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<TITLE>One Hundred Years</TITLE>

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<CENTER>One Hundred Years</CENTER>

Shawwal, 5 1419 Hijrah, corresponding to Friday, January 22, 1999, had a great meaning for the citizens of Saudi Arabia. This day marked the 100th anniversary of an historic event that set the course of progress and development that still continues today. It was on Shawwal 5, 1319 Hijrah (January 16, 1902) that the young Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud recaptured the Masmak fortress in Riyadh, with only a handful of followers, that had been the stronghold of the Al-Saud family throughout the 19th century. His main goal was to unite the warring tribes, and restore peace, security and prosperity to the Arabian Peninsula. Thirty years later, 1932, the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established, and its National day is celebrated on September 23, each Gregorian year.

The centennial that Saudi Arabia celebrated in 1999, however, is based on the Islamic (Hijrah) lunar calendar. The sighting of the new crescent moon announces each of the twelve lunar months, and the year is eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. The Hijrah centennial of the recapture of the Masmak is about three years short of the Gregorian hundred.

Saudi Arabia's celebration of the centennial lasted one full Hijrah year. It highlighted the great deeds which have been achieved by King Abdul Aziz and his sons who succeeded him, Saud, then Faisal, then Khalid, and since 1982, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz. These achievements have made the Kingdom a stable and prosperous country that inspires pride in its citizens.

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