The
House of Saud (
Āl Saʻūd) is the ruling
royal family of
Saudi Arabia. The family has thousands of members. It is composed of the descendants of
Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the
Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1818–91), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of
Ibn Saud, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia.