Memory Of Home

How the Saudi National Museum Marks Founding Day and Ramadan

The National Museum of Saudi Arabia has long functioned as a record of the Kingdom’s past, but this season it shifts into something more immediate. With the launch of Memory of the Home, a public programme running from 19 February to 6 March 2026, the museum extends its role beyond exhibition into lived experience, opening its spaces late into the night to coincide with Founding Day and the rhythm of Ramadan. Set within the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, the programme repositions the museum as a place not only for preservation, but for gathering.

The structure of the initiative follows two parallel timelines. Founding Day, observed between 19 and 22 February, introduces visitors to the legacy of the First Saudi State and the foundations of national identity established nearly three centuries ago. Through installations, visual references, and storytelling, the museum connects historical continuity to the present moment, allowing visitors to encounter the origins of the Kingdom within the environment of its principal cultural institution. As the programme continues into Ramadan, the emphasis shifts toward the atmosphere of the holy month, extending the museum’s hours from 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. and aligning the experience with the social structure of the season.

Throughout the evening, the museum’s galleries and outdoor spaces become the setting for activities that draw directly from Saudi domestic life. A photo installation recreates the visual language of the Saudi home, while interactive stations such as Keys to the Home and Testaments of Home invite visitors to connect objects, symbols, and memories to their cultural origins. Ajawid’s Store introduces the environment of the traditional market, and Dresses of Honor presents garments that reflect regional identity and craftsmanship. Each experience operates as part of a larger narrative that centres on the home as a foundation of cultural continuity.

Performance remains central to this structure. In the museum’s Shadow Theater, In Their Footsteps brings historical figures into the present through light and storytelling, reinforcing the programme’s focus on lived heritage rather than static display. Elsewhere, puzzle-based installations and games allow visitors to move through the museum as participants rather than observers, transforming the space into an environment shaped by interaction.

Timed to coincide with the 299th anniversary of Saudi Founding Day, Memory of the Home reflects the broader role cultural institutions now play within the Kingdom’s evolving public life. The programme situates history within the present, allowing visitors to encounter the past within the context of contemporary gathering. As Ramadan unfolds, the museum becomes part of the evening landscape of Riyadh, reinforcing its place not only as a record of national memory, but as an active participant in its continuation.