Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh is the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that nation's administrative, economic, and cultural hub. Riyadh is one of the richest capitals in the world due to Saudi Arabia's fertile oil fields, a significant factor in the city's rapid expansion and development. Although most of the city's oldest buildings have been destroyed, Riyadh maintains a traditional feel, emphasized by its adherence to historical convention.

Landscape

Riyadh is located on the Nejd, or Najd, plateau and in the central part of Saudi Arabia, which makes up the majority of the Arabian Peninsula. The city covers an area of approximately 1,554 square kilometers (600 square miles). The city once contained several water courses, called wadis, and other small bodies of water, but they have all dried up since being repurposed for commercial and domestic use.

Most of the city's historical buildings have been demolished to make way for the modern high-rises that dominate Riyadh's cityscape. There is a complex highway system in the city, though it is lined with trees. The Diplomatic Quarter, which measures 7 square kilometers (2.7 square miles), is the site of Riyadh's ninety-plus foreign embassies, as well as other international organizations. The more traditional, old-world Thumayri Street is home to Riyadh's major mosque and many open-air markets, called souks or suqs, although in recent years these markets have been relocated and refurbished. In addition to the Diplomatic Quarter, the city is divided into fifteen municipalities. The Olaya District is the business center of the city and the area of Riyadh known as al-Batha'a is the city's oldest section.

Riyadh's climate is generally dry and warm, with highs in the summer reaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and an annual average of about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The average annual rainfall is approximately 102 millimeters (4 inches).

People

Riyadh had an estimated population of approximately 7.682 million people in 2023, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency, up from about 1 million in 1980, and nearly 400,000 in 1976. Nearly 70 percent of the city's population is made up of Saudi Arabians, while other Middle Eastern nationalities and foreigners, including those from Africa and Central and Southeast Asia, form the remaining population. The official language is Arabic, and the state religion is Islam. Making up roughly 85-90 percent of the country's population, Sunni Muslims are the predominant religious sect, while Shiite Muslims comprise the remaining 15 percent of the population; due to Islamic law, other religions are not allowed to be practiced publicly.

Since Saudi Arabia's official establishment in 1932, the country's constitution has been the Qur'an, the Islamic holy book, and Islam plays an important role in the character of the city. For example, a central precept of Islam is the belief that women are subservient to men, and although women make up the majority of the population at the city's numerous colleges and universities, they were not allowed to drive until 2018 and could not vote until 2015. Islamic law also forbids the consumption of alcohol, which has an effect on nightlife in the capital. As such, shopping malls and restaurants are prevalent, and Riyadh is rich with cuisine from around the world.

Economy

The government is the major source of employment in Riyadh, followed by the financial, petroleum, and manufacturing industries, which includes the production of chemicals and plastics. The Saudi Arabian government has also prompted privatization in the electric and telecommunications industries. In addition, the government and city officials have begun to address the city's need for more environmentally sustainable business as well as greater diversification in furthering economic development. An ambitious national economic reformation and general modernization plan was announced in 2016 and by 2019, development projects to improve infrastructure and transportation in the capital, among other projects, had been announced. The plan, known as Saudi Vision 2030, includes four large urban development projects in Riyadh. Sports Boulevard will be a nearly 27 million-square-foot park housing numerous sports facilities. New Murabba is a planned downtown business district with more than 260 million square feet of space. Qiddiya is a planned entertainment district that will feature arts centers, restaurants, a sports stadium, a roller coaster, and a golf course. King Salman Park will be a 6 square-mile urban park.

Riyadh also serves as Saudi Arabia's transportation center. King Khalid International Airport is located in Riyadh. It incorporates both modern sensibilities and traditional Islamic imagery, and features a large mosque and numerous Qur'an verses decorating the walls. There are rail lines connecting Riyadh to areas in the rest of the country, and Riyadh also connects to the rest of Saudi Arabia through its sophisticated highway system.

