King Faisal Road (Riyadh)

King Faisal Road
Al-Wazir Street
Bab al-Thumairi on King Faisal Road, 2023
Native nameشارع الملك فيصل (Arabic)
OwnerMinistry of Transport, Saudi Arabia
LocationRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates24°38′28″N 46°42′52″E / 24.64111°N 46.71444°E / 24.64111; 46.71444

King Faisal Road (Arabic: شارع الملك فيصل), formerly al-Wazir Street[1] (Arabic: شارع الوزير), is a 5 km historic and commercial street in southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,[2] running from the east of al-Bateha neighborhood to al-Murabba via Jabrah and ad-Dirah. It was the first road built following the dismantling of the city walls in 1950, whereas the name 'al-Wazir' was derived from the nickname of the country's first finance minister, Abdullah bin Suleiman al-Hamdan,[3] who was better known as Wazīr Kullī Shaīʾ (transl. minister for everything) and played a central role in the road's construction. It was later renamed after King Faisal. The street was once a preferred destination for commercial activity in the city[4] and was also a bustling marketplace for imported and domestic goods.[5]

  1. ^ "A Flâneur in Riyadh: The Transformation of Tahlia Street | alexandrinepress.co.uk". www.alexandrinepress.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. ^ ""وزير" شوارع الرياض .. صاحب المعالي الذي لا يشيخ". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  3. ^ الرياض, منيرة المهيزع- (2019-02-20). "شارع الوزير .. ذكريات وطن وقلب الرياض النابض". alyaum (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  4. ^ "شارع الوزير.. رحل رواده وبقيت ذكرياتهم!". Al Riyadh. 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  5. ^ "قبائل "طسم وجديس وعنزة" استوطنت حجر "الرياض" منذ قرنين قبل الإسلام الرياض قلب الجزيرة العربية "الجزء الأول" 1/6 أدوات حجرية عثر عليها في أرض مطار الملك خالد تدل على تواجد بشري قبل 250 ألف سنة في الأزمنة الجيوراسية كانت الرياض تغمرها مياه البحر الأبيض المتوسط". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2021-12-30.