Riyadh Lures Visitors

Certainly, tourists especially youngsters and children associate such architectural marvels as the high-rise Kingdom Tower and the Faisaliah Tower with Riyadh, but this modern Arabian city of lights offers a wealth of other breathtaking landmarks to behold and a lot of fun to experience.
As the capital city, Riyadh has endured as an important city for several years. Often called “City of Najd”, Riyadh today is one of the world’s leading centers for business, politics, fashion, art and culture. A number of visitors including veteran tourists will tell you that there’s no point trying to see all landmarks in one trip; console yourself with the knowledge that you’ll need to revisit Riyadh another time.
A number of monuments, which now lend Riyadh its international identity, are newly-built. But, the capital city’s ancient heritage speaks for itself amid a crowd of new posh buildings and high-rise office towers dotting the city’s skyline. On the one hand, a tourist or a businessman can enjoy visiting the modern marvels, while many of them can learn about the Kingdom’s history by visiting the Musmak Castle, the National Museum, the Justice Square or Janadriyah village. Although the center of Riyadh is a bit long drive from the King Khalid International Airport (KKIA), the city starts from the airport’s proximity, where the world’s largest female-only university named Prince Noura Bint Abdurrahman University is located. Once a small walled city, Riyadh, in fact, has developed into a dynamic metropolis over the years.
The first major changes began during the oil boom of the 1950s, when older structures were demolished to make way for commercial development and housing projects. Today, it is one of the fastest growing and most prosperous cities in the world. Numerous educational, financial, agricultural, cultural, technical and social organizations have set up base in the city, which also houses more than 100 diplomatic missions of foreign countries.
The bustling Olaya District is the heart and soul of the capital city of Riyadh. This commercial and residential district offers accommodation, entertainment, dining and shopping options that cater to the budget of everyone. Numerous shops, lively markets, world-cuisine restaurants and huge malls keep both Salahuddin District and Street King Fahad packed with tourists including local residents.
The diplomatic Quarter is located on the northwest side of Riyadh and contains all foreign embassies as well as offices of many regional and international organizations. The DQ, as locals call it, is near the old city of Al-Diriyah. In fact, Al-Diriyah is a wonderfully preserved ple of past generations of Saudi culture. Tourists are welcomed to visit and imagine life during the nation’s struggle for unification.
The Saad Al-Saud Palace in Al-Diriyah contains a dates store and has colorfully decorated wooden doors showing circles and flowers in red, blue and black. Other touristic sites besides Al-Diriyah include Jabal Tuwaiq Mountain located to southwest of Riyadh and stretches for nearly 497 miles. In late winter, Janadriyah festival is held just on the outskirts of the city drawing large crowds of people to see the exhibits of national history, shows, camel races, and many other displays of Saudi heritage. On the other hand, the National Museum is another wonderful place for people to visit, containing sections that cover topics such as man and the universe, Arabian Kingdoms, Prophet Mohammed’s Mission, Islam and the Arabian Peninsula, 1st and 2nd Saudi States, Unification, and Haj. The Museum of Antiquities and Folklore showcases everything from ceramic utensils to stamps.
The Jabal Abu Makhrouq Park in the Mazal district is another interesting place to visit. The site of the park is old, but the park is modern. It was from here that late King Abdul Aziz maintained a vigil on the city. Some other well-known parks included Salam Park, Riyadh Zoo and the newly-built King Abdullah Park in Malaz District of the capital. The city, which was surrounded by four walls during its primitive days, can be compared with the best capitals of the world. Expansion outside the city walls was slow to begin with, although there were some smaller oases and settlements surrounding Riyadh. The first major construction beyond the walls was late King Abdul Aziz’s Murabba Palace. It was constructed in 1936, completed in 1938, and a household of 800 people moved into it in 1938. The palace is now part of a state-owned cultural complex called “King Abdul Aziz Historical Center” (KAAHC).
There are other traditional villages and towns in the area around Riyadh, which are worth visiting. These are Diriyah, Manfuha and Wadi Laban to name a few. Unlike in the early days of development in Riyadh during which vernacular structures were razed to the ground without consideration, there is a new-found appreciation for traditional architecture. The Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA) is making efforts for revitalizing the historic architecture in Riyadh and other parts of the Kingdom.
It important to mention that Riyadh has emerged as a major urban center, where several high rise buildings are coming up. These are in addition to the King Abdullah Financial District, a multibillion dollar project. Currently, there are two high rise buildings noted for their architectural elegance, the Al Faisaliyah Tower and the Kingdom Tower, that lure one and all alike. The Al Faisaliyah Center is the second tallest building in Riyadh after the Kingdom Center.
The golden ball that lies atop the tower is said to be inspired by a ballpoint pen, and contains a restaurant; immediately below this is an outside viewing deck. There is a shopping center with major word brands at ground level. Al Faisaliyah Center also has a hotel at both sides of the tower while the main building is occupied by offices run by different companies. The Al Faisaliyah Tower has 44 stories.
The famous Kingdom Tower, located on the same road of Olaya District of the capital city, is the highest building in Saudi Arabia. The tower is built on 94,230 square meters of land. The Kingdom Centre is owned by a group of companies including Kingdom Holding Co. headed by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
The Kingdom Centre is the winner of the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as the ‘best new skyscraper of the year for design and functionality”. A three-level shopping center, which also won a major design award, fills the east wing. The large opening is illuminated at night in continuously changing colors. The shopping center has a separate floor for women only to shop where men are not allowed to enter.
The Kingdom Tower has 99 stories and is the tallest structure in the country rising to 300 meters.
Among the modern landmarks is also a cable-stayed bridge in Riyadh. Popularly called the Wadi Leban Bridge or hanging bridge, it is a cable-stayed bridge designed by an Indian architect Seshadri Srinivasan. It was built between 1993 and 1997. On the other hand, the archeological sites, which are of historical importance, can be found in every nook and corner of the city with many of them depicting the history and heritage of the region or the historical event.
Then, there are also four historic palaces-namely the Al-Murabba Palace (palace of late King Abdul Aziz), Prince Mohammad bin Abdulrehamn Palace and the Shamsiya Palace. The central museum in Riyadh is yet another fascinating place to see. This national museum of Saudi Arabia has now several rare collections. For example the meteorite fragment known as the “Camel’s Hump” that was on display at the Riyadh-based King Saud University (KSU) is one display at the national museum of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center (KAAHC).
Another worth-visiting museum is the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum or Saqr Al-Jazira Museum, located on the East Ring Road of the city between exits 10 and 11. Its contains a collection of aircrafts and aviation-related items used by the Royal Saudi Air Force and the national airline called Saudia. Riyadh does not lag behind in terms of sports facilities also. Although few Saudis play golf, there are surprisingly good golf courses around.
The best one is the 18-holes course in Dirab Golf & Country Club, a good 30 minutes drive west of Riyadh. Nice layout with green and inviting grass, and the last 9 holes are even floodlit. They offer tennis, swimming and horse-back riding as well. Then, there are opportunities to enjoy desert camping on the outskirts of Riyadh, an ideal activity during winter when one can do sun bath. After you return from the sand dunes, you can go for shopping in several famous traditonal souks including Deira Souk, Princess Souk and Perfume & Spice Souk.