Foundation Day celebrates relations between Saudi Arabia and UAE
Saudi Arabia celebrates Foundation Day today, a day on which the Kingdom commemorates its historical and cultural roots, but also its relations with neighbouring and sister countries, such as the United Arab Emirates.
The founding of the Kingdom by Imam Mohammed bin Saud in February 1727 was followed by important milestones that highlight the fraternal ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Top Emirati officials have already congratulated their Saudi counterparts on this special day when the Kingdom's citizens remember their most prominent figures and praise the ongoing development, prosperity and progress.
In addition to national milestones, Saudi Arabia's years of existence have seen the development of cultural, heritage, political and sporting relations with the Emirates that reflect the strategic partnership and historical ties between the two nations.
Diriyah, known for being the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for its cultural and architectural significance, also witnessed Saudi-Emirati cooperation with regard to Gulf cooperation and the development of joint actions.
Furthermore, Diriyah - the first capital of the first Saudi state - was recently chosen in Dubai as the Capital of Arab Culture for the year 2030.
This choice represents an important step following the Kingdom's many efforts to promote Diriyah, whose historic Al-Turaif neighbourhood was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2010, with Emirati support.
Abu Dhabi has played an important role in promoting Diriyah and initiating its tourism marketing. As a result, the Arab League Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ALECSO) announced the selection of Diriyah as the Capital of Arab Culture for the year 2030, in view of its enduring cultural symbolism at the local and regional level, as well as its remarkable history and cultural legacy that remains influential today.
Within the city, of particular note is the Al-Turaif Quarter Development Project, which aims to develop the historic quarter by reconstructing it and transforming it into an international cultural and tourist centre, in accordance with its historical, cultural, urban and environmental characteristics within a modern framework.
A year ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the inclusion of the Diriyah project as the fifth major project owned by the Public Investment Fund, making it one of the only projects of its kind in the world.
The announcement comes as an extension and confirmation of the Saudi Arabian authorities' efforts to protect the core elements that make up the national identity and culture.
Diriyah, a key part of Vision 2030
In addition to its cultural and historical weight, Diriyah is among the best gastronomic destinations and aspires to become one of the country's main tourist attractions.
In this regard, the Diriyah Gate Project - in line with Vision 2030 - contributes to attracting 50 million local and international visitors by 2030, which supports the national tourism strategy that aims to welcome 100 million tourists from all over the world to the Kingdom by that year.
To achieve this goal, Saudi Arabia wants Diriyah to host many major sporting events.
The first and most prominent of these events took place in December 2018, when the "Saudi Formula E - Diriyah 2018" race was held for the first time in its history.
Just as Diriyah was the starting point for unifying most of the Arabian Peninsula and establishing the first Saudi state three centuries ago, in the modern era it witnessed the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to unify the Gulf states.
Diriyah hosted most of the Gulf summits organised by the Kingdom, notably the 40th session of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was chaired by the UAE.
