Downtown Riyadh () is a term used for a group of 20 neighborhoods in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. Covering an area of more than 3700 acres, it hosts some of the city's most important cultural and commercial districts, such as the

King Abdulaziz Historical Center King Abdulaziz Historical Center (KAHC) () is a cross-district heritage complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, covering south of Al Murabba, al-Murabba and north of Al Fouta, al-Futah. Inaugurated in 1999, it includes several historic buildings and ope ...

, the al-Batʼha commercial area and the Qasr al-Hukm District, while simultaneously overlapping with many of the old city areas of the capital metropolis, including the erstwhile

walled town The following cities have, or historically had, defensive walls. Africa Algeria * Algiers * Ghardaïa * Timimoun Egypt See List of Egypt castles, forts, fortifications and city walls. * Al-Fustat * Cairo * Damietta Ethiopia * Harar Libya *Apo ...

. The first downtown development plan was introduced in 2013 by the

Royal Commission for Riyadh City The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) (), formerly The Arriyadh Development Authority (ARA) and The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh, is a royal commission established in 1974 during the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz wh ...

. The downtown is bounded by Al-Washm Street and Omar bin Al-Khattab Street in the north, Al-Kharj Road in the east, Ammar bin Yasir Street and Al-A’sha Street in the south, and Imam Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Street in the west.

Districts

Qasr al-Hukm District

Qasr al-Hukm District is a term used to define the perimeters of the erstwhile

walled town of Riyadh The walled town of Riyadh was the original core of Riyadh, the modern-day capital of Saudi Arabia, located on the western edge of Wadi al-Batʼha in present-day districts of Al Dirah (Riyadh), ad-Dirah and Al Doho, ad-Doho. It emerged from the ci ...

in present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Daho, encompassing several extinct quarters and douars that once fell within the enclosure of the gates of old city walls prior to its demolition in 1950. Named after the eponymous al-Hukm Palace, it is widely considered to be the antecedent to modern

since the metropolis outgrew as an offshoot of the walled town in the 1950s. Owing to its historical and architectural significance, it was rebuilt by the Saudi government between 1970s and 1990s and is situated southwest of al-Batʼha commercial area.

Deera Square

Deera Square is a

public space A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads, pavements, public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to the public, su ...

in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of

, located adjacent to the al-Hukm Palace compound and

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque (), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh, is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to al-Hukm Palace compound, in Deera Square. It was ...

in the Qasr al-Hukm District. It is known as the historic site of

public execution A public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. The purpose ...

s, where those

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

in Saudi Arabia are publicly

beheaded Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

Al Hukm Palace

Al-Hukm Palace, so called from the

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

it overlooks from the south, is a historic palace and a popular cultural heritage landmark in the ad-Dirah neighbourhood of

, located directly opposite to

in the Qasr al-Hukm District.

Masmak Fortress

Masmak Fort is a

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

and

mudbrick Mudbrick or mud-brick, also known as unfired brick, is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of mud (containing loam, clay, sand and water) mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE. From ...

fort in the al-Dirah neighborhood of

, located in close proximity to the al-Hukm Palace in the Qasr al-Hukm District. It was the site of the Battle of Riyadh in 1902, that paved the way for the establishment of the

Emirate of Riyadh The Emirate of RiyadhMadawi Al-Rasheed. ''A History of Saudi Arabia''. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Pp. 40. was the first iteration of the Third Saudi State from 1902 to 1913. J. A. Hammerton. ''Peoples Of All Natio ...

, the first iteration of modern

. The fortress was converted into a museum in 1995, showcasing one of the most important landmarks of Saudi heritage.

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque is a

congregational mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''Friday prayer, jumu'ah' ...

in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of

, located adjacent to Qasr al-Hukm while it overlooks the

Deera Square __NOTOC__ Deera Square (), also known as Justice Square () or Safa Square () is a public space in the al-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to the al-Hukm Palace compound and Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in th ...

. It was established during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud, the founder and ''

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

'' of the

Second Saudi State The second Saudi state (), officially known as the Emirate of Najd, was a state that existed between 1824 and 1891 in the Najd region of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central (Najd) and Eastern Arabia after the first Sau ...

and was later named after him. Seating 17,000 worshippers and measuring 16,800 m2, it is one of the largest mosques in

King Abdulaziz Historical Center

King Abdulaziz Historical Center(KAHC) is a cross-district heritage complex in

, covering south of al-Murabba and north of al-Futah. It includes the al-Murabba Palace, the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (KAFRA) (), better known as Darah, is a cultural institution in the Al Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located between the Murabba Palace compound and the National Museum of Saud ...

