Muhammad Ibn Abd alWahhab and the Origins of Wahhabism: The EighteenthCentury Context

Abstract Wahhabism was founded in the eighteenth century in the province of Najd, a broad desert expanse located in central Arabia. Najd has often been described as a desert wasteland, standing in marked contrast to the more cosmopolitan Hijaz region, which houses the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. While the Hijaz has been at the forefront of international commerce and educational exchanges, Najd has traditionally been considered a more isolated region, off the beaten track of the caravan routes. As such, Najd has not been a prime location for tourism or foreign conquest. This does not mean that it was completely isolated from the outside world. In fact, pilgrims, students, and merchants regularly traveled from Najd to other regions of Arabia and the Middle East to participate in the broad exchange of ideas, culture, and goods. These exchanges were simply on a smaller scale than was the case for the more cosmopolitan regions that served as a point of arrival rather than departure.