Editing First Saudi state (section)

===Early establishment===
The [[House of Saud]] and its allies quickly rose to become the dominant power in Arabia by first conquering [[Najd]], and then expanding their influence over the eastern coast from [[Kuwait]] down to the northern borders of [[Oman]]. Saud's forces also captured the highlands of [[Asir]], while Muhammad ibn Abd Al Wahhab wrote letters to people and scholars to join [[jihad]]. After many military campaigns, Muhammad bin Saud died in 1765, leaving the leadership to his son, Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad. Saud's forces went so far as to [[Wahhabi sack of Karbala|gain command]] of the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] [[holy city]] of [[Karbala]] in 1801. Here they destroyed the [[dargah|shrine]] of the saints and monuments and killed over 5,000 civilians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/karbala|title=Karbala|website=iranicaonline.org|access-date=14 November 2017}}</ref> In retribution, Abdulaziz was assassinated by a young Shia in 1803, having followed him back to Najd.

Muhammad bin Abd Al Wahhab died in 1792. In 1803, eleven years after his death, the son of Abdulaziz bin Muhammad, [[Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1748–1814)|Saud bin Abdulaziz]], sent out forces to bring the region of [[Hejaz]] under his rule.<ref>[http://www.islamlife.com/religion2/component/content/article/69-later-scholars/672-biography-of-imam-muhammad-bin-abdul-wahhab Sauds's campaign for Hejaz and the two holy cities] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914081717/http://www.islamlife.com/religion2/component/content/article/69-later-scholars/672-biography-of-imam-muhammad-bin-abdul-wahhab|date=14 September 2010}}, ''Islam Life'' online magazine</ref> [[Taif]] was the first city to be captured, and later the two holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. This was seen as a major challenge to the authority of the [[Ottoman Empire]], which had exercised its rule over the holy cities since 1517.