Dubai: Saudi Arabia is celebrating its 89th National Day on Monday, September 23.
What is the significance of this day?
Saudi National Day commemorates the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by a royal decree issued by King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud in 1932.
This year, Saudi Arabia marked the occasion as a national holiday, with fireworks, concerts and cultural festivals celebrated across the Kingdom.
In UAE, the #UAE_congratulate_KSA has swept through Twitter, becoming number one trending hashtag of the day, with thousands of tweets congratulating Saudi people on the occasion.
One tweep stated: "Every year, every hour, minute and second you are enjoying security and prosperity my second home."
Another tweep said: "Since the ancient times, our love for you has not changed."
Congratulations
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted a message of congratulations, stating: "We congratulate the Saudi people on their glorious national day, accelarated achievements, the leadership that initiates and the competencies that compete towards the best.
"We also congratulate the Saudi King and his Crown Prince on their people who support and are loyal to them. One billion-and-half Muslims do appreciate Saudi service of the Holy sites."
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan also posted a message on twitter, stating: "Congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz and the Saudi people on the 89th National Day."
He added: "We share your joy, and your achievements are a source of pride for us. We also share strong and unbreakable ties of brotherhood, love and destiny."
Some goverment offices like Smart Dubai have celebrated as if it is the UAE National Day (marked on December 2), and shared that on twitter.
"We at Smart Dubai have celebrated in our offices the Saudi National day as if it's the 2nd of December. May every year Saudi people celebrate in goodness."
The UAE is celebrating the Saudi National Day with a line-up of events and activities — fireworks, concerts, cultural events and shows in different venues across the UAE.
While General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs celebrated with a new way, turning the green smart gates at Dubai airport into green.
Fireworks, Burj Khalifa show
To mark Saudi Arabia’s 89th National Day, Dubai will host fireworks displays across many of the city’s destinations to mark the occasion.
The Burj Khalifa will also light up with the Saudi Arabian flag on Monday night (September 23), along with a special Saudi National Anthem performance by the Dubai Fountain.
In addition to the light and fireworks displays, The Dubai Mall will be welcoming visitors to join in the celebrations with two concerts showcasing emerging talent from the Kingdom. Traditional music will also be played.
With stages at both The Dubai Mall and Souq Al Bahar, visitors can enjoy an eclectic range of emerging Saudi musical talent with artists, including Fouad Abdelwahad on 23 September from 7pm-10pm (Ismail Mubarak and Ramy Abdallah on September 22 from 7pm-10pm).
Concerts
A host of Arab music stars will perform free shows across Dubai to mark the 89th Saudi National Day on September 23.
