Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s as an offshoot of the 18th century walled town following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications.
The Faisal Mosque is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in the capital city, Islamabad. It is the fifth-largest mosque in the world, the largest mosque outside the Middle East, and the largest within South Asia, located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad. It is named after the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The mosque features a contemporary design consisting of eight sides of concrete shell and is inspired by the design of a typical Bedouin tent.
King Khalid International Airport is an international airport located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by the architectural firm HOK. Arabian Bechtel Company Limited served as the construction manager on behalf of the Saudi government.
The Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557, although work on the complex probably continued for a few years after this.
Kingdom Centre, formerly Kingdom Tower, is a 41-story, 302.3 m (992 ft) skyscraper in the al-Olaya district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When completed in 2002, it overtook the 267-meter (876 ft) Faisaliah Tower as the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia. It has since been surpassed and, as of 2021, is the fifth-tallest skyscraper in the country, whose tallest two buildings are the The Clock Towers and the Capital Market Authority Tower. It is the world's third-tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center and the 85 Sky Tower in Taiwan. It contains the King Abdullah Mosque, which is the world's most elevated mosque from ground level.
Tuwaiq Palace or Towaiq Palace is a building in the Diplomatic Quarter district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which hosts government functions, state receptions, and cultural festivals that introduce Saudi arts and customs to the international community. Named after the nearby Tuwaiq mountain, it was built in 1985 by OHO Joint Venture, a team composed of Frei Otto, Buro Happold, and Omrania. Tuwaiq Palace won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the design in 1998.
Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil is an Egyptian architect who designed over 15 mosques in Saudi Arabia and is considered by many as the foremost contemporary authority in Islamic architecture. For designing in traditional styles, he is also a representative of New Classical Architecture.
The Nuruosmaniye Mosque is an 18th-century Ottoman mosque located in the Çemberlitaş neighbourhood of Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey, which was inscribed in the Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey in 2016.
Omrania and Associates, also known as Omrania, is an international architectural, engineering, and urban planning firm based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1973, it specializes in the design of contextual and high-performance design projects.
The Riyadh Metro is a rapid transit system serving Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, it is the longest driverless metro in the world.
The following is a Gregorian timeline of the history for the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah Financial District is a mixed-use financial district located in the al-Aqeeq neighbourhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Managed by the King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund. The district was previously being managed by the Rayadah Investment Corporation on behalf of the Pension Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The district is the largest LEED Platinum certified mixed-use business centre in the world.
Masjid al-Haram, also known as the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is among the pilgrimage sites associated with the Hajj, which every Muslim must perform at least once in their lives if able. It is also the main site for the performance of ʿUmrah, the lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year. The rites of both pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba within the mosque. The Great Mosque includes other important significant sites, such as the Black Stone, the Zamzam Well, Maqam Ibrahim, and the hills of Safa and Marwa.
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh, is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to al-Hukm Palace compound, in Deera Square.
King Salman Park is an under construction large-scale public park and urban district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was unveiled in 2019 as one of the public initiatives to increase the green space of Riyadh. Being built on the grounds of former Riyadh Air Base and covering most of King Abdulaziz District, it is slated to be the largest urban park in the world upon its opening in 2026. The park has lent its name to the nearby district of King Salman Neighborhood that are named after King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the ruler of Saudi Arabia since 2015.
Architecture Of Saudi Arabia was not different in the pre-oil era during the early 1930s from what it was across the past centuries. Construction and building activities followed a simple and modest style back then, as there was a lack of specialized architects in the modern sense. Instead, native communities would erect their own structures manually through the efforts of builders using basic means and local materials in what came to be known as “traditional architecture.” Every region in Saudi Arabia was famous for its own brand of architecture that expressed its artistic taste. Building materials used at that time were sourced from the local environment, such as clay, rock, palm fronds, and wood. Similarly, the architectural styles passed on from generation to generation reflected each region's climatic and environmental conditions.
Al-Kindi Plaza, or Al-Kindi Square, is a multipurpose market square in Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located next to the Cultural Palace. Completed in 1986, it is named after the 9th century Arab philosopher and polymath Abu Yusuf al-Kindi. It contains the Hayy Assafarat Grand Mosque, a library, garden, courtyard and the offices of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the MiSK Foundation.
King Khalid Airport Mosque is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque located within the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Built in 1983, the mosque covers an area of 5,600 m2 (60,000 sq ft) in a hexagonal plan and was designed by the US-based architectural firm HOK. It incorporates elements of traditional Islamic architecture and primarily serves Muslim passengers arriving or departing through Riyadh.
Najdi architecture is a vernacular architecture indigenous to the Najd region of modern-day Saudi Arabia. The style flourished roughly between 13th and 18th centuries and is known for its desert adaptive urban patterns with low-contour earth-structured mudbrick buildings that are characterized by elements such as triangular or rectangular openings (furjat) and battlements (shurfat) as well as peepholes projecting outward from the main façade (tarma). The presence of a central courtyard and open spaces also forms a distinct part of the architectural style.
