The national anthem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, , "Chant of the Saudi Nation" was first officially adopted in 1950 without lyrics. The piece was gifted by the then Egyptian
King Farouq when
King Abdulaziz made a visit to Egypt.
It was then adopted again in 1984 with lyrics written by Ibrāhīm Khafājī. The original composition was by Abdul-Raḥman al-Khaṭīb in 1947, and the brass instrumental version was later arranged by Sirāj Umar.
Overview
In 1947, because
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
did not have a national anthem like other neighbouring countries,
King Abdulaziz visited
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and asked Egyptian composer Abdul-Raḥman al-Khaṭīb to create a national anthem, and thus "Āsh al-Malīk" was created. The melody is based on an
Arab fanfare style, and is similar to the national anthems of other
Arab states in the area at the time. In 1958,
Mohammed Talat wrote the first set of lyrics, which were not often heard, so
King Fahd asked poet Ibrāhīm Khafājī in 1984 to come up with a new set of lyrics, which were completed within six months on 29 June 1984.
Khafājī's lyrics are the ones that are used officially today.
Saudis listened to their anthem for the first time during the celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr in 1984.
"Āsh al-Malīk" is referred to by
Saudi Arabians as "The National Anthem" (, ), although it is commonly known by its
incipit
The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...
, "Hasten" (, ). The lyrics call upon the country to hasten to greatness and raise the flag, glorify
God, and asks Him to grant the
King of Saudi Arabia long life.
The instrumental version is called "The Royal Salute" (, ), which is also the name of the ceremony in which it is played to salute senior members of the royal family as well as diplomatic figures.
Lyrics
Official lyrics
Saud lyrics (1958)
Ibn Saud lyrics (1947)
Notes
References
External links
Saudi Arabia: ''an-Nasheed al-Waṭaniy'' – Audio of the national anthem of Saudi Arabia, with information and lyricsarchive link
*Th
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC
has an Audio page that includes the National Anthem in both vocal and instrumental versions.
*https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/a-history-of-the-saudi-national-anthem-1.2281470
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Anthem Of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
Royal anthems
Saudi Arabian music
National symbols of Saudi Arabia
National anthem compositions in F major
1947 songs