Saudi Arabia Celebrates Founding Day

By Khadijat Aroyehun

Saudi Arabia is celebrating its Founding Day on February 22, a new public holiday established in 2022 that pays homage to the Kingdom’s rich history.
The holiday commemorates when the first Saudi state was established by Imam Muhammed bin Saudi in February 1727 in the city of Diriyah, in the northwest of Riyadh.

As the ruler, Imam Muhammed oversaw the expansion of the state and repelled attacks from eastern Arabian armies while also battling an outbreak of the plague among the population, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The leader set the precedent for the following generations of Saudi rulers to carry “the torch of progress” and transform Saudi Arabia into the country it is today, SPA reported.

Around 200 years after Imam Muhammed’s rule, his descendant King Abdulaziz unified the kingdom of Najd – centered around Diriyah and the western kingdom of Hejaz – to form the modern-day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

That unification was declared a holiday by King Abdullah in 2005 and is now recognized as Saudi National Day, which is celebrated on September 23.

Saudi Founding Day will be celebrated across the country on Thursday with cultural and artistic events, military performances, and air shows. Musical and dance performances are scheduled to take place in multiple cities including Riyadh, Jeddah, and Damman.

Employees in Saudi Arabia will get to enjoy an extended weekend with three days off starting from Thursday to Saturday.

Students will also get February 22 as a day off, which also marks the beginning of a semester break.
The third academic semester will resume on Sunday, March 3, and will end on Thursday, March 28, kicking off the Eid al-Fitr holiday for students.

Source: english.alarabiya.net

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