Riyadh

Riyadh (in Arabic, الرياض‎ ar-Riyāḍ pronounced /ar.rɪˈjɑːdˤ/, lit., "The Gardens") is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, located in the Nejd region. It is also the capital of Riyadh province. It is in the center of the Arabian peninsula, on a large plateau.

It has 8,002,100 inhabitants, according to 2016 estimates (approximately 20% of the country) and occupies an area of 1,554 km². The city is divided into 15 sections and its mayor is Abdul Aziz ibn Ayyaf Al Migrin.

It is in a very arid area with very little rainfall. For this reason, in the immediate vicinity there are 5 reservoirs, 96 deposits and 467 kilometers of aqueducts that bring water from the desalination plants of the Gulf.

Name

The name is derived from the plural form of the Arabic word rawdha, which describes a place of gardens and trees. Riyadh was for more than 1,500 years a fertile area in the heart of the peninsula, thanks to the wadis, streams that form during the rainy season.

History

Ancient History

During pre-Islamic times, the Banu Hanifa tribe founded a settlement on the site under the name Hajr (Arabic: حجر). Hajr served as the capital of the province of Al Yamamah, whose governors were responsible for most of central and eastern Arabia during the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Al-Yamamah seceded from the Abbasid Empire in 866 and the area fell under the rule of Banu Ukhaidhir, who moved the capital from Hajr to near Al Kharj. The city then entered a long period of decline. In the 14th century Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler described Hajr as "the main city of Al-Yamamah, with the name of Hajr". Ibn Battuta went on to describe Hajr as a city of canals and trees with a majority of its inhabitants belonging to the Bani Hanifa, and reports that he continued leading him to Mecca to perform the Hajj.

Hajr later split into several separate settlements. The most notable of these were Migrin (or Muqrin) and Mi'kal, although the name Hajr later appears in popular poetry. local. The first known reference to the area being named Riyadh comes from a 17th century lowercase chronicler reporting an event after the year 1590.

In 1737, Deham ibn Dawwas, a refugee from the Manfuha neighborhood, seized control of Riyadh. Ibn Dawwas built a fence surrounding the different quarters of the city, making Riyadh one city.

The Three Saudi States

In 1744, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab formed an alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler of the nearby city of Diriyah. Ibn Saud then set out to conquer the surrounding region, with the goal of bringing it under the rule of a single Islamic state. Ibn Dawwas of Riyadh led the most determined resistance, allied with the forces of Al Kharj, Al Ahsa and the Banu Yam clan of Najran i>.

Fortress of Masmaj, in the old city of Riyadh.

However, Ibn Dawwas fled and Riyadh capitulated to the Saudis in 1774, ending long years of warfare, and declaring the First Saudi State.

The First Saudi State was destroyed by forces sent by Mehmet Ali of Egypt, acting on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman forces razed the Saudi capital of Diriyah in 1818. In 1823, Turki ibn Abdallah, founded the Emirate of Nejd, the Second Saudi State, and revived the state, choosing Riyadh as the new capital.

Infighting among Turki's grandsons led to the fall of the Second Saudi state in 1891 to the rival Al Rashid clan, which ruled from the northern city of Ha'il. Riyadh fell under the rule of Al Rashid in 1865. The al-Masmak fortress dates from this period.

The city was recaptured in 1902 by King Ibn Saud of the Al Rashid family, and he established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, with Riyadh as the nation's capital.

Geography

Riad is located on a large plateau surrounded by oases and the great desert. The significant aridity of the Saudi soil means that the water has to be brought, in part, from the sea in the Persian Gulf.

Climate

The climate of Riyadh is desert, with very hot summers that can reach more than 45 °C and mild winters but slightly cold nights. Despite being located in a very arid area, the city receives some precipitation and even occasional hail in winter.

Average climate parameters RiadSaudi Arabia
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	31.5	34.8	38.0	42.0	45.1	47.2	48.0	47.8	45.0	41.0	38.0	31.0	48.0
Average temperature (°C)	20.2	23.4	27.7	33.4	39.4	42.5	43.5	43.6	40.4	35.3	27.8	22.2	33.3
Average temperature (°C)	14.4	17.3	21.4	26.9	32.9	35.7	36.8	36.7	33.5	28.4	21.5	16.3	26.8
Temp. medium (°C)	9.0	11.2	15.2	20.4	25.9	28.0	29.3	29.2	25.9	21.2	15.5	10.6	20.1
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-5.4	0.0	4.5	11.0	18.0	16.0	23.6	22.7	16.1	11.0	7.0	-2.0	-5.4
Rains (mm)	11.9	6.4	21.0	23.8	4.9	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.8	8.7	14.6	92.5
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	6.1	4.3	9.4	11.3	3.3	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.5	3.3	6.3	44.8
Hours of sun	212.4	226.6	219.8	242.3	287.7	328.2	332.1	309.2	271.6	311.4	269.2	214.3	3224.8
Relative humidity (%)	47	36	32	28	17	11	10	12	14	20	36	47	26
Source: «Jeddah Regional Climate Center South West Asia». Archived from the original on December 11, 2016.

Districts

Riyadh is divided into 15 municipalities, plus the Diplomatic Quarter, while in the northwest, on the outskirts, lie the ruins of the old Saudi capital Diriyah.

The Olaya district is the commercial and residential center of the city. It offers accommodation, entertainment, restaurants and shopping in general. The Kingdom Centre, Al Faisalyah and Al-Tahlya Street are the most popular and recognizable places in the area.

