National Day In Saudi Arabia | ExpatWoman.com
 

National Day In Saudi Arabia

Your guide to Saudi's National Day and how to participate in the festivities

Posted on

10 September 2017

Last updated on 10 September 2017
National Day In Saudi Arabia

On September 23rd Saudi Arabia will be celebrating their 87th National Day. There is great excitement for the day as it is one of very few public holidays in the Kingdom and everyone is encouraged to partake in the festivities. 

What is National Day?

King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 23rd, 1930.

This comes after King Abdul Aziz refused to participate in trying to extend the Wahhabis realm Transjordan, Iraq and Kuwait who were at that time protected by the British. This lead to the Battle of Sabilla in which the Ikhwan Revolt was overthrown in 1929.

Map of Saudi Arabia

After that, King Abdul Aziz decided to unite the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Najd and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was born. 

How is National Day celebrated?

National Day symbolises the ideals and hopes of the Kingdom. A sentiment of pride for the country can be felt during the day and being grateful for everything that the country has achieved. During the day people who assisted in the Kingdom’s establishment are also honoured.

You can expect to see buildings and roads decorated with Saudi’s flags and fireworks during the evening. This day is declared a public holiday during which businesses and Government departments are closed in order to partake in the celebration and festivities.

It is common to see people wearing green on this day and participate in traditional dances and songs.


You might also be interested in:

How can you participate?

If you would like to partake in the festivities, be sure to get yourself a green shirt for National day and enjoy the day learning about Saudi Arabia’s history.

Make a trip to visit The National Museum in Riyadh, explore the Albalad district in Jeddah or go to the Aramco Exhibit in Dhahran.

In addition to this, there will be numerous local events and fireworks where you can join in the celebrations.