Riyadh

 

or Riad (both: rēäd') , city (1997 est. pop. 3,000,000), capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, in the Nejd, central Saudi Arabia. It is situated in an oasis, c.240 mi (390 km) inland from the Persian Gulf. Riyadh is the nation's educational, administrative, financial, and transportation center. Oil refining is the main industry. Riyadh is the focal point for desert travel and trade. Its architecture formerly represented the classic Arabic style, but in the oil boom of recent decades many buildings were torn down and replaced by large modern structures. Riyadh was long the center of the Wahhabi movement. In 1991, the city was slightly damaged by Iraqi missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War. By the late 1990s, Riyadh was one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. It is the seat of King Fahd Univ., Imam Mohamed Univ., and other schools.

Riyadh City الرياض
Looking at the Kingdom Tower from Al Faisaliyah.
Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 24°38′N 46°43′E / 24.633, 46.717
Province	Ar Riyadh Province
Government
- Mayor	Abdul Aziz ibn 'Ayyaf Al Migrin
Area
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
- Land	km² ( sq mi)
- Water	km² ( sq mi)
Population
- City
HDI (2006) 0.843 – high
Website: City of Riyadh

Riyadh (Arabic: الرياض ar-Riyāḍ) is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Ar Riyad Province and belongs to the historical region of Nejd. It is situated in the centre of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau and is home to over 4,260,000^[1] people (around 20% of the nation's population).

The city lies in Saudi Arabia's 'central corridor' of development along with Buraidah to the north and Al Kharj to the south. The other areas of concentrated population are two coastal areas - around Jiddah and Mecca on the Red Sea, and around Jubail and Dhahran on the Persian Gulf. Riyadh is located at 24°42'42" North, 46°43'27" East (24.711667, 46.724167). [1]

The city is divided into 15 branch municipalities under the control of the Riyadh Municipality and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by Governor of Riyadh Province, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz. The mayor of the city is Abdul Aziz ibn Ayyaf Al Migrin.

Summer temperatures are very hot, frequently exceeding + °C ( °F). Winters are mild with cool nights.

Although located in a highly arid area the city does receive some rainfall. Five dams store the runoff. There are also 96 wells and 290 miles (467 km) of pipe bringing huge volumes of water from desalination plants on the Persian Gulf.

Name

The name Riyadh is derived from plural of the Arabic word rawdha, meaning a place of gardens and trees. With many wadis (dry riverbeds that flood during rainy seasons) in the vicinity, Riyadh has for more than 1500 years been a fertile area set in the heartland of the Arabian Peninsula.^[2]

History

In pre-Islamic times, the settlement at the site was called Hajar. The site lies at the confluence of several wadis, chief among them Wadi Hanifah, and much underground water is accessible at the site. The settlement was historically famous for its dates and orchards. The modern name was first applied to only certain parts of the settlement where orchards predominated. Gradually the name was used for the entire settlement.

By the end of the 18th century, Riyadh was part of the First Saudi State, with the capital at Diriyah. After the destruction of Diriyah in 1818 by the Turks, the capital moved to Riyadh.

The city was recaptured in 1902 by Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud from the rival Al-Rashid family. He went on to establish the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, with Riyadh the capital of the nation. The diplomatic capital remained at Jeddah until 1982. Recently 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 most recent sources, today it is home to over 4.5 million inhabitants.

Population

Year	Population
1862	7,500
1935	30,000
1960	150,000
1970	370,000
1972	500,000
1974	650,000
1988	1,500,000
1990	2,000,000
1997	2,800,000
2007*	5,000,001
2020*	8,900,000

*Estimate

Between 1974 and 1992 the city grew by an average of 8.2% per year.

City districts

Once a small walled city, Riyadh has developed into a dynamic metropolis over the years. The first major thrust came during the oil boom of the 1950s, when older structures were demolished to make way for commercial development. Today it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Also it is the richest city in Saudi Arabia with a GDP Per Capita of $US 47,700 (SR 178,400)

The city has grown both culturally and commercially over the years. Along with the urban areas of Dhahran, Dammam, and Al-Khobar, Riyadh has become a focal point for both travel and trade.

In addition to being the center of power, the city is also a commercial hub. Numerous educational, financial, agricultural, cultural, technical, and social organizations have set up base here. The architecture is mostly modern, including contemporary high-rise towers, but the Al-Dira district, the nucleus of the city, has been rebuilt in a style meant to evoke the old mud-brick buildings of pre-20th century Nejd.

Riyadh is divided into 15 municipalities, in addition to the Diplomatic Quarter, while on its nortwestern outskirts lay the ruins of the former Saudi capital of Diriyah. Each municipal district contributes in its own way to the character of the city.

The bustling Olaya District is the commercial heart of the city. This commercial and residential district offers accommodation, entertainment, dining and shopping options. The Kingdom Center, Al Faisalyah and Al-Tahlya Street are the area's most prominent landmarks.

The Diplomatic Quarter or DQ as it is popularly known, is home to foreign embassies, international organizations as well as residential structures and malls. With lush gardens and numerous sports facilities, it is also one of the city's greenest areas. It is especially known for its fine architecture, and is considered a model for other Islamic cities around the world. Despite its name, the Diplomatic Quarter offers no special privileges. All Saudi laws must be obeyed and there are occasional patrols by the Mutaween, or Saudi religious police.

