Downtown Riyadh

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Coordinates: 24°38′47″N 46°42′55″E / 24.64627°N 46.71524°E / 24.64627; 46.71524
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Downtown Riyadh
وسط الرياض
Neighborhood
King Abdulaziz Historical Center
King Abdulaziz Historical Center
Coordinates: 24°38′47″N 46°42′55″E / 24.64627°N 46.71524°E / 24.64627; 46.71524
CountrySaudi Arabia
CityRiyadh
BaladiyahAl-Batʼha
Al-Malaz
Al-Shumaisi
Downtown Development Plan2013
Neighborhoods of Downtown
Neighborhoods list

Downtown Riyadh (Arabic: وسط الرياض, lit. 'middle Riyadh') is a term used for a group of 20 neighborhoods in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 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, 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 first downtown development plan was introduced in 2013 by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.[1][2]

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[edit]

Qasr al-Hukm District[edit]

Main article: Qasr Al Hukm District

Qasr al-Hukm District is a term used to define the perimeters of the erstwhile walled town of Riyadh 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 Riyadh since the metropolis outgrew as an offshoot of the walled town in the 1950s.[3][4] 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[edit]

Main article: Deera Square
Deera Square, 2011

Deera Square is a public space in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to the al-Hukm Palace compound and Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in the Qasr al-Hukm District. It is known as the historic site of public executions, where those sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia are publicly beheaded.[5]

Al Hukm Palace[edit]

Main article: Al Hukm Palace
Al Hukm Palace, 2022

Al-Hukm Palace, so called from the public square it overlooks from the south,[6] is a historic palace and a popular cultural heritage landmark in the ad-Dirah neighbourhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located directly opposite to Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in the Qasr al-Hukm District.

Masmak Fort, 2011

Masmak Fortress[edit]

Main article: Masmak Fort

Masmak Fort is a clay and mudbrick fort in the al-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 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 first iteration of modern Saudi Arabia. The fortress was converted into a museum in 1995, showcasing one of the most important landmarks of Saudi heritage.[7]

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque[edit]

Main article: Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque is a congregational mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to Qasr al-Hukm while it overlooks the Deera Square. It was established during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud, the founder and Imam of the Second Saudi State and was later named after him. Seating 17,000 worshippers and measuring 16,800 m2, it is one of the largest mosques in Saudi Arabia.[8]

King Abdulaziz Historical Center[edit]

Main article: King Abdulaziz Historical Center

King Abdulaziz Historical Center(KAHC) is a cross-district heritage complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, covering south of al-Murabba and north of al-Futah. It includes the al-Murabba Palace, the National Museum, King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, King Abdulaziz Public Library, King Abdulaziz Auditorium, Red Palace and Riyadh Water Tower besides six municipal parks 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'stakeover of Riyadh in 1902, that paved the way for the establishment of the Emirate of Riyadh, the first iteration of modern Saudi Arabia.

Al Murabba Palace[edit]

Main article: Murabba Palace

Al Murabba Palace is a palace museum in the al-Murabba district of Riyadh. 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 King Abdulaziz Historical Center in 1999.[9][10]

National Museum, 2012

National Museum of Saudi Arabia[edit]

Main article: National Museum of Saudi Arabia

National Museum of Saudi Arabia was inaugurated in 1999 as part of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center that exhibits several artifacts belonging to the First and Second Saudi States.[11][12][13]

Al Hamra Palace[edit]

Main article: Al Hamra Palace (Riyadh)

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 Riyadh.[14] It was incorporated into the King Abdulaziz Historical Center 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[edit]

Main article: Riyadh Water Tower
Riyadh Water Tower, 2007

Riyadh Water Tower is a 61-meters tall conical-shaped cylindrical water tower and a prominent cultural landmark in the al-Futah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[15] Designed by Swedish architect Sune Lindström and modeled after the Svampen water tower in Örebro, Sweden, it was the tallest structure in the country at the time of its inauguration in 1971 and is today located within the precincts of al-Watan Park in the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.[16][17][18][19][20]

National Museum Park[edit]