Landmarks

The Masmak Fortress, which dates from the nineteenth century, is one of the few historical buildings still standing in Riyadh. The fortress, a major tourist attraction, is especially well-known for its Diwan, which is the king's sitting room. Jabal Abu Makhrouq Park, in the Malazz Quarter of the city, also has historical significance, as it was there that King Abdul Aziz, or Ibn Saud, founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, staged his 1902 reconquest of the city, atop a hill called "The Camel's Eye." Aziz also has a museum named after him, the King Abdul Aziz Military museum, which displays military artifacts. Other museums in the city include the National Museum and the Museum of Antiquities and Folklore, both of which display various items of historical significance.

Recent developments to historic Thumayri Street have resulted in the addition of a parking lot and elevated walkways. Even the city's central mosque has received a new façade. Traditional souks, where one can barter for all manner of goods, still exist; the best known of these is the Batha'a Souk.

The modern Ministry of the Interior building stands in one of Riyadh's central neighborhoods. Nearby is Al-Thumairi Gate, which is the only remaining gate of the original nine that led into Riyadh. King Fahd International Stadium, an 80,000-seat football (soccer) stadium, is another example of Riyadh's modern architectural style. The Television Tower, measuring 71 meters (233 feet) tall, is topped with a diamond-shaped chamber that houses several restaurants. The Kingdom Center is home to both a Four Seasons Hotel and an observation tunnel suspended 300 meters (984 feet.) above the city.

History

Riyadh originated as a part of the fertile settlement of Hajar, an ancient commercial center situated on a common route connecting Iran and Mecca. The area of Riyadh was well-known for its date orchards, which had an almost mythic reputation. Eventually, the area's agricultural importance led to the entire settlement being called Riyadh, or "the Gardens."

Riyadh became the center of the Saudi kingdom when it was established in the early fifteenth century. The kingdom, which included most of the Arabian Peninsula, was ruled by the Al Saud family. Much of this area was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire during its reign in Asia and Europe, although the next few centuries saw Arabian and Saudi groups struggling to regain control of the peninsula. In 1824, the Saudis recaptured Riyadh.

In 1865, however, the city was lost again, and the Al Saud family and their allies were exiled to Kuwait. Despite the continuing conflict, Riyadh prospered and grew. In 1902, Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Al Saud, a relative of the Al Saud dynasty of the Saudi kingdom, reconquered Riyadh with the goal of establishing an Arabic nation, beginning a period of expansion and reclamation. Over the next several decades, Abdul Aziz conquered the region known as Najd, as well as the areas surrounding it.

In 1932, after a prolonged power struggle between Abdul Aziz and the Hashemite king, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became an independent nation, with Aziz as its king, and Riyadh named as its capital. The country was created as an Islamic state. Despite Riyadh's new, more official status, some of the nation's administration offices stayed in the city of Jiddah. All government offices were moved to Riyadh by 1985 when the city's status was again raised from a municipality to a mayoralty. Shortly after Riyadh became the official capital, oil reserves were discovered in the city, beginning a period of sustained growth and development.

After the oil boom of the 1950s, Riyadh settled into a sustained period of steady growth, highlighted by significant growth in the 1970s, which persisted into the early twenty-first century. Between 1976 and 1980, the population of the city more than doubled. This population boom coincided with an increase in infrastructural improvement, although many of the newer buildings were of lower quality than their older counterparts. Nevertheless, newer and bigger structures were built, and the city quickly grew outward, particularly to the north.

By 2019, Riyadh had, in many ways, become an integral part of plans to transform Saudi Arabia that included a diversification of the economy in response, in large part, to fallen oil prices and efforts aimed at attracting more tourists and investors. In 2018, the capital hosted the country's first fashion week.

Bibliography

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Paton, Elizabeth. "Saudia Arabia Just Had Its First Fashion Week." The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/fashion/saudi-arabia-fashion-week.html. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

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