Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — On Sept. 23, 1932, a royal decree issued by King Abdulaziz Al Saud declared the unification of disparate territories into one state: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The announcement was not merely a political act but the culmination of decades of struggle, loyalty, and vision that transformed a land once divided into a nation with a single name, a single identity, and a destiny of unity.
The roots of the decree can be traced to Jan. 15, 1902, when Abdulaziz ibn Abdulrahman Al Saud captured Riyadh, setting the stage for the modern Saudi state.
What followed was a long campaign of consolidation, as towns, tribes, and regions pledged allegiance to the young leader who carried the banner of tawhid.
By 1926, after the unification of Hejaz and Najd, the state was known as the “Kingdom of Hejaz and Najd and its annexes.”
Yet, the people’s hearts and aspirations pointed to a greater unity, one name to embrace all lands and peoples.
The loyalty of the population was not only expressed in battles fought alongside Abdulaziz but also in their appeals for symbolic unity.
Towns and villages across the Kingdom sent petitions calling for a new national name that would reflect their cohesion and honor the leader who had restored unity to Arabia.
By 1932, this movement had gathered strength. A committee of prominent figures was formed to study the matter and recommended renaming the state “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The proposal was sent in telegrams across the land, and the responses returned with overwhelming support.
Citizens wanted the new name to signify both the unity of their territories and the pride in their leader’s achievement.
On Sept. 17, 1932 (17 Jumada I 1351 AH), King Abdulaziz issued Royal Order No. 2716, declaring that, effective Sept. 23, the nation would be known as the “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The decree elevated his official title to “King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
In Riyadh, celebrations marked the announcement. A grand gathering was held in the capital, attended by princes, tribal leaders, and notables.
Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz, who later became king, described the event in a telegram to his brother Prince Faisal as “a great meeting... in which we proclaimed the unification of our Kingdom and the transformation of its name.”
Newspapers of the time recorded that similar celebrations erupted in towns and villages across the land. Um Al-Qura, the official gazette, called the festivities “immense, beyond what words can describe.”
The renaming was far more than a symbolic change. It was the birth of a modern state, rooted in Islamic faith, Arab identity, and political stability.
For King Abdulaziz, it marked the culmination of decades of campaigns, scars, and sacrifices and the beginning of a new era in which the Kingdom would be recognized on the regional and international stage.
The 1932 decree became a milestone in modern Arab and Islamic history.
From that day, Saudi Arabia emerged not just as a state but as a nation, embodying unity, resilience, and a message that continues to echo each year on National Day.
