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Riyadh

Capital of Saudi ArabiaIn the middle of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh spreads across the eastern part of the Najd plateau, on the east bank of Wadi Hanifa, at about 600 m above sea level.

Why it's the capital

After Ottoman forces destroyed the old Saudi capital, Diriyah, in 1818, Turki ibn Abdallah made Riyadh the new capital in the 1820s. In 1932 Ibn Saud named his kingdom Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh as its capital.

Fun facts

  1. Riyadh means "gardens", after the oasis towns that stood here before the city grew. In pre-Islamic times the town on this site was called Hajr.
  2. The Masmak fortress, built around 1865, is now a museum. Ibn Saud's capture of it in January 1902 has an almost legendary place in Saudi history.
  3. The old city walls were pulled down in 1950 so that Riyadh could grow and modernise.

Finding it on the globe

Aim near the middle of Saudi Arabia, a little east of centre: Riyadh is deep inland, much closer to the Persian Gulf coast than to the Red Sea.

Sources: Wikipedia: Riyadh, Wikipedia: Najd