During my first trip to Saudi Arabia in 2023 I was travelleing on my own and was not well prepared. So I first concentrated on things to do around Riyadh, a city person like me always feels at home in a city.
Diriyah, the place where the Saudi state started, and Boulevard World, a door to the world outside of Saudi Arabia and Edge of the World, dramatic rock formations southeast of Riyadh.
Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi Arabia,
Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudia Arabia
When entering the site the view is quite impressive. The mud structures all sit on small hills, there a palm groves, a bit of pastoral feeling. Diriyah consists almost entirely of mud-brick structures, the ruins are divided into three districts, Ghussaibah, Al-Mulaybeed, and Turaif that are set on top of hills overlooking the valley.
A bit of history
Diriyah was the original home of the House of Saud, and served as the capital of the Emirate of Diriyah from 1727 to 1818. That year it was captured by an Alliance of Ottomans and Egyptians. Especially the Ottoman Empire, the major Islamic power at the time, held a crutch against the Saudi for conquering the holy cities of Mecca and Medina . led to the Ottoman-Saudi War of 1811–1818 and an invasion of Arabia by the Ottoman Empire and Egyptian forces. They brought the Saudi state to an end in 1818, with Diriyah capitulating after a nearly-year-long siege. The leader of the invading force ordered the destruction of Diriyah, it was burned to the ground. Its inhabitants moved to what is now Riyadh.
Some renovation was undertaken in the 1980s, and 1990s, but only in 2019 major renovation and development of Diriyah, as part of the massive Diriyah Gate project, started.
2010 it was declared Unesco World Heritage Site.
Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudia Arabia
Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudia Arabia
These two young ladies in the red dress, where quite funny and attracted a lot of attention, the way they dressed and behaved.
Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudia Arabia
Edge of the World
These dramatic cliffs are in the southeast of Riyadh, so I had to join an organised tour. How did I find out? It was advertised in my hotel, I sent them a mail and off we went the next day. The meeting place was Dunkin Donuts on the edge of Rijyad. I felt a bit uneasy first travelling across Rijadh. This was before the metro had opened, now getting around Rijad in the brand-new metro is super easy.
Edge of the World
Edge of the World
Edge of the World
It was also a good way to meet other people since I had not come across a single tourist in Riyadh until I joined this tour. After climbing various cliff we were taken to a Bedouin test for tea. A cloudless sky presented constellations so clear that it left no room for guessing.
Toilet in Pitch dark desert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZx7g8-8b48
Boulevard World – diving into foreign countries while in Rijadh
See the world without travelling far? This is Boulevard World, a high-end miniature park that also features the world’s largest man-made lagen with an area of approximately 12-hectares.
I had the privilege to visit the first Boulevard World in 2023, the first year after it was inaugurated.
The whole thing is very family orientated, but you also see lots of small groups of girls. It is also the place where dress codes are even more relaxed than they have become since 2019.
Chinese Gate with Syrian tea seller in front
Egypt
Gigantic lagoon surounded by China, Italy and Pakistan
Marocco
Another gigantic project is Qiddiya City, city of games and leisure, a few hundred square kilometers for entertainment, sports and culture.
Qiddiya and Boulevard World is among the few amusement parks supported by Saudi Vision 2030 to make Saudi Arabia the entertainment capital of the world and diversify its economy away from oil.
https://qiddiya.com/qiddiya-city/
https://qiddiya.com/qiddiya-city/
In 2023 the metro had not opened yet and I had to rely on Uber. There were not many of them and sometimes I had to wait very long. Flagging down a regular taxi was taking a chance, I had guys who spoke no English, i.e National Museum could not be communicated. Now with the metro things are so much easier. One trip is 4 rial, first class 10 rial. You simple swipe your creditcard across the reader and you are in.
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