejaz in 1924–25, the Saudi state has run the Hajj, the pilgrimage every able Muslim should make once in a lifetime. In 1986 King Fahd dropped “His Majesty” in favour of the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”, which his successors have kept.

  • A History of Saudi Arabia (2nd edition) — Madawi Al-Rasheed, Cambridge University Press (2010)
  • Islam: The Straight Path — John L. Esposito, Oxford University Press

For the kingdom, running the holy places is far more than administration. It is the foundation of the dynasty’s religious legitimacy and of its standing in the Muslim world. A whole ministry, quotas for each country’s pilgrims, a vast security operation and armies of volunteers, scouts and health workers are mobilised every year, and many Saudis speak of serving “the guests of God” as an honour.

  • A History of Saudi Arabia (2nd edition) — Madawi Al-Rasheed, Cambridge University Press (2010)
  • Hajj Statistics Publication 2024 — General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Arabia (2024)

Successive expansions have enlarged the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina many times over, with new tunnels, railways and towers. The Hajj grew from tens of thousands of pilgrims a year in the 1920s to millions; in 2024 there were about 1.83 million.

  • Hajj Statistics Publication 2024 — General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Arabia (2024)
  • A History of Saudi Arabia (2nd edition) — Madawi Al-Rasheed, Cambridge University Press (2010)
The crowds have brought tragedies, including deadly stampedes, most recently at Mina in 2015, and in 1987 clashes with Iranian pilgrim demonstrators killed more than 400 people. Critics, including many Muslims, lament the demolition of Ottoman-era and older buildings, partly on religious grounds that venerating historic sites leads to idolatry.
  • A History of Saudi Arabia (2nd edition) — Madawi Al-Rasheed, Cambridge University Press (2010)
  • The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine — Yaroslav Trofimov, Doubleday (2007)

Why it matters today

Saudi Arabia

Hosting the Hajj is a sacred duty and a source of immense pride; many Saudis volunteer to serve pilgrims. It also exposes the state to criticism from other Muslims when disasters strike or when old buildings are demolished, and makes religion inseparable from the kingdom's international standing.