RIYADH – The official celebrations marking Saudi Arabia's National Day started in 1965 when King Faisal issued a royal decree. The King in his decree designated 23rd of September in the Gregorian calendar as the Kingdom's National Day. The royal order stressed the need to allocate a specific day of the year to be celebrated as the country's National Day. The document was made public by the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah). The Abu Hajarah Palace in Taif, where King Abdul Aziz announced the renaming of the country as the "Kingdom of Saudi Araba" after its unification, hosted the first National Day celebrations. Before 1965, Saudis celebrated the "Royal Seating Day", which was not a fixed occasion. During the reign of King Abdul Aziz it was celebrated on January 8, and then the date was changed to November 12 during the period of King Saud. The National Day was declared a public holiday by King Abdullah in 2005.