The centre of the city, Al-Bathaa and Al-Dirah, is also its oldest part. At its heart lies the 19th-century Masmak fort, which is one of the city's major attractions; to the west lies the Riyadh Museum of History and Archeology and the Murabba' Palace, an old residence of first Saudi king, Ibn Saud, now a museum. The Qasr Al-Hukm, or Palace of Justice, is nearby. It is here that the Governor of Riyadh Province meets citizens, listens to their grievances and problems, and stays abreast to all aspects of the region's life. The Al-Dira area also contains commercial markets and traditional buildings, such as the Al-Mu'eiqilia market and the city's Grand Mosque.

Quality of Living

Riyadh has the best highest Quality of Living in Saudi Arabia . Also it has the best Health and Sanitation in Saudi Arabia and Jeddah is second. See also List of cities by quality of living and List of cities by Health and Sanitation.

Noted structures

• The Riyadh TV Tower is a 170 metre (558 ft) high television tower with an observation deck at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh TV Tower was built between 1978 and 1981
• The Al Faisaliyah Center was the first skyscraper constructed in Saudi Arabia, and the second tallest building in the country after the Kingdom Center. The golden ball that lies atop the tower is said to be inspired by a ballpoint pen. Inside the ball is a restaurant; at ground level, a shopping center with major world brands
• Kingdom Centre: Current tallest building in Saudi Arabia
• King Khalid International Airport
• King Fahd Stadium

Major areas include Olaya, in downtown, Dabab, near the Old Airport (King Fahd Airbase) and Batha, the old downtown part of the city.

Future Projects

• King Abdullah International Gardens- From Worldarab.net
• King Abdullah Financial Center
• Crystals of Riyadh
• Jewel of Saudia
• Al Rajhi Tower
• Riyadh Monorail

Tourism

• Masmak Castle, a fort in Riyadh famous for King Abdulaziz Al Saud's daring raid on the fort in 1902.
• King Fahd Cultural Center, located outside of town, the cultural center has a planetarium, museum, library, and three theaters.
• King Abdul Aziz Historical Center is a complex of parks and museums, including an old residence of King Abdul Aziz, located in the center of the city.

Gallery

Kingdom Centre from the Al Faisaliyah Center	King Fahad Stadium	Grand Court of Riyadh	Kingdom Centre
Satellite	Dira Square	King Fahd Road (with Al Faisaliyah and Kingdom centres in the distance)	Old water Tower.

Notes

Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +3 hours | No daylight saving time in 2007 [2]

References

• The Saudi Information Resource - Riyadh Population Reaches 4.26 Million

External links

• Riyadh City, official site with News, history and photos
• Saudi Arabian Information Resource, official site with history and photos
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Emirate of Riyadh

• Maps and aerial photos for 24°′″N 46°′″E / 24.6464, 46.742Coordinates: 24°′″N 46°′″E / 24.6464, 46.742
  • Maps from MapQuest, Multimap and Yahoo! Maps
  • Satellite images and maps from Google Maps and Live Search
  • Other mapping from GlobalGuide and WikiMapia

Saudi Arabian Cities	List of main Saudi Arabian cities
	`Afif | `Ar`ar | Abha | Abqaiq | Al-Bahah | Buraidah | Ad Dammam | Dhahran | Ad Dir`iyah | Duba | Ha'il | Al Hufuf | Al Jawf | Jeddah | Jizan | Al Jubayl | Khamis Mushayt | Al-Kharj | Khobar | Al Majma'ah | Mecca (Makkah) | Medina | Najran | Bisha | Al-Qatif | Ras Tanura | Al-Khafji | Riyadh (National Capital) | At Ta'if | Tabuk | `Unayzah | Yanbu' al Bahr | Hafar Al-Batin

Capitals of Asia
Central Asia	Kabul, Afghanistan (sometimes considered South Asian) · Astana, Kazakhstan · Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan · Dushanbe, Tajikistan · Ashgabat, Turkmenistan · Tashkent, Uzbekistan
East Asia	Beijing, People's Republic of China (China) · Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan) · Tokyo, Japan · Pyongyang, North Korea · Seoul, South Korea · Ulan Bator, Mongolia
South Asia	Kabul, Afghanistan (often considered Central Asian) · Dhaka, Bangladesh · Thimphu, Bhutan · New Delhi, India · Malé, Maldives · Kathmandu, Nepal · Islamabad, Pakistan · Kotte (official, administrative) and Colombo (commercial), Sri Lanka
Southeast Asia	Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei · Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Dili, East Timor · Jakarta, Indonesia · Vientiane, Laos · Kuala Lumpur (official) and Putrajaya (administrative), Malaysia · Naypyidaw, Myanmar · Manila, Philippines · Singapore, Singapore · Bangkok, Thailand  · Hanoi, Vietnam
Southwest Asia	Yerevan, Armenia · Baku, Azerbaijan · Manama, Bahrain · Nicosia, Cyprus · Tbilisi, Georgia · Tehran, Iran · Baghdad, Iraq · Jerusalem (official, administrative) and Tel Aviv, (diplomatic) Israel · Amman, Jordan · Kuwait City, Kuwait · Beirut, Lebanon · Muscat, Oman · Doha, Qatar · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Damascus, Syria · Ankara, Turkey · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates · San‘a’, Yemen

frp:Riyadbe-x-old:Рыядnov:Riyad

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