Riyadh (Ar-Riyad), is the capital of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in
the Nejd region and is home to over 3,500,000 people.Built with oil boom money,
Riyadh is now a high-tech oasis of glass, steel and concrete, home to huge
hotels, even larger hospitals and one of the biggest airports in the world. Riyadh covers more than 600 square miles.The
centre of Riyadh is called Al-Bathaa and is the oldest part of the city. Al
Bathaa is home to the bus station, GPO and most other things a traveller needs.
Most of Riyadh's places to stay are near the bus station, as are the coffee
shops and shwarma stands.
The city lies in Saudi Arabia's 'central corridor' of development along with
Buraydah and Al Kharj in the Ar Riyad administrative division. The other areas
of concentrated population are two coastal areas - around Jiddah and Mecca
on the Red Sea, and around Hufur and Dharanon the Arabian Gulf.The city is divided into 17 branch municipalities under the control of the
Riyadh Municipality and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by Riyadh
Province Governor Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz.
The Riyadh Museum, to the west of Al-Bathaa, has all the usual stuff
covering the history and archaeology of the kingdom from the Stone Age to early
Islam. There's an interesting display on Islamic architecture and a separate
Ethnographic Hall, with clothes, musical instruments, weapons and jewellery.
Signs are in English and Arabic.
The Al-Thumairi Gate, in the centre of town, is an impressive
restoration of one of the 9 gates which used to lead into the city before the
wall was torn down in 1950. About 30km out of town is one of the largest camel
markets in the Middle East. It's open every day and is a fascinating place
to wander around.
Riyadh's most interesting attraction, the ruins of Dir'aiyah, lie 30km
north of the city centre. This was the kingdom's first capital and is now
the country's most popular archaeological site. Dir'aiyah was founded in 1446,
reached the height of its powers at the end of the 18th century, and was razed
in 1818. The reconstructed ruins include palaces, mosques and the city wall.
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