The Diplomatic Quarter is the place where embassies and international organizations reside, as well as residential and commercial centers. With luxurious gardens and numerous sports facilities, it is one of the greenest areas of the city. It is especially known for its fine architecture and is considered a model for other Islamic cities in the world. Despite its name, the Diplomatic Quarter offers no special privileges and all laws must be obeyed, including occasional patrols by the muttawa, the Saudi religious police.

Al-Bathaa or Al-Dirah is the center of Riyadh and its old town. In the heart of the district is the fortress of Al Masmaj, one of the main attractions of the city; to the west are the Riyadh Museums of History and Archeology and the Murabba Palace, former residence of the first Saudi king Ibn Saud, now a museum. The Palace of Justice, known as Qasr Al-Hukm, is located nearby. There the Governor of the Province of Riyadh meets with the citizens so that they expose their problems to him. The Al-Dirah area also has traditional shops and buildings such as the Al-Mu'eiqilia market and the Grand Mosque.

Riyadh at night.

Demographics

As the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has received millions of visitors from around the world. Riyadh's population is made up of 66% Saudis and 34% foreigners from Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The city has experienced very high rates of population growth, which is indicated by the poor quality of development since the 1970s. In the 1960s, its population was 50,000. According to the most recent sources, today it is home to more than 5 million people.

Between 1974 and 1992 the city grew at an annual rate of 8.2%, and is currently growing at a rate of 9.2%, one of the fastest growing in the world.

Growth of the population of Riyadh between 1862-2020.

Places of interest

Old Riyadh

The old city includes Diriyah, King Abdulaziz District, Wadi Laban and many other historic villages that have become part of the city. It once had many impressive traditional buildings, but lost ground is being reclaimed for more modern development and gigantic business projects. However, recent generations have come to appreciate its traditions more and have persevered in keeping many of the older buildings carefully preserved. Some of these structures are Al Masmaj castle, Qasr Al Hokom, the water tower near the old town, the clocktower square ) where public executions are also carried out ^{[citation needed]} and the Battah neighborhood with its markets

Kingdom Center

The Kingdom Center (Arabic: برج المملكة) in Riyadh is the tallest skyscraper in Saudi Arabia. With a height of 302 m, it is the 37th tallest building in the world. The tower is built on an area of 94,230 square meters, while the entire center is built on a total area of 300,000 square meters. The tower houses the tallest mosque in the world.

The building is owned by Al Waleed Bin Talal, a prince of the Saudi royal family. The total cost of the project was SR 1.717 billion. The Kingdom Center is located on Al-Urubah Street, between King Fahd Street and Olaya Street, in the growing business district of Al-Olaya. The skyscraper won the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as "the best new skyscraper of the year for its design and functionality". A three-story shopping mall, which also won an award for best main design, is located in the east wing. The opening that crowns the skyscraper is illuminated every night with different colors.

Al Faisaliyah Tower

Al Faisaliyah Tower or Al Faisaliyah Center (Arabic: برج الفيصلية) is one of the city's iconic buildings, and was the first skyscraper built in Saudi Arabia, and currently the third-tallest building in the country after the Kingdom Center in Riyadh and the Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca. The ballon d'or at the top of the tower is said to be inspired by a ballpoint pen. Inside the ball there is a restaurant, and immediately below it is a shopping center with the most important brands in the world.

Al Anoud Tower

The Al Anoud Tower, 145 meters high, is a large commercial building on King Fahd Street. There are plans to build another similar tower next to the current tower with the same name. The tower is owned by Princess Al-Anoud and run by various Saudi Arabian companies.

Al-Masmak Castle

This castle-palace is one of the buildings that make up the King Abd al-Aziz Historical Center and was built around the year 1865 under the reign of Mohammed ibn Abdullah ibn Rasheed (1289-1315)., the ruler of the territory of Hail, who had brought down the rival clan's control of the House of Saud. In January 1902 Ibn Saud, who was living in exile in Kuwait, managed to capture the Masmak fortress from his garrison in Rashid. The event, which reestablished control of Riyadh by the House of Saud, has acquired an almost mythical status in Saudi Arabian history, due to its heroic overtones and the bravery of the future King Abd Abdulaziz Ibn Saud.

Other places

The recently built Al-Mamlaka (Kingdom) Tower, the Botanical Garden of King Saud University. It houses 50 embassies, 32 of which belong to the Arab League states. The Riyadh television tower built between 1978 and 1981, 170 meters high, with an observatory on top of the tower.

Economy

Riyadh, once a small walled city, has become a dynamic metropolis over time. With the urban areas of Dhahran, Dammam and Khobar, Riyadh has become an attractive tourist and business destination.

It is the largest economic center in the Middle East.

In addition to being the center of power, the city has a huge number of businesses. Numerous educational, financial, agricultural, cultural, technical, and social organizations have established their bases here. The architecture is mostly modern, including tall contemporary towers, but the Al-Dirah district, the city's core, has been redeveloped in a style meant to evoke old brick buildings before the century XX.

From the beginning of oil exploitation in Saudi Arabia until today, the government tries to promote the growth of the private sector, privatizing industries such as energy and telecommunications. Saudi Arabia also announced plans to privatize electricity companies. Many of these new private conglomerates and corporate headquarters are located in Riyadh, next to the head office of the National Bank. Because of this, Riyadh can be considered as one of the largest business cities in the Middle East.

King Khalid International Airport is of great importance to Riyadh's business, providing air transportation for millions of people and for goods and merchandise.

By 2020, Riyadh is estimated to become the second richest city in the Middle East, after Cairo, surpassing even more populous cities like Tehran.