After the death of Abdul Aziz, his son, Saud, ruled from 1803 (1218 AH) through 1814 (1230 AH). In 1803 (1218 AH), Saud, provoked by the Shareef of Makkah, marched on the Holy City and took it. There he and his men performed Hajj. The Saudi Kingdom now stretched from Nejd to Hasa in the west and south towards Najran.

Such an increase in authority was not to pass unchallenged. The Turkish Empire concluded that action must be taken and invited Muhammad Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt (which at that time fell within the Ottoman sphere of influence) to dismantle the work of Muhammad bin Saud, his son and grandson, and to put an end to the emerging nation.

Before Saud died in 1814 (1230 AH), Muhammad Ali had retaken the Hijaz.

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