In 1947, Saudi Arabia lacked an anthem, so, when King Abdulaziz visited Egypt that year, he asked Egyptian composer Abdul Rahman Al-Khateeb to create an anthem and “Aash Al Maleek” was created. The melody, an Arab fanfare style, is similar to those of other Arab states in the area at the time. In 1958, the first set of lyrics were written for the anthem by Mohammed Talat, but weren’t often heard. In 1984 King Fahd ask poet Ibrahim Al Khafaji to write new lyrics, which are the official lyrics today.