RIYADH: Saudis across the Kingdom will celebrate their lineage, heritage and national identity on February 22 at events to mark the third annual Founding Day, which commemorates the founding of the first Saudi state by Imam Muhammad bin Saud nearly 300 years ago.
“We celebrate the rich and deep history… As Saudis, we celebrate the long journey of a great nation,” Zain Al-Sharyan, chief cultural and historical verification officer at the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, told Arab News.
She said that Founding Day, which was designated as a national holiday by royal decree in 2022, is a celebration of Saudi identity, and a day that connects the nation’s people to their roots and heritage. As such, it honors the first step on the path that led to the New Kingdom, she added.
The first Saudi state, or the Emirate of Diriyah, was founded in 1727 by Imam Muhammad. Known for his courage, leadership skills, and generosity, he brought security and stability to Diriyah and it flourished under his leadership, becoming a center of culture, trade, and education.
“The first treasury of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was here in Diriyah, in Turaif, (which is now) a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” Al-Sharianan said. “This treasury was created to allocate (resources needed to meet) the needs of the people here. This indicates the peak that the first Saudi state has already reached.
The first Saudi state, its then-advanced development, and its cultural, economic, and humanitarian initiatives, helped shape the embryonic beginnings of what would become the modern kingdom we know today. Therefore, Foundation Day gives Saudis an opportunity to remember their nation’s origins, its people, and its traditions, and to celebrate this connection between the past and the present.
“We, as a people in the Kingdom, are deeply connected to our ancestors, and we are very connected to our ancestors,” Al-Sharianan said. “So, when we begin to understand that our traditions and cultures go back 300 or 400 years, we can then understand how rich they are.”
To fully understand the pioneering nature of Imam Muhammad's historical achievements, one must be aware of the broader history of the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Shariyanan said. Before the founding of the first Saudi state, city-states were common, but nation-states were not.
“When (Imam Muhammad) founded the first Saudi state… this was a big step forward. “This was a very important moment in history, which indicates his character,” Al-Sharyan said.
She added that he established the state in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula in the Al-Yamamah region, thereby strengthening local security, unity, education and culture.
“So this big step forward is a vision from Imam Muhammad bin Saud,” Al-Sharianan said.
The cultural history of the first Saudi state is revealed by the manuscripts of that era.
“We can understand it by their handwriting and the colors they used. They were connected to their environment,” Al-Sharyan said.
Some may be confused about the difference between National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Founding Day, which represent two pivotal, but distinct, events in the history of the Kingdom.
“National Day is September 23, when we celebrate the unification of the (modern) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Al-Sharianan said.
“But when we talk about Founding Day, we are talking about the founding of the first Saudi state about 300 years ago.”
If we look at the timeline of the nation's development, the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 was more or less the last step on the road, while the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727 was the beginning.
“When we understand that, we understand the domino effect, the butterfly effect in how this great journey began. So we are celebrating the beginning of the journey, in a sense,” Al-Sharyan said.
“But what comes after it is no less important than the first, and vice versa.”
Al-Sharyan added that she hopes that Foundation Day will help the Saudi people better understand and celebrate their roots and national history.
