Photo Gallery New Beginnings
Saudi Arabia's King Salman cemented his hold on power in January with a sweeping shakeup that saw a Cabinet reshuffle, two sons of his predecessor, the late King Abdullah, fired, and the heads of intelligence and other key agencies replaced.
When King Salman visited the United States a few weeks ago, President Barack Obama described him as "extremely knowledgeable" and "wise beyond his years." This picture shows Obama meeting with King Salman in January, when the US president was in Riyadh to offer his condolences over the death of King Abdullah.
In 2010, 12 million people went on the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj, and the numbers are predicted to rise to 20 million soon.
The Saudi-led coalition began its air strikes on Yemen in late March. Its goal is to stop the rebellion by Huthi militias and force the quarreling factions to the negotiating table. It has been somewhat successful, in that some of the hostile factions are now scheduled to meet in Geneva for initial talks.
