Riyadh
Travel Guide > Middle East > Saudi Arabia > Riyadh
Introduction
Photo not found
Riyadh (الرياض) is the capital and largest city in Saudi Arabia and is located in the central part of the country on a high plateau. It has about 4.7 million inhabitants and people have been living in this relatively fertile area in the desert since over 1500 years. The city has seen massive growth in population and 20 years ago the city had only about a third of the amount of people living within its boundaries compared to the present situation. Nowadays, it is a busy commercial city and the economical heart of the country, despite its location far away from most other populated coastal areas. Very few travellers visit the city, as most foreigners are here on a business visit or are working in some of the industries of the country.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
- King Fahd Road, the busy commercial centre
- Kingdom Centre (the bottle opener), the highest skyscraper and famous landmark
- Al Faisaliyah Center/Tower: the first skyscraper in the country
Events and Festivals
Weather
Because of its elevation, temperatures are somewhat lower than other parts of the desert and during the February to April period even some light showers are possible, sometimes with hail! In general though it is a dry and sunny places, with temperatures hitting 45º C in summer, but with some frost recorded in January every now and then.
Getting There
By Plane
King Khalid International Airport (RUH) near the capital Riyadh receives flights from both other places in the country as well as international flights. The main carrier is Saudi Arabian Airlines.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Eat
Drink
Work
Learn
This is version 2. Last edited at 0:29 on Apr 15, 08 by dr.pepper (-18). 3 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License