A green celebration: Riyadh ushers in Saudi National Day in style

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Activities at Riyadh’s National Museum have included performances by folk bands, an Arab falcons show, interactive workshops to teach children about Saudi heritage and culture. (AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
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A festival on Turki Al-Awal St. includes folkloric dance, live music, an air show and fireworks. (AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
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A festival on Turki Al-Awal St. includes folkloric dance, live music, an air show and fireworks. (AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
Updated 23 September 2019
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A green celebration: Riyadh ushers in Saudi National Day in style

  • Green is the theme color of all the events

RIYADH: The streets of Riyadh are covered with the green of the Saudi national flag, which lines the capital’s main highways.

Green is the theme color of all the events that have taken place in Riyadh from Sept. 19-23 to celebrate Saudi National Day.

Activities at Riyadh’s National Museum have included performances by folk bands, an Arab falcons show, interactive workshops to teach children about Saudi heritage and culture, displays of classic cars, film screenings, food carts, raffles and prizes. Visitors also have the opportunity to donate blood for King Fahd Medical City.

Exhibition

There is also an exhibition at Panorama Mall, where 13 archaeological pieces from the pre-Islamic history of the Arabian Peninsula are on display. Volunteers are at hand to explain the significance of these pieces.

HIGHLIGHT

Green is the theme color of all the events that have taken place in Riyadh from Sept. 19-23 to celebrate Saudi National Day.

A festival on Turki Al-Awal St. includes folkloric dance, live music, an air show and fireworks. The Defense Ministry revealed special designs for the aircraft taking part in the air show.

Artwork

Festivalgoers also have the opportunity to make their own artwork using rocks from the Tuwaiq Mountains.

A show titled “From the 60s until this moment” features Saudi songs from the 1960s to the present day, at the Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University Theater.

Only a couple of years ago it would have been rare to see women celebrating. But what was once taboo is now the norm, with women driving with their friends and families to the festivities.


Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee

Updated 16 January 2026
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Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee

  • Ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the announcement of the second phase of a comprehensive peace plan for Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ministry said it also welcomed the formation of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip as a temporary transitional body, established under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which met in Cairo on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump, who declared the formation of the Gaza “board of peace,” for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza.

It highlighted his commitment to the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the prevention of any annexation of parts of the West Bank, and efforts to advance sustainable peace in the region.

The ministry commended the role of mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, stressing the importance of international and regional cooperation in supporting the peace process.

It underlined the need to support the work of the temporary Palestinian National Committee in managing the daily affairs of Gaza’s residents, while preserving the institutional and geographical link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring Gaza’s unity and rejecting any attempts to divide it.

The statement also called for consolidating the ceasefire, halting violations, ensuring the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, and accelerating early recovery and reconstruction efforts across Gaza.

It said these steps were essential to enabling the Palestinian National Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, leading to an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in Gaza and the West Bank and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.