Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques


The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a royal style that has been used officially by the monarchs of Saudi Arabia since 1986. The title has historically been used by many Muslim rulers in the past, including the Ayyubids, the Mamluks, the Ottomans and the Sharifain rulers of Hejaz. The title was sometimes regarded to denote the de facto Caliph of Islam, but it mainly refers to the ruler taking the responsibility of guarding and maintaining the two holiest mosques in Islam: Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, both of which are in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. The Custodian has been named the most powerful and influential person in Islam and the Sunni branch of Islam by The Muslim 500, as well as the most powerful Muslim and Arab ruler in the world.
WWW alharamain.gov.sa

History

It is believed that the first person to use the title was Saladin.
After defeating the Mamluks and gaining control of the Mecca and Medina in 1517, the Ottoman sultan Selim I adopted the title. Rather than style himself the Ḥākimü'l-Ḥaremeyn, he accepted the title Ḫādimü'l-Ḥaremeyn.
The first King of Saudi Arabia to assume the title was Faisal bin Abdul Aziz. His successor Khalid did not use the title, but the latter's successor Fahd did, replacing the term "His Majesty" with it. The current king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, took the same title after the death of King Abdullah, his half brother, on 23 January 2015.

List of custodians

Ayyubids

Mamluks (1250–1517)

Baḥrī Mamluks
  1. Shajar al-Durr
  2. Izz ad-Din Aybak
  3. Nur ad-Din Ali
  4. Saif ad-Din Qutuz
  5. Baibars
  6. Al-Said Barakah
  7. Solamish
  8. Qalawun
  9. Al-Ashraf Khalil
  10. An-Nasir Muhammad
  11. Kitbugha
  12. Lajin
  13. An-Nasir Muhammad
  14. Baybars al-Jashnakir
  15. An-Nasir Muhammad
  16. Sayf ad-Din Abu Bakr
  17. Ala'a ad-Din Kujuk
  18. Al-Nāṣir Aḥmad
  19. Imad ad-Din Abu'l Fida Isma'il
  20. Sayf ad-Din Sha'ban
  21. Sayf ad-Din Hajji
  22. An-Nasir Hasan
  23. Salah ad-Din Salih
  24. An-Nasir Hasan
  25. Salah ad-Din Muhammad
  26. Zayn ad-Din Sha'ban
  27. Ala'a ad-Din Ali
  28. Salah ad-Din Hajji
Burjī Mamluks
  1. Barquq
  2. Nasir ad-Din Faraj
  3. Izz ad-Din Abd al-Aziz
  4. Barsbay
  5. Jaqmaq
  6. Sayf ad-Din Inal
  7. Khushqadam
  8. Sayf ad-Din Bilbay
  9. Timurbugha
  10. Qaitbay
  11. Muhammad
  12. Qansuh al-Ghawri
  13. Tuman Bay II

Ottomans (1517–1924)

The Ottoman rulers from the conquest of the Mamluk Egypt in 1517, who claimed the caliphate until its abolition of in 1924 held the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques":
  1. Selim I
  2. Suleiman I
  3. Selim II
  4. Murad III
  5. Mehmed III
  6. Ahmed I
  7. Mustafa I
  8. Osman II
  9. Mustafa I
  10. Murad IV
  11. Ibrahim
  12. Mehmed IV
  13. Suleiman II
  14. Ahmed II
  15. Mustafa II
  16. Ahmed III
  17. Mahmud I
  18. Osman III
  19. Mustafa III
  20. Abdul Hamid I
  21. Selim III
  22. Mustafa IV
  23. Mahmud II
  24. Abdülmecid I
  25. Abdulaziz
  26. Murad V
  27. Abdul Hamid II
  28. Mehmed V
  29. Mehmed VI
  30. Abdülmecid II – last Ottoman caliph, titular custodian until the caliphate’s abolition

Saudis (1986–present)

In 1986, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia replaced “His Majesty” with the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.” All subsequent Saudi kings have continued to use it:
  1. [Fahd of Saudi Arabia|King Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd Abdulaziz Al Saud] – adopted the formal title in 1986
  2. King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Saud
  3. King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud