By 1918, the Ikhwan are ready to…

By 1918, the Ikhwan are ready to enter Ibn Sa'ud's elite army.

The Ikhwan alone provide him with a formidable force, but his military also includes soldiers recruited from the towns and nomadic tribes.

Aided by British subsidies during the Great War, ibn Sa'ud has managed by adroit diplomacy to remain relatively inactive, despite his encirclement by enemies, including the Hashemid kingdom of Sharif Husayn ibn 'Ali of the Hejaz, also a British client.

Husayn and ibn Sa'ud each receive a monthly stipend of £5,000 to serve British interests.