Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz voiced pride in the Kingdom’s history as the country celebrated its first ever ‘Founding Day’ on Tuesday.
King Salman said that the “blessed state” of Saudi Arabia has laid the pillars of peace, stability and justice ever since it was founded in 1727.
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“Celebrating [Founding Day] is a celebration of the history of the state, the unity of its people, the steadfastness against challenges and [aspiration] to the future,” the King said on Twitter.
Announced on January 27, ‘Founding Day’ marks three centuries since the first Saudi state was established by Imam Muhammed bin Saud in 1727 in the city of Diriyah, to the northwest of Riyadh.
Around 200 years later, his descendant King Abdulaziz unified the kingdom of Najd, cantered around Diriyah, and the eastern kingdom of Hejaz, to form the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
This unification was made into a holiday by King Abdullah in 2005 and is now recognized as Saudi National Day on September 23.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed congratulated King Salman and the Saudis on the occasion.
“It is a rich and honourable history. May God perpetuate the Kingdom’s prosperity,” Sheikh Mohamed said on Twitter.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan also congratulated the King, state news agency (SPA) reported.
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