Saudi Founding Day, A New Beginning

By: Dr Mohammed Gharawi; Saudi Journalist, Directory of Sama Center

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the 22nd of February as the new (Founding Day) and dedicated it to be celebrated as a national holiday.

The announcement was laid down by a royal decree issued by Saudi King Salman as a memorial to the day Imam (former king title) Mohammed bin Saud established Diriyah as an autonomous city-state in 1727.

Creating a new state is not an easy undertaking, it took sweat, blood, and tears to build and unify what became 300 years later the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Celebrating such an occasion helps build up national identity, although its humble origins, Diriyah till this day resembles the best of Saudi determination and pride.

The modern Saudi state was not born out of anarchist revolutions or post-colonial impendence struggle, it was simply the will of the local people who wished for a country and built it from the ground up.

Although several historians return the origins of Diriyah to Manee Al-Mouridi and his quest to establish his township. Yet the true begging of the Modern Saudi state was with the clever statesmanship of his descendant Imam Mohammed bin Saud, who formulated alliances and led battels to create the new state.

It’s a great opportunity as Saudis celebrating this day, to remind our children of the great sacrifices their forefathers undertook to unify this vast country, which could not have survived more than three centuries of existence without huge efforts to keep it unified and prosperous.

Agility and adapting to change were the main feature of the Saudi state all long its existence. And our new generations should learn from this the skill to re-invent themselves whenever they find themselves in tough situations.

Whether they be from Saudi Arabia or Indonesia, it is a crucial responsibility to enlighten our youth with the stories of their ancestors, and the fact that we largely live comfortable lives today due to their sacrifices.

It’s only by this historical awareness that they can navigate the harsh realities of today’s world. The Founding Day takes us back to basic truths, of the power of one man’s vision and a community’s solidarity.(AK/R1/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)