Chair’s Welcome

History is an important science because it studies and interprets the events and incidents of the most evolved creatures, human beings. The benefits and objectives of studying history are not limited to explaining incidents from the past so to learn a lesson, but go beyond to the stabilisation of the status quo and the future through the study of previous experiences and their relevant factors. Therefore, history plays a major role in keeping track of the march of humanity.

The evolution of the educational movement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has highlighted the significance of history as a science as it was one of the two departments in KSU, the oldest university in the Kingdom, which was established in 1957. Ever since then, the department has attracted many national and international prominent professors and historiographers. It also sent a lot of students on scholarships to leading and prestigious universities in Europe and America to specialise in history.

In the very early stages of its establishment, the History Department administered the archaeological studies as part of its study plan. When archaeological studies became an independent science, both subjects were separated. Thanks to the History Department, the Archaeology and Tourism Department was established in 1975. It became now an independent college.

The History Department has been developing its curricula and study plans over the last 50 years. That development comes in line with the development programmes in our country so to serve and satisfy its needs. One of the Department’s main objectives is to contribute to the intellectual and scientific movements in our country and provide the country with future teachers, researchers, thinkers and leaders by equipping the students with the knowledge and experience they need to expand their horizons,   develop their personalities and place themselves on the right track as qualified citizens to serve their country by teaching them general and specialised courses covering the different historical eras.

Only when the necessary Saudi and foreign faculty members were available, the History Department opened the door to postgraduate studies. Ever since then, the MA and PhD programmes have come a long way graduating good numbers of  MA and PhD holders that  held important positions in the fields of higher education, academic research and administration in our country.

The KSU History Department has been serving the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for half a century by graduating specialists and researchers, writing books and encyclopedias, publishing research on the history of the Kingdom, holding symposiums, establishing history associations and participating in symposiums and conferences in- and outside the Kingdom. The Department is very keen on keeping up with the latest developments, changes and needs of the labour market in our country. Therefore, it is in the process of updating its curricula and study plan so that they go in line with the needs of our learners and country. The new plan will include general knowledge, necessary skills and other majors so that our graduates can best serve their beloved country.

Chair of the History Department