Desert capital rising — Diriyah, Edge of the World, and kabsa with the Kingdom
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia — a city of 7 million in the centre of the Arabian Peninsula that has transformed from an austere, restricted capital into a destination seriously worth visiting since Vision 2030 opened tourism in 2019. The UNESCO-listed old city of Diriyah (the first Saudi capital, now a vast restoration project), the 478m Kingdom Tower, and the dramatic Jebel Fihrayn (Edge of the World) escarpment 90km outside the city are the headline attractions.
Riyadh (Arabic for 'meadows') grew around Al Mismak Fort, a mudbrick citadel where Ibn Saud captured the city in 1902 — the event that launched the unification of Saudi Arabia and the founding of the modern kingdom. Diriyah, 15km northwest, was the original capital of the first Saudi state (1744–1818) before Ottoman forces destroyed it. Saudi Arabia was formally established in 1932 under King Abdulaziz Al Saud, and oil discovery in 1938 began the transformation of a desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest states.