The history of Diriyah is rich in heroic epics, a deep-rooted past that has deep roots in history, a cradle from which the Saudi state was launched, and the brightness that spread its light to cover the Arabian Peninsula. Diriyah is a beacon of the royal family's continued legacy and a symbol of the unity of the Saudis, as well as its historic role in establishing stability and bringing prosperity to the nation. Diriyah was established on the banks of Wadi Hanifa in 850 AH / 1446 AD, when Mani al-Muridi, the grandfather of the ruling family, came to the region, laying the first building block for the establishment of the state. This city became an important transit point for Hajj and trade convoys, and an important center of stability. At that time, political conditions were not good in the Arabian Peninsula. It was suffering from neglect, disintegration, rivalry and widespread ignorance and illiteracy. In 1157 AH / 1744 AD, the Emirate of Diriyah was taken over by Imam Muhammad bin Saud, who had a good administrative sense and a future outlook, and he began to change, announcing the establishment of the first Saudi state, to begin a new phase in the history of the entire Arabian Peninsula, where he laid the building block of the great unity, which united most of its parts. A unity that the Arabian Peninsula and all Arabs did not know for centuries, and this unity became a source of pride for all Arabs and Muslims, and as a result of this unity, the city of Diriyah has become the capital of a sprawling state, and a source of economic, social, intellectual and cultural attraction. Trade flourished, making the Diriyah market the greatest market in the region, in addition to the great financial system of the state and at the time many scientists migrated to Diriyah for education and authorship; resulting in the emergence of a new school in calligraphy and transcription. The state took care of Diriyah and contributed significantly to the fight against ignorance and illiteracy and encouraged education significantly, which in turn led to the ire of the Ottoman state, which was not satisfied with these achievements, so it harnessed its energies to overthrow the Saudi state, and after continuous wars that lasted about 7 years, Diriyah fell in 1233 AH / 1818 AD, after a campaign of destruction and sabotage waged by Ibrahim Pasha in injustice and aggression against Diriyah and most villages of Najd, to dismantle the unity inherent in the hearts of the people of Diriyah and adjacent areas. After the fall of the first Saudi state, Imam Turki bin Abdullah was able after 7 years of continuous activity to expel the Ottoman garrisons from Najd which was liberated and cleared from them, and enter Riyadh in 1240 AH 1824 AD, proving that the Ottoman Empire's repeated campaigns on Najd did not pay off as the rallying by the people around the royal family was solid, so that Imam Turki bin Abdullah could lay a firm new foundation of survival and stability. Imam Turki bin Abdullah was able to reunite most parts of the Arabian Peninsula in record time. The second Saudi state continued on the same foundations of the first Saudi state, focusing on the maintenance of security, education and justice and the elimination of division and rivalry and start of political relations with the great powers in the region, where its leaders proved superb ability to communicate with countries, and the second Saudi state continued governing the region until 1309 AH 1891 AD. After a political vacuum that lasted about 10 years, and specifically on the fifth of Shawwal 1319 AH-1902 AD, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al Saud was able to regain Riyadh and return his family to it, to start a new page of Saudi history, and lay another building block of unity and continuity. This historic event is a major turning point in the history of the region that led to the establishment of a modern Saudi state, which was able to unite most parts of the Arabian Peninsula and achieve wide civilizational achievements in all fields. On the seventeenth of Jumada I in 1351 AH corresponding to September 23, 1932 AD, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman announced the establishment of Saudi Arabia after a historical epic that lasted 30 years. After him, his sons, the kings, ruled and playing a major role in laying the building blocks of stability, firmness and determination. In honor of these heroic epics played by the city of Diriyah, and the great roles played by it starting from the establishment of the first Saudi state until the present era, and to preserve the legacy of parents and grandparents, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's care of Diriyah came focusing his efforts to upgrade and rehabilitate it, to culminate these blessed efforts with the establishment of Diriyah Gate Development Authority in 2017 with the aim of developing it and linking the efforts of establishing its present to its future, as a confirmation of unity and pride in this ancient history, to provide an unforgettable discovery experience and highlight the base on which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded.
