Saudi Arabia People

The Saudis take their name from the ruling Al-Saud family. They were united by conquest between 1902 and 1932 by King Abd al-Aziz Al Sa'ud, who expelled the Turks.
    The vast majority of Saudis are Sunni Muslims who follow the "wahhabi" (puritan) interpretation of Islam and embrace "sharia" (Muslim) law in their daily lives.
    The politically dominant Nejadi tribes from the central plateau around Riyadh are Bedouin in origin. The Hejazi tribes from southern and western Saudi Arabia, who have a more cosmopolitan, mercantile background, have largely been displaced from politics. In the eastern province there is a Shi'a minority of some 300,000, many of whom are employed in the oilfields.
    Women are obliged to wear the veil, cannot hold drivers licenses and have no role in public life. They are effectively barred from the workplace except as teachers and nurses.