Main article: National Museum Park

National Museum Park is an umbrella term used for the agglomeration of 5 out of 8 municipal parks and gardens[20] in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, namely al-Haras, al-Soor, al-Wadi, al-Jisr and al-Madi[21][22][23][24] that adjoin the Murabba Palace compound and the premises of National Museum as well as the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives in northern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.[25][26][27][28][29]

Al-Batʼha commercial area[edit]

Main article: Al Batʼha (Riyadh)
Al Batha, 2023

Al-Batʼha, also simply romanized as Batha,[30][31][32] is a colloquial umbrella term used for the agglomeration of certain parts of neighborhoods in downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that are primarily situated along the al-Batʼha Street on the either edge of the now-dried up stream of Wadi al-Batʼha,[33] located between al-Murabba and the Qasr al-Hukm District. It is one of the oldest commercial districts in Riyadh and the financial nerve center of the city's downtown area,[34][35] 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 when a number of Kuwaiti merchants and traders chose to set up an auction market just outside the northeastern fringes of the city walls.[36]

Besides being an open-air marketplace that hosts a number of large and medium-scale trading centers,[37] the surrounding locality has been the heart of the city's Bangladeshi community since the oil boom of the 1970s,[38][39] alongside Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Sri Lankans, who altogether contribute in almost 70% of the economic activity in the area.[40][41][42][43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "تحويل وسط العاصمة إلى مركز تاريخي وإداري وثقافي". www.alriyadh.com. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ "تطوير "الظهيرة والدحو" وأسواق السويلم والبطحاء والعطايف واستقطاب مشروعات الإسكان". www.alriyadh.com. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. ^ Bsheer, Rosie (2020-09-22). Archive Wars: The Politics of History in Saudi Arabia. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-1258-7.
  4. ^ التميمي, مهنا (30 May 2019). "#من_ذاكرة_السعودية.. بوابات الرياض القديمة: أسوار من الطين المجفَّف.. وأبراج حراسة دائرية تُغلق ليلاً". صحيفة سبق الالكترونية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  5. ^ al-Omar, Asmaa; Hubbard, Ben (2021-08-13). "For a Crime at 14, He Faces Death in a Case Casting Doubt on Saudi Reforms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. A former site of public executions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital.
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  9. ^ Faleh Al Dhuyabi; Majed Al Mufadhali (11 March 2010). "SCTA takes over Al Saqqaf Palace". Saudi Gazette. Jeddah/Mecca. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
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  11. ^ Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited, developers for the urban design and landscaping of the 83-acre (34 ha) site of the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre.
  12. ^ Lord Cultural Resources Archived 2008-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, codeveloper of the exhibitional concept for the museum.
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  22. ^ ""حديقتا المدي.. والجسر" متنفس بيئي يطفئ حرارة صيف الرياض". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 4 August 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
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  24. ^ "حديقة الوطن في الرياض تستقبل أكثر من 100 ألف زائر". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
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  27. ^ "المتحف الوطني .. معارض دائمة وبرامج تطويرية لمفهوم الارتياد الثقافي". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  28. ^ al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī (in Arabic). Idārat al-ʻAlāqāt al-ʻĀmmah bi-al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī. 1997.
  29. ^ العربى (in Arabic). Dāʼirat al-Maṭbūʻāt wa-al-Nashr. 2000.
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  31. ^ "Four more arrested in Batha daylight robbery". Arab News. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  32. ^ "Riyadh municipality in drive to clear Al-Batha of illegal stores". Saudigazette. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  33. ^ Cuddihy, Kathy (2012). Anywhere But Saudi Arabia!: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat. Barzipan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9567081-3-7.
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  35. ^ Koelbl, Susanne (2020-09-15). Behind the Kingdom's Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mango Media Inc. ISBN 978-1-64250-345-6.
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  37. ^ "ماهو سر "البطحاء" والفشل؟!". Al Riyadh. 2013-08-27. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  38. ^ "طرد البنغاليين...لماذا؟". Al Riyadh. 2009-08-16. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  39. ^ "البطحاء تستنشق رائحة الخطر والمخالفات من أنفاس العمالة الوافدة". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  40. ^ ""بطحاء الرياض" يذر الرماد في العيون". www.okaz.com.sa. November 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  41. ^ Asian Business. Far East Trade Press. 1995. p. 70.
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  43. ^ "Batha 'home' to expat workers in Riyadh". Arab News. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
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