Abstract
This study investigates the history of Saudi folk heritage as well as the different historical and cultural factors that shaped Saudi folklore. Based on studies by eminent scholars of folk literature, such as William John Thorns, Walter J. Ong, Campbell, James Wynbrandt and Zwettler Michael, this study explains how folk elements pass down from generation to another, how they function significantly as a vehicle to transmit the nation's experience and demonstrate how such genres are relevant to the present human life. Saudi Arabia is a rich country in folkloric elements represented by the two most compelling folk genres of oral poetry and music. This research opens much-needed criteria of research on diverse heritage of a country that inherited from different cultures. Discussion in this study helps familiarize the readers with history of this country because an account of modern Saudi Arabian folk heritage without discussing these realities would be incomplete.