The Sheikhdom of Dir'iyah (Arabic: مشيخة الدرعية), was a polity in central Arabia from 1446 to 1744 and the predecessor to the First Saudi State. Its capital was Al-Turaif District, and it was based around the banks of Wadi Hanifa. It was ruled by the Muani'a dynasty (also known as the Marada) from the Durou' clan, and later under its two branches, Muqrin and Watban, with the former becoming the sole house and the house from which the House of Saud descends.
