ABSTRACT
In the early 1900s when 'Abd al-'Aziz began to enlarge his domain, the political elite was limited to the adult male family members of the Al Sa'ud, the descendants of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and the tribal and village leaders who endorsed his cause. These people comprised the group of notables known as the ahl al-hall wa al-'aqd, or "those who loose and bind." The first member of 'Abd al-'Aziz's retinue to break out of the standard mold was 'Abdallah Sulayman, a Najdi with some "practical training" in accounting, a skill needed to manage the increased revenues inherited from the Hijaz. Sa'ud preferred to rule in the direct style of his father and virtually ignored the Council of Ministers, but Faysal endeavored to structure the Council and he eventually used it as a base from which to control the economy.