, King Abdulaziz Public Library, King Abdulaziz Auditorium,

Red Palace Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

and Riyadh Water Tower besides six

municipal parks An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

and gardens, namely the National Museum Park, al-Watan Park, the Palm Oasis and al-Yamamah Park. It was inaugurated in January 1999 by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz to mark the centenary year of

Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

's takeover of Riyadh in 1902, that paved the way for the establishment of the

, the first iteration of modern

Al Murabba Palace

Al Murabba Palace is a

palace museum The Palace Museum (), also known as the Beijing Palace Museum, is a large national museum complex housed in the Forbidden City at the core of Beijing, China. With , the museum inherited the imperial royal palaces from the Ming and Qing dynast ...

in the al-Murabba district of

. It was built in 1938 and was one of the first buildings erected outside the walls of the old city and was the last workplace of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud until his death in 1953. It was renovated by the Saudi government and was later incorporated into the

in 1999.

National Museum of Saudi Arabia

National Museum of Saudi Arabia was inaugurated in 1999 as part of the

that exhibits several artifacts belonging to the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and Second Saudi States.Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited
developers for the urban design and landscaping of the site of the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre.

Al Hamra Palace

Al-Hamra Palace, or the Red Palace, was built in the 1940s by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud for his son, Saud bin Abdulaziz in the al-Fouta neighborhood of

. It was incorporated into the

in 1999, when it served as the headquarters of Saudi Board of Grievances. It was the first reinforced concrete structure in the history of Saudi Arabia and was opened to the general public in 2019.

Riyadh Water Tower

Riyadh Water Tower is a 61-meters tall conical-shaped cylindrical

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

and a prominent cultural landmark in the al-Futah neighborhood of

. Designed by Swedish architect Sune Lindström and modeled after the Svampen water tower in

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, it was the

tallest structure The tallest structure in the world is the Burj Khalifa skyscraper at . Listed are guyed masts (such as telecommunication masts), self-supporting towers (such as the CN Tower), skyscrapers (such as the Willis Tower), oil platforms, electricity t ...

in the country at the time of its inauguration in 1971 and is today located within the precincts of al-Watan Park in the

National Museum Park

National Museum Park is an umbrella term used for the agglomeration of 5 out of 8

and gardens in the al-Murabba neighborhood of

, namely al-Haras, al-Soor, al-Wadi, al-Jisr and al-Madi that adjoin the

Murabba Palace Murabba Palace (Arabic: قصر المربّع Qaṣr al Murabbaʿ; literally the 'Square Palace') is a historic palace in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. One of the first bu ...

compound and the premises of

as well as the

in northern section of the

Al-Batʼha commercial area

Al-Batʼha, also simply romanized as Batha, is a colloquial umbrella term used for the agglomeration of certain parts of neighborhoods in downtown

, that are primarily situated along the al-Batʼha Street on the either edge of the now-dried up stream of

Wadi al-Batʼha Wadi al-Batʼha (), historically known as Wadi al-Wutar (), is an ancient wadi, river valley under rehabilitation in the Najd region of Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. The valley once descended from Shiʿb Abu Rufia, and traversed from northwest to ...

, located between al-Murabba and the Qasr al-Hukm District. It is one of the oldest commercial districts in

and the financial nerve center of the city's downtown area, covering east of al-Futah and al-Dirah whereas west of al-Amal, Margab and Thulaim. It emerged in the 1940s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when a number of Kuwaiti merchants and traders chose to set up an auction market just outside the northeastern fringes of the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

. Besides being an open-air marketplace that hosts a number of large and medium-scale trading centers, the surrounding locality has been the heart of the city's Bangladeshi community since the oil boom of the 1970s, alongside

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Pakistanis Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

and

Sri Lankans This is a demography of the population of Sri Lanka including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Sri Lanka is an island in th ...

, who altogether contribute in almost 70% of the economic activity in the area.

References

{{Reflist Neighbourhoods in Riyadh