The capital of Saudi Arabia, the city of Riyadh, plays an important role in the modern world. If we turn to historical data, we can see that on this place land trade routes and caravan trails intersected. At this intersection, a craft village was formed. From this village and grew Riyadh. In 1233, the city was destroyed by the Egyptians. But already in 1240 it was rebuilt and surrounded by a fortress in which the mosque and the palace of the ruler were located.
In the second half of the XVI century, after the capture of bin Abdulrehman Al Faisal by Abulaziz, the city becomes the capital of the state, which the Arabs are trying to create, taking advantage of the weak political influence of Turkey.
In 1744, the first Sudanese state was created, which after 73 years was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire. In 1824, a second Saudi state was created by the Saudi dynasty with its capital in Riyadh. 65 years later, the country was conquered by the Rashid dynasty. In 1902, the Saudi Dynasty began to attempt to regain power in Arabia with the help of Turkey and Great Britain. In 1920, the Rashid dynasty was overthrown.
Since the XIX century, there has been an active political movement for the unification of the tribes inhabiting the country, and for the liberation from power of Turkey, and the capital of Saudi Arabia becomes its center. The purpose of this movement was to create a single state with centralized power. As a result of this, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created in 1932, the capital of which remained in the city of Riyadh.
Riyadh remained a typical Arab city until the 50s. Twentieth century. The main building was the palace of the emir. On the narrow winding streets were
adobe houses with courtyards. At this time, huge
oil fields were discovered in Saudi Arabia
. The country is turning into one of the richest. Adobe houses are being demolished in the capital. The city is practically rebuilt. Skyscrapers are being built. On the wide streets are schools, hotels, shopping centers, mosques, private villas. All ministries and major state institutions are being transferred to the capital.
But the capital of Saudi Arabia has preserved the historical sights of antiquity - the Royal Palace of Murabba and the Palace of the Emirs. One of the modern attractions of Riyadh is the royal stables, and the races of purebred Arabian horses attract not only the residents of the city, but also its guests. The most ancient and retaining its original appearance is Fort Masmak, built in 1865.
Today, the capital of Saudi Arabia covers an area of about 1,600 square kilometers and has more than 4.5 million people. Despite the fact that Riyadh is located in the center of the country and is the hottest city in the state, millions of tourists visit it annually. All of them are attracted by the wealth and luxury of the city, which grew in a short time on the "black gold", and its historical attractions.
From Riyadh, a road has been laid to the holy city of Muslims - Mecca. According to the laws and traditions of Saudi Arabia, whose inhabitants are Muslims, it is necessary to make an annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Residents of the country strictly honor this law of the Koran.
There is also the second capital, the capital of Saudi Arabia - diplomatic - the city of Jeddah. It is located on the shores of the Red Sea, built up with modern buildings. In the coastal part of the city are all consulates and embassies.