Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate.

It is the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula, and is situated in the center of the an-Nafud desert, on the eastern part of the Najd plateau. The city sits at an average of above sea level, and receives around 5 million tourists each year, making it the forty-ninth most visited city in the world and the 6th in the Middle East. Riyadh had a population of 7.6 million people in 2019, making it the most-populous city in Saudi Arabia, 3rd most populous in the Middle East, and 38th most populous in Asia.

The first mentioning of the city by the name ''Riyadh'' was in 1590, by an early Arab chronicler. In 1737, Deham Ibn Dawwas, who was from the neighboring Manfuha, settled in and took control of the city. Deham built a wall around the city, and the best-known source of the name ''Riyadh'' is from this period, thought to be referring to the earlier oasis towns that predated the wall built by Ibn Dawwas. In 1744, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance with the Emir of Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and they took Riyadh from Deham. However their state, now known as the '' First Saudi State'', came to a collapse in 1818. Turki ibn Abdullah founded the '' Second Saudi State'' in the early 19th century and made Riyadh his capital in 1825. However, his reign over the city was disrupted by a joint Ottoman– Rashidi alliance. Finally, in the early 20th century, ' Abdulaziz ibn Saud, known in the west simply as Ibn Saud, retrieved his ancestral kingdom of Najd in 1902 and consolidated his rule by 1926 with the final Saudi conquest of Hejaz, subsequently naming his kingdom 'Saudi Arabia' in September 1932 with Riyadh as the capital.

Riyadh is the political and administrative center of Saudi Arabia. The Consultative Assembly (also known as the ''Shura'' or ''Shura Council''), the Council of Ministers, the King and the Supreme Judicial Council are all situated in the city. Alongside these four bodies that form the core of the legal system of Saudi Arabia, the headquarters of other major and minor governmental bodies are also located in Riyadh. The city hosts 114 foreign embassies, most of which are located in the Diplomatic Quarter in the western reaches of the city.

Riyadh also holds great economic significance, as it hosts the headquarters of many banks and major companies, such as the Saudi National Bank (SNB), Al-Rajhi Bank, SABIC, Almarai, STC, and Samba Financial Group. Highway 65, known locally as the King Fahd Road, runs through some of these important centers in the city, including the King Abdullah Financial District, one of the world's largest financial districts, the Faisaliyah Center and the Kingdom Center. Riyadh is one of the world's fastest-growing cities in population and is home to many expatriates. Riyadh has been designated a global city.

The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, which are overseen by the Municipality of Riyadh () headed by the mayor; and the Royal Commission for Riyadh which is chaired by the Governor of the Province, Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud. As of July 2020, the mayor is Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf Al-Muqrin.

History

Early history

During the Pre-Islamic era the city at the site of modern Riyadh was called Hajr ( ar, حجر), and was reportedly founded by the tribe of Banu Hanifa. 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 eras. Al-Yamamah broke away from the Abbasid Empire in 866 and the area fell under the rule of the Ukhaydhirites, who moved the capital from Hajr to nearby Al-Kharj. The city then went into a long period of decline. In the 14th century, North African traveler Ibn Battuta wrote of his visit to Hajr, describing it as "the main city of Al-Yamamah, and its name is Hajr". Ibn Battuta goes on to describe it as a city of canals and trees with most of its inhabitants belonging to the Bani Hanifa, and reports that he continued on with their leader to Mecca to perform the Hajj.

Later on, Hajr broke up into several separate settlements and estates. The most notable of these were Migrin (or Muqrin) and Mi'kal, though the name '' Hajr'' continued to appear in local folk poetry. The earliest known reference to the area by the name ''Riyadh'' comes from a 17th-century chronicler reporting on an event from the year 1590. In 1737, Deham ibn Dawwas, a refugee from neighboring Manfuha, took control of Riyadh. Ibn Dawwas built a single wall to encircle the various oasis town in the area, making them effectively a single city. The name "Riyadh," meaning "gardens" refers to these earlier oasis towns.

First Saudi State

In 1744, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab formed an alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler of the nearby town 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 forces from Al Kharj, Al Ahsa, and the Banu Yam clan of Najran. However, Ibn Dawwas fled and Riyadh capitulated to the Saudis in 1774, ending long years of wars, and leading to the declaration of the First Saudi State, with Diriyah as its capital.

