Saudi Founding Day puts Diriyah in focus

Diriyah, the Saudi state’s birthplace and a stage for many of its historical tales, yesterday hosted a special commemorative programme as part of the Kingdom’s celebrations to mark its first Founding Day on February 22, marking the establishment of the first Saudi state in 1727.

 

Organised by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), the programme included a military parade, held in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, and a live show projected onto the Salwa Palace at the Unesco World Heritage Site of At-Turaif.

 

Throughout its history, Diriyah has stood as a definitive starting point for the Saudi state, a political, cultural, and social capital, and cradle of the civilization led by the early imams of the Al-Saud family, and the setting of the defence of the early Saudi state founded by Imam Muhammad bin Saud in 1139 AH / 1727, said a DGDA statement. 

 

Imam Muhammad bin Saud bin Muhammad bin Muqrin, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent historical figures and the founder of the first Saudi state, unified Diriyah, taking it from a city-state that held a number of surrounding territories to the major capital of a state under which the vast majority of the Arabian Peninsula was unified.

 

He laid the state's foundations and established its guiding principles, and his reign was marked by several achievements, including Diriyah's growth into a distinguished urban centre, new neighborhoods, and the construction of the city's wall to protect it from aggression. In addition, key pilgrimage and trade routes were secured, along with the overall safety and stability of the state and an increased emphasis on education, the statement said.

 

On the state's founding day anniversary, the Saudi people look back at a legacy whose chapters are marked by their ancestor's efforts that helped solidify Diriyah as a national icon. The founding of Diriyah dates to the middle of the 9th century AH / 15th century AD when Mani' al-Muraydi moved his family from Eastern Arabia to Wadi Hanifah at the invitation of his cousin Ibn Diraa, the ruler of Hajar and Jaz'ah who granted them the lands of "Al Mulaibid" and "Ghasibah," where he and his family settled. These two settlements became heavily populated thanks to their fertile farmlands becoming Diriyah, which grew into a strong emirate that the Saudi state's imams would lead.

 

Currently home to a population of about 74,000, Diriyah falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the Riyadh province and lies 20 km away from the capital, occupying 2020 sq km of land. In 2010, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) named the At-Turaif historic district a world heritage site; additionally, the Arab League's Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (Alesco) chose Diriyah as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2030, making it the second Saudi city to be selected after Riyadh in 2000.

 

Today, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) carries out restoration efforts within the supervisory area of its more than 7 sq km development project with their work encompassing the historic At-Turaif neighborhood, several historic palaces and mosques throughout, with Bujairi Terrace and other sites also falling within its jurisdiction.

 

Led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, the authority is working to preserve the area and its historical heritage. These efforts also aim to transform Diriyah, known as the Jewel of the Kingdom, into a leading global destination, alongside DGDA's other development projects that work to preserve and modernize many historic sites, elevate its people's overall quality of life, and fulfill the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals.

 

Founding Day complements the Saudi National Day, which celebrates the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 every September 23rd, by recognising the beginning of the Saudi state’s history with a new event that celebrates the deep historical roots of the Kingdom, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service