Where to Stay in Riyadh, Riyadh Region

What is Riyadh known for?

Riyadh is known as the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, the seat of government and the country's business core. Masmak Fort marks the old town, while towers like Al Faisaliah Centre define the modern skyline. The city sits on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa.

It grew from a walled town into a metropolis. Trade and power built it.

What are the main landmarks in Riyadh?

Riyadh's landmarks range from the old fort to the modern towers. Masmak Fort anchors the historic centre, near the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre and Al Deira Market. Al Faisaliah Centre rises over the skyline.

Museums fill the city, among them the SAMA Money Museum, the Museum of World Cultures, and the Green Halls. Maydan Ad-Diriyah lies out toward Wadi Hanifa.

What is the history of Riyadh?

Riyadh began as a walled town on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, founded in 1746. For its first centuries it was a modest settlement of the interior, ringed by walls and guarded by forts. Masmak Fort still stands from those early days.

The old town was small and self-contained, a compact settlement built to endure a hard land. Water from Wadi Hanifa made settlement possible. Caravan routes crossing the dry land ran under the guard of the town.

The modern city largely took shape in the 1950s, when the old fortifications were pulled down and Riyadh spread out beyond its walls. Pulling down the old walls opened the way for that growth. It grew into the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia and the seat of the Riyadh Province.

Towers replaced the old ramparts. What had once been a compact walled town became a sprawling metropolis spread across the interior. Masmak Fort and Al Deira Market keep the memory of the older city.

The old walls are gone. Riyadh rose from the dry interior to run an entire kingdom.

Where is Riyadh?

Riyadh lies near the centre of Saudi Arabia, on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa in the heart of the Tuwaig escarpment. It is the capital and largest city of the country and the seat of Riyadh Province. The city sits well inland, far from any coast.

Wadi Hanifa cuts through the dry ground beside the built-up city. The land around is arid and open.

What is the climate of Riyadh?

Riyadh has a hot, dry climate typical of the deep interior. Summers are long and scorching, with fierce sun over the Tuwaig escarpment and little cloud. Rainfall over the Tuwaig escarpment stays sparse, and when it comes, it falls in brief bursts that can flood Wadi Hanifa before draining away.

Winters are short. Cold nights settle over the dry land.

How do you get to Riyadh?

For a city this far inland, the plane is how most people arrive in Riyadh. The international airport that serves the capital handles arrivals from across the world, since the city sits far inland and overland routes cross long stretches of dry country to reach it. Roads and highways link Riyadh to the rest of Saudi Arabia, reaching out from Riyadh Province across the interior.

As the capital, Riyadh anchors the road network of the whole country. Everything here runs by land or air.