Diriyah

Start your tour visiting Diriyah, Historical Diriyah (visit only from outside) is your gateway to the past. It is the crib of Islah Dawah, the capital; of the first Saudi state and the city that ha witnessed the history of when Saudi Arabia was established. Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state, historical crossroads of pilgrims and traders, and home to one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious heritage developments. (some sites like the mud houses can be visited only from outside as there are some renovation works now)

Curved along the outskirts of Riyadh, and formed on the oasis that spilled from the banks of Wadi Hanifa, Ad Diriyah’s mud-brick walls once housed a thriving desert city that was a powerhouse of culture and commerce. Its Al Turaif district, the area’s citadel-marked primary quarter, was the original seat of power for the Kingdom’s Al Saud family. In 1745, the city was named the country’s capital, laying the foundations for what would later become a unified Saudi Arabia. The ruins of Al Turaif were designated a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2010 and the area has since been the subject of a painstaking restoration plan aimed at bringing its historical legacy back to life. The Ad Diriyah’s Al Bujairy district is home to religious scholar Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab, its maze of twisting streets lead to low-lying mud huts that have been transformed into sparkling heritage sites.