Saudi shoppers flock to take advantage of Founding Day discounts

A host of celebrations will take place across Saudi Arabia on Thursday to commemorate the founding of the country. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 21 February 2024
Follow

Saudi shoppers flock to take advantage of Founding Day discounts

  • The Kingdom celebrates Founding Day on Feb. 22 each year to mark its establishment by Imam Mohammed bin Saud in 1727 CE

RIYADH: A host of celebrations will take place across Saudi Arabia on Thursday to commemorate the founding of the country.

The Kingdom celebrates Founding Day on Feb. 22 each year to mark its establishment by Imam Mohammed bin Saud in 1727 CE.

Various events organized by the Ministry of Culture, such as Founding Nights, Symphony of the Beginning, Path of History and Founding Village, will be held around the country until Feb. 26. Other festivities will include fireworks, traditional dancing, drone displays, live shows and military performances.

A ministry statement said the events would underscore the “deep-rooted pride in national heritage, the solid bond between the citizenry and leadership, and the enduring legacy of progress and prosperity.” 

Those seeking Founding Day bargains are also in luck, as many businesses — including airlines, hotels, restaurants, cafes and more — are offering promotions and discounts of up to 85 percent to mark the occasion.

The Ministry of Commerce is allowing commercial establishments to issue discount licenses through a special online platform, sales.mc.gov.sa, until Feb. 28. Consumers can verify the discounts by scanning the relevant barcode.

Riyadh resident Nadine Khaled said: “As a woman, I believe it’s a great opportunity for shopping. I honestly look forward to it every year to purchase all my favorite products, from perfumes to makeup and cosmetics, and even spa packages.”

Faisal Mohammed, a tech enthusiast who also lives in Riyadh, added: “The Founding Day sale on tech gadgets is the perfect opportunity to enhance my collection.”


Saudi, Pakistan defense chiefs discuss ‘measures needed to halt’ Iranian attacks on Kingdom

Updated 07 March 2026
Follow

Saudi, Pakistan defense chiefs discuss ‘measures needed to halt’ Iranian attacks on Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Pakistan’s  Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir discussed Iran’s attacks on the Kingdom, amid the escalating military conflict in the Middle East. 

“We discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them within the framework of our Joint Strategic Defense Agreement,” Prince Khalid wrote on social media early on Saturday.

“We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation.”

The US and Israel began a large-scale military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran has since attacked a number of sites across the Gulf.

Tehran has also attacked US and Israeli military assets as the war as escalated, impacting lives in the peaceful Arabian Gulf peninsula and risked shaking the global economy as Iran continued restricting energy shipping along the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said a number of drones had been shot down that were targeting the Shayba oil field in the Empty Quarter on Saturday.

A drone attacked the US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday causing a minor fire, but no one was hurt in the incident.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement”  in September, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both.

Separately, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the Saudi interior minister, received a call from his Pakistani counterpart Raza Naqvi, who condemned the blatant attacks targeting the Kingdom and affirmed his country’s solidarity in confronting any threats to the Kingdom’s security and stability, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.