Saudi National Day Celebrations With Azimuth Music Festival

Saudi Arabia is marking its journey of over 90 years with a series of celebrations and festivals across the kingdom marking “Saudi National Day”. This significant day also celebrates the unification of Hejaz and Najd into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

What is Saudi National Day?

Saudi National Day can be described as Saudi Arabia’s independence day, a journey going as far back as to the era of the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.), his migration from Makkah to Madinah, and the spread of Islam around the world. 

But it wasn’t a smooth journey. There were conflicts and wars. And many challenges and hurdles. Then in the 1700s, Mohammad bin Abdul Wahab (Islamic scholar) called for the return to the true version of Islam. He formed an alliance with Mohammad bin Saud and together, they established the first  Saudi Arabian state, which was back then known as Al Najd. It included Makkah and Madinah. 

There were wars, the most significant one being with the Ottomans in the 1860s. But the Al Sauds managed to regain lost territory and this saw the rise of Riyadh as the capital city. King Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh in 1876. He used his political and religious powers to bring a needed victorious change to the Arab peninsula. The King united Najd with southern Riyadh. 

He organized the kingdom in a modern way and formed several ministries in 1931 to run the government. And on September 23, 1932, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established with the Quran as its constitution. 

Azimuth Music Event

The Azimuth Music festival is a much anticipated event at AlUla. It’s a 21^st century gathering of Eastern and Western musicians and artists. This year’s performers include DJ Peggy Gou and Jorja Smith among others. 

Rami Almoallim, Vice President of Destination Management and Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said AlUla Moments are about people enjoying incredible experiences. It coincides with Saudi Arabia’s 93^rd National Day. Saudi-based MDLBEAST is organizing the event with the promise to transform the stunning and historical AlUla into an exceptional gathering of art, sound, and music for an unmissable weekend extravaganza. 

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Molham, a Saudi pop artist, described Azimuth as a bridge between local and global music and musicians. “Saudi is very much changing and so is the sound of music, integrating our local sound with international sound.” Molham said they strive to introduce Saudi music and Saudi instrumentation, and Saudi lyrics on a global stage.