The First Saudi State was destroyed by forces sent by Muhammad Ali of Egypt, acting on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman forces razed the Saudi capital Diriyah in 1818. They had maintained a garrison at Najd. This marked the decline of the House of Saud for a short time. Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad became the first Amir of the Second Saudi State; the cousin of Saud bin Saud, he ruled for 19 years till 1834, leading to the consolidation of the area though they were notionally under the control of the Muhammad Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt. In 1823, Turki ibn Abdallah chose Riyadh as the new capital. Following the assassination of Turki in 1834, his eldest son Faisal killed the assassin and took control, and refused to be controlled by the Viceroy of Egypt. Najd was then invaded and Faisal was taken captive and held in Cairo. However, as Egypt became independent of the Ottoman Empire, Faisal escaped after five years of incarceration, returned to Najd and resumed his reign, ruled till 1865, and consolidated the reign of House of Saud.

Following the death of Faisal, there was rivalry among his sons which situation was exploited by Muhammad bin Rashid who took most of Najd, signed a treaty with the Ottomans, and also captured Hasa in 1871. In 1889, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, the third son of Faisal again regained control over Najd and ruled till 1891, whereafter the control was regained by Muhammad bin Raschid.

Internecine struggles between Turki's grandsons led to the fall of the Second Saudi State in 1891 at the hand of the rival Al Rashid clan, which ruled from the northern city of Ha'il. The al-Masmak fort dates from that period.

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal al-Saud had sought refuge among a tribal community on the outskirts of Najd and then went to Kuwait with his family and stayed in exile. However, his son Abdul Aziz retrieved his ancestral kingdom of Najd in 1902 and consolidated his rule by 1926, and further expanded his kingdom to cover "most of the Arabian Peninsula." He named his kingdom as Saudi Arabia in September 1932 with Riyadh as the capital. King Abdul Aziz died in 1953 and his son Saud took control as per the established succession rule of father to son from the time Muhammad bin Saud had established the Saud rule in 1744. However, this established line of succession was broken when King Saud was succeeded by his brother King Faisal in 1964. In 1975, Faisal was succeeded by his brother King Khalid. In 1982, King Fahd took the reins from his brother. This new line of succession is among the sons of King Abdul Aziz who has 35 sons; this large family of Ibn Saud hold all key positions in the large kingdom.

Modern history

From the 1940s, Riyadh mushroomed from a relatively narrow, spatially isolated town into a spacious metropolis. When King Saud came to power, he made it his objective to modernize Riyadh, and began developing Annasriyyah, the royal residential district, in 1950. Following the example of American cities, new settlements and entire neighborhoods were created on grid plans, and connected by high-capacity main roads to the inner areas. The grid pattern in the city was introduced in 1953. The population growth of the town from 1974 to 1992 averaged 8.2 percent per year.

The mayor is Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Muqrin. Al-Muqrin was appointed in 2019 by royal decree and succeeds Tariq bin Abdul Aziz Al-Faris. Riyadh is now the administrative and to a great extent the commercial hub of the Kingdom. According to the Saudi Real Estate Companion, most large companies in the country established either sole headquarters or a large office in the city. For this reason, there has been significant growth in high-rise developments in all areas of the city. Most notable among these is King Abdullah Financial District which is fast becoming the key business hub in the city. Riyadh also has the largest all-female university in the world, the Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University.

According to the Global Financial Centres Index, Riyadh ranked at 77 in 2016–2017. Though the rank moved up to 69 in 2018, diversification in the economy of the capital is required in order to avoid what the World Bank called a "looming poverty crisis" brought on by lingering low oil prices and rich state benefits.

Since 2017, Riyadh has been the target of missiles from Yemen. In March 2018, one person died as a result of a missile attack. The number of missiles which targeted Riyadh are a small portion of the dozens of missiles fired from Yemen at Saudi Arabia due to the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. In April 2018, heavy gunfire was heard in Khozama; this led to rumors of a coup attempt.

File:Lake at Wadi Hanifah (5218227168).jpg, Lake at the 120 km long Wadi Hanifa valley that cuts through Riyadh
File:The king Abdullah Financial District..JPG, The emerging King Abdullah Financial District in 2012
File:Saudi-desert.gif, The An Nafud desert in the outskirts of Riyadh with the Jabal Tuwaiq in the background

Geography

Climate

Riyadh has a hot desert climate (Köppen Climate Classification ''BWh''), with long, extremely hot summers and short, very mild winters. The average high temperature in August is . If it was not for the elevation the city was on, Riyadh would experience an even hotter climate. The city experiences very little precipitation, especially in summer, but receives a fair amount of rain in March and April. It is also known to have dust storms during which the dust can be so thick that visibility is under . On 1 and 2 April 2015, a massive dust storm hit Riyadh, causing suspension of classes in many schools in the area and cancellation of hundreds of flights, both domestic and international.

