Celebrations were held across Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to mark the country’s foundation, nearly 300 years ago. Designated by Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in January, Founding Day marks the day in 1727 when Imam Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin, the founder of the Saudi dynasty, established the first Saudi state in the town of Diriyah, on the western edge of the modern capital, Riyadh. This year was the first time the kingdom marked this date as a day of national commemoration. It downplays the central role played by clerics from the ultra-conservative Wahhabi school of Islam in the nation’s history. Before the current revisionist view, the country’s foundation was dated to 1744, when Muhammad bin Saud made a pact with religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Muhammad bin Saud ruled from 1727 to 1765. The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded on September 23, 1932, when King Abdulaziz unified the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd.
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