Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques ( khādim al-ḥaramain al-šarīfain), a historical term, was a pious title taken by the Ayyubids, the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt, and the Ottoman Sultans; it has been revived by modern Saudi kings.

Saudi monarchy

It is most known today as the title taken by the King of Saudi Arabia in his role as protector of the two holiest mosques in Islam, Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

 and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi , often called the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque situated in the city of Medina. As the final resting place of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, it is considered the second holiest site in Islam by Muslims and is one of the largest mosques in the world...

 in Medina

Medina

Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...

. This role had traditionally been that of the Caliph

Caliph

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

.

The first Saudi king to assume the title was Fahd bin Abdul Aziz in 1986. King Fahd replaced the term "His Majesty" with "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques". The reigning king, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, has taken the same title after the death of King Fahd, his half brother, in 2005.