Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh formally established diplomatic relations in 1975–76, after the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by mutinous officers in Bangladesh Army. The military regimes of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad took steps to forge strong commercial and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia. Since the late 1980s, many both skilled and unskilled Bangladeshi workers have moved to Saudi Arabia; the number of Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia today exceeds 2.5 million. Many Muslim religious students and clerics also regularly travel to Saudi Arabia for study and religious work. As one of the most populous Muslim countries, Bangladesh is a major source of Hajj pilgrims. Saudi Arabia has become a major source of financing and economic aid to Bangladesh. In August 2014 Saudi Arabia banned Bangladeshi women from marrying Saudi nationals.