Ar-Riyadh

INTRO
Ar-Riyadh, or just Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and its biggest city. Riyadh is the plural form of the word "Rawdah", which means "garden", so it technically sounds like "Arabian Gardens". Although the city is in a highly arid area, it has been a fertile field for many years.

City Profile
City: Riyadh
Country: Saudi Arabia
Area: 1,554 km2
Population: 4,260,000
Mayor: Abdul Aziz ibn 'Ayyaf Al Migrin
Language: Arabian

LOCATION
Riyadh is situated in the Arabian Peninsula, in its center, in a province called Ar-Riyadh aw well. Together with Buraidah to the north and Al Kharj to the south, the city forms so called "central-corridor" of development. Riyadh is growing very fast and constantly enlarging its area.

TIME TO VISIT
Riyadh has very unstable climate, one year the rains can be 14mm, another 170mm, its "rainy" seasons are from November to May, which is actually the best time to visit the city. July and August are too hot and not pleasant with temperatures often reaching 42C and lack of humidity. The winters are also nice, because the temperatures drop to 11C, which is not cold at all.

POPULATION
The population of Riyadh is growing with every year. 8.2% annually is the impressive percent with which it grew from 1974 to 1992. Today the inhabitants are above 4 million and statistics shows that if it keeps up with that speed, there will be around 9millions people in Riyadh by 2020.

CITY AREAS
The city is a metropolitan today and is divided into 15 municipalities

Olaya District - situated on the north part of the city, this area included some famous landmarks and is famous with its vivid nightlife - a lot of restaurants, shopping centers etc. It is known as the commercial heart of Riyadh
Diplomatic Quarter - by its name we can assume about all the embassies situated there. The district is also known as one of the greenest one and with a very modern architecture, setting a great example for other Arabian cities.
Al-Bathaa - the center of the city and its oldest part. There are some very interesting sights like several museums, an ancient fort and some palaces. At that area the city gubernator meets the citizens and listens to their problems.
Al-Dirah - also a center area, where are situated many markets, some traditional buildings and mosques.

SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS

Al Musmak Castle - probably the most famous landmark in the whole kingdom, the castle was built during the reign of Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Rasheed but later became useless and it was used as a depot. It contains a beautiful mosque, a gorgeous saloon and some other curious things. http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/CityPlaces/Musmak-Castle.doc_cvt.asp
Watch Towers - they are also located in the Musmak Castle and are four - at each end of the castle. At the top of each there is a terrace from where you can observe the whole place from 18 meters high.
City of Old Ad'Diriyah - located 11kms from the city center, this was the first capital of Saudi Arabia. It has once been the biggest city in the Arabian Peninsula and very developed where important meetings of royal persons have been made. You can still feel the glory and the power of that place. It is open from 8.00 am to 18.00 pm, except Fridays when the opening hours are from 3.00 am to 18.00pm. It is free http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/CityPlaces/City-of-Old-Diriya.doc_cvt.asp
King Abdul Aziz Darat - although it looks like a building from Scheherazade's tales, the place is actually a scientific academy in memory of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the peninsula. There is a big hall inside where can be seen many weapons, documents, rare old stamps, two royal cars Cadillac, some watches, photos, dresses and other valuable objects. In the library there are many books and documents connected with Arabian history, as well as many rare manuscripts, biographic books etc http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/Musems/King-Abdul-Aziz-Darat.doc_cvt.asp
The National Museum - a very interesting building with an unusual architectural shape. Its main purpose is to educate about the culture and to develop on the youths feeling for belongingness and pride of their country. http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/Musems/The-National-Museum_En.doc_cvt.asp
Prince Fahad Al-Faisal Park - with a area of 40,000 square-meters, the park is a very attendant place with many trees, palms and places to relax. It is one of the oldest parks. It is open almost during the whole day except for Mondays and fee is for adults S.R. 2, for children - S.R. 1 http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/Gardens/Prince-Fahad-Al-Faisal-Park.doc_cvt.asp
Salam Park - a big luxury complex containing the Masmal fortress, the mosque of Imam Turki bin Abdullah and the Rule Palace, it is also a Commercial center. In night the whole place lights up and looks like an oasis. http://www.arriyadh.com/En/Tourism/LeftBar/Gardens/Salam-Park.doc_cvt.asp

AIRPORTS

King Khalid International Airport is located nearly 35km north of Riyadh. There are buses and taxis from there to the city center and the journey will be about 30-45 minutes long. The airport serves operates mainly domestic flight and its main destinations are Jubail, Qatif, Ras Tanura, Khobar, Dammam and Dhahran, but there are plenty of airlines that do international flights.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Taxis - there are actually pretty cheap, from SR5 to SR20, they are most commonly white Toyotas or Sedans. The only problem is that sometimes the drivers don't speak English, as they are usually from Bangladesh or Pakistan, so be prepared for misunderstanding.
Hired cars - they are many agencies for rental cars, which mostly comes with a driver. They are quite cheap and affordable
Buses - Bus lines are a fine way to travel around, the roads are well-maintained and the vehicles come quite regularly.

HISTORY
In 18th Century, the city was part of the First Saudi State, with a capital in Diriyah, but that changed in 1818 when Turks destroyed it and capital moved in Riyadh. Later in 1902, Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud seized the city from a rival family and started to establish a modern kingdom. In 1960-s the population was just 60.000 but since then the capital experienced high rate of growth. Now it is a prospering Islam city in one absolute monarchy.

CITY LINKS

A site with a summary for every hospital in the city: http://www.arriyadh.com/En/cgi-bin/f/ALL/r_submedical_center.asp?AttOrder=1
A site with a lot of useful tourist information http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/riyadh/index.html
Hotels in Riyadh http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-488146-riyadh_hotels-i

UNIVERSITY LINKS

King Saud University http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4177.htm
Al-Imam Mohamed Ibn Saud Islamic University http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4163.htm
King Fahd Security College http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4174.htm
Al-Yamamah College http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4164.htm
Prince Sultan University http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4180.htm