Saud bin Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud

The House of Saud extended its rule beyond Najd and into the Hijaz which culminated with the capture of Makkah and Madinah. Saud's reign was a period of religious cleansing in Arabia. During his reign, attacks on shrines in Iraq continued. The new Saudis transformed the Kaaba in Mecca and destroyed the tombs of numerous religious figures in Medina in accordance with Wahhabi theology.

This religious transformation did not sit well with other Muslims, and many other Muslims found the actions to be extreme, and were stunned that the holy cities had been taken so easily. The Ottoman Empire did not want to relent control over the cities to local tribesmen. The Ottomans could not retake the cities on their own though as the bulk of their forces were tied up in Europe. Muhammad Ali, the viceroy of Egypt, was assigned to recapture the Arabian territories. One of his sons, commanding the Egyptian troops, succeeded in re-conquering Hijaz in 1812.