City districts

Riyadh is divided into fourteen branch municipalities, in addition to the Diplomatic Quarter. Each branch municipality in turn contains several districts, amounting to over 130 in total, though some districts are divided between more than one branch municipality. The branch municipalities are Al-Shemaysi, Irqah, Al-Ma'athar, Al-Olayya, Al-Aziziyya, Al-Malaz, Al-Selayy, Nemar, Al-Neseem, Al-Shifa, Al-'Urayja, Al-Bat'ha, Al-Ha'ir, Al-Rawdha, and Al-Shimal ("the North"). Olaya District is the commercial heart of the city, with accommodation, entertainment, dining and shopping options. The Kingdom Centre, Al Faisalyah, and Al-Tahlya Street are the area's most prominent landmarks. The center of the city, Al-Bathaa and Al-Deerah, is also its oldest part.

Some of the main districts of Riyadh are:

* Al-Bat'ha
** Al-Deerah (old Riyadh)
** Mi'kal
** Manfuha
** Manfuha Al-Jadidah (منفوحة الجديدة – "new Manfuha")
** Al-'Oud
** Al-Mansorah
** Al-Margab
** Salam
** Jabrah
** Al-Yamamah
** 'Otayyigah
* Al-'Olayya & Sulaymaniyyah
** Al-'Olayya
** Al-Sulaymaniyyah
** Al Izdihar
** King Fahd District
** Al-Masif
** Al-Murooj
** Al-Mugharrazat
** Al-Wurood
* Nemar
** Nemar
** Dharat Nemar
** Tuwaiq
** Hazm
** Deerab
* Irqah
** Irqah
** Al-Khozama
* Diplomatic Quarter
* Al-Shemaysi
** Al-Shemaysi
** Eleyshah
** Al-Badi'ah
** Syah
** Al-Nasriyyah
** Umm Sleym
** Al-Ma'athar
** Umm Al-Hamam (East)
* Al-Ma'athar
** Al-Olayya
** Al-Nakheel
** King Saud University main campus
** Umm Al-Hamam (East)
** Umm Al-Hamam (West)
** Al-Ma'athar Al-Shimali ("North Ma'athar")
** Al-Rahmaniyya
** Al-Muhammadiyya
** Al-Ra'id
* Al-Ha'ir
** Al-Ha'ir
** Al-Ghannamiyyah
** Uraydh
* Al-'Aziziyyah
** Al Aziziyah (Riyadh)
** Ad Dar Al Baida
** Taybah
** Al Mansouriyah
* Al-Malaz
** Al-Malaz
** Al-Rabwah
** Al-Rayyan
** Jarir
** Al-Murabba'
** Sinaiyah Qadeem
* Al-Shifa
** Al-Masani'
** Al-Shifa
** Al-Mansuriyya
** Al-Marwah
* Al-Urayja
** Al-Urayja
** Al-Urayja Al-Wusta ("Mid-Urayja")
** Al-Urayja (West)
** Shubra
** Dharat Laban
** Hijrat Laban
** As-Suwaidi
** As-Suwaidi (West)
** Dahrat Al-Badi'ah
** Sultanah
* Al-Shemal
** Al-Malga
** Al-Sahafa
** Hittin
** Al-Wadi
** Al-Ghadir
** Al-Nafil
** Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University main campus
** Al-Qayrawan
** Al-Aqiq
** Al-Arid
* Al-Naseem
** Al-Naseem (East)
** Al-Naseem (West)
** As-Salam
** Al-Manar
** Al-Rimayah
** Al-Nadheem
* Al-Rawdhah
** Al-Rawdhah
** Al-Qadisiyah
** Al-M'aizliyyah
** Al-Nahdhah
** Gharnatah (Granada)
** Qortubah (Cordoba)
** Al-Andalus (Andalusia)
** Al-Hamra
** Al-Qouds
* Al-Selayy
** Al-Selayy
** Ad Difa'
** Al Iskan
** Khashm Al-'Aan
** Al-Sa'adah
** Al-Fayha
** Al-Manakh
* King Abdullah Financial District

Demographics

The city had a population of 40,000 inhabitants in 1935 and 83,000 in 1949. The city has experienced very high rates of population growth, from 150,000 inhabitants in the 1960s to over seven million, according to the most recent sources. As of 2017, the population of Riyadh is composed of 64.19% Saudis, while non-Saudis account for 35.81% of the population. Indians are the largest minority population at 13.7%, followed by Pakistanis at 12.4%.

Landmarks and architecture

Vernacular architecture of Old Riyadh

The old town of Riyadh within the city walls did not exceed an area of 1 km², and therefore very few significant architectural remnants of the original walled oasis town of Riyadh exist today. The most prominent is the Masmak fort and some parts of the original wall structure with its gate which have been restored and reconstructed. There are also a number of traditiona