Riyadh Excursions
Diriyah ruins © Tansan
City of old Diriyah
The ruins of the historically significant city of Diriyah,
standing imposing and silent in the desert about 12 miles (20km)
northwest of Riyadh city centre, provide an interesting excursion.
The city, stronghold of the powerful Saud family, was the site of
an important Islamic reform movement in around 1745, when two
influential Imams called for the people to return to the true faith
and abandon heresy, polytheism and superstition. The city was once
the biggest in the Arab Peninsula, but was overtaken by Riyadh
after being destroyed by the Turks in the early 19th century. The
ruins of many of the mud-brick buildings remain to be explored.
Opening time: Saturday to Thursday 8am to 6pm, 3am to 6pm on Fridays;
Admission: Free
