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![[Saudi Arabian National Guard]](../images/s/sa^ngr.gif)
image by Zoltan Horvath, 23 September 2024The Saudi Arabian National Guard is a separate military force. Also known as
the White Army, it is one of the three major branches of the military forces of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The National Guard is under the
administrative control of the Ministry of National Guard, instead of the
Ministry of Defence. It differs from the regular Saudi Arabian Army in being
forged out of tribal elements loyal to the House of Saud and tasked with
protecting the royal family from internal dangers such as a coup d'état. It
serves both as a defence force against external attack and as an Internal
security force. Its duties include protecting the House of Saud, guarding
against military coups, guarding strategic facilities and resources, and
providing security for the cities of Mecca and Medina.
Its flag consists
of three horizontal stripes, white, sand yellow, and light green. National flag
is placed in the upper hoist on the white stripe, while emblem of National Guard
is placed in the fly.
Image of flag:
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news
https://www.arabnews.jp/en/saudi-arabia
Zoltan Horvath, 23 September 2024
Predecessor of the Saudi Arabian National Guard
![[Saudi Border Guards]](../images/s/sa-ikh.gif)
image by Esteban Rivera, 9 January 2023
The Ikhwan (Arabic: الإخوان, romanized: al-ʾikhwān, The Brethren), commonly
known as Ikhwan men taa Allah (Arabic: إخوان من أطاع الله), was a Wahhabi
religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a
significant military force of the ruler Ibn Saud and played an important role in
establishing him as ruler of most of the Arabian Peninsula in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
The Ikhwan first appeared around 1902. They were the
product of clergy who aimed to break up the Bedouin tribes and settle them
around the wells and oases of the sedentary Arab populations, mainly those of
the Najd, on the grounds that nomadic life was incompatible with the strict
conformity of their interpretation of Islam. The newly Islamicized Bedouin would
be converted from nomad raiders to soldiers for Islam. The cleric/teachers of
the Ikhwan were dedicated to their idea of the purification and the unification
of Islam, and some of the newly converted Ikhwan rebelled against their emir Ibn
Saud, accusing him of religious laxity. The conquest of the Hejaz in 1924
brought all of the current Saudi state under Ibn Saud's control. The monarch
then found himself in conflict with elements of the Ikhwan. He crushed their
power at the Battle of Sabilla in 1929, following which the militia was
reorganised into the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikhwan and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian_National_Guard
Historical picture of the original flag.
Esteban Rivera, 9 January 2023
