Walled town of Riyadh

Walled town of Riyadh
بلدة الرياض المسورة
Fortress city
Thumairi Street, 1938
Thumairi Street, 1938
Map
Coordinates: 24°37′50.6″N 46°42′38.9″E / 24.630722°N 46.710806°E / 24.630722; 46.710806
CountrySaudi Arabia
CityRiyadh
RegionOld Riyadh
Established1746
Wahhabi takeover1773
Capital, Emirate of Nejd1824
Battle of Riyadh1902
Capital, Saudi Arabia1932
Dismantling of fortifications1950
Founded byDahham ibn Dawwas
Quarters
Area
 • Land1 km2 (0.4 sq mi)
Population
 (1918)
 • Total
19,000

The walled town of Riyadh was the original core of Riyadh, the modern-day capital of Saudi Arabia,[1][2][3][4][5][6] located on the western edge of Wadi al-Batʼha in present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Doho. It succeeded from Migrin in 1746 when Dahham ibn Dawwas erected a wall around it, built a mudbrick palace for himself and ruled as the settlement's chieftain until his overthrow by the First Saudi State in 1773. It was later the center of power of the Second Saudi State for most of 19th century following brief Ottoman presence in Najd. Abdulaziz ibn Saud captured the town in 1902 and made it the base for his 30-year long unification wars that led to the establishment of Saudi Arabia in 1932. The town served as the administrative center of the Saudi government until 1944, when Ibn Saud moved his workplace and residence to Murabba Palace. In 1950, he instructed the dismantling of the fortifications in order to expand the settlement into a metropolis and the walled town eventually ceased to exist. The area covering the perimeters of the erstwhile town was renamed as the Qasr al-Hukm District in 1973 with the aim of preserving its historical and architectural significance.

  1. ^ الجبوري, عبد الجبار (2010-01-01). ثرثرة فوق الذكريات (in Arabic). Al Manhal. ISBN 9796500009704.
  2. ^ Calzada, Aysel Yavuz, Dr, Nihan Canbakal Ataoğlu, Dr, Habibe Acar, Dr, Dr Usama Abd Elhameed Nassar, M. Sc Marjan Sansen, Dr Andrés Martínez, Dr Philippe Devillers, Dr Oluwafemi K. Akande, Dr Didem Gunes Yilmaz, PhD Candidate Burcu Ülker, Prof Dr Alaattin Kanoğlu, Prof Dr Özlem Özçevik, Ph D. Candidate James Kanyepe, Prof Dr Marian Tukuta, Prof Dr Innocent Chirisa, Professor Dr Maged Attia, Associate Professor Dr Corinna Rossi, Sara Rabie, Dr Igor (2021-06-30). Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs Vol.5 No. 1., 2021. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ McLoughlin, Leslie (1993-01-21). Ibn Saud: Founder Of A Kingdom. Springer. ISBN 978-1-349-22578-1.
  4. ^ Division, Naval Intelligence (2013-10-28). Western Arabia and The Red Sea. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-20995-6.
  5. ^ Elsheshtawy, Yasser (2008-05-27). The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-12821-1.
  6. ^ Boeing Magazine. Boeing Aircraft Company. 1961.