The
Emirate of Diriyah was the
first Saudi state. It was established in the year 1744 (1157
A.H.) when
imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince
Muhammad bin Saud formed an alliance to establish a religious and political sovereignty determined to purge the
Arabian Peninsula of heretical practices and deviations from orthodox Islam as they understood it. This joint effort is seen by
Wahhabism as the restoration of the basic belief in
Tawhid, and many
Salafi maintain it marks the beginning of the broader Salafi revivalist movement. Practices such as offering prayers to saintly figures, making pilgrimages to tombs and special mosques, venerating trees, caves, and stones were abolished under this rule. In 1744, both Muhammed bin Abd Al Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud took an oath to achieve their goal. Marriage between Muhammad bin Saud's son,
Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, and the daughter of the Imam helped to seal the pact between their families which has lasted through the centuries to present day.