Diriyah

In Muhammad's time the expedition of Muhammad ibn Maslamah took place here in Muharram, July 627 CE/6AH.^[8][9]

A platoon of thirty Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad bin Maslamah was despatched on a military mission. It headed for the habitation of the Qurata, a sept of the Bakr clan of the Banu Kilab. The Muslims attacked that sept and dispersed them in all directions. The Muslims captured war booty and returned with the chief of the tribe of Banu Hanifa, called Thumamah Bin Uthal al-Hanafi.^[10]

Post 1400

Although the location is sometimes identified with an ancient settlement mentioned by

Initially, Mani' and his clan, known as the Mrudah, settled in Ghusaybah (الغصيبة) and Al-Mulaybeed (المليبيد). The entire settlement was named Al-Dir'iyah, after Mani's benefactor Ibn Dir'. Later on, the district of Turaif (طُريف) was settled.^[4] Many families from other towns or from the Bedouin tribes of the nearby desert eventually settled in the area and by the 18th century Diriyah had become a well-known town in Nejd.

At that time,

The Ottoman Empire viewed the Arab challenge with alarm, especially after the loss of Mecca and Medina, and the removal of the Ottoman emperor's name from Friday prayers. An Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pasha was sent to recover lost territory. In 1818 the army entered Diriyah and after a six-month siege penetrated the defences on the Turaif, totally destroyed the houses and cut down every tree in the palm groves. The Egyptians were estimated to have lost 10,000 men in the siege, and the Saudi forces 1,800.^[14]

The town's original inhabitants left Diriyah after 1818, with the bulk of them moving to Riyadh. In The Kingdom (first published in 1981), British author

Saudi Arabia has formed the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) to oversee the preservation and development of the historic site. Despite

Among the rebuilt structures are the bath and guest house, the Qasr Nasr, the Saad bin Saud Palace (finished by the early 90s), the Burj Faysal (a wall tower renovated in the 80s), major sections of the wall surrounding Turaif, and sections of the outer walls and some watchtowers surrounding the wadi. Outside of the Turaif district, on the opposite side of the wadi Hanifa, the region of the mosque of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab has been completely remodeled, leaving only some of the more recent original structures standing to the north of the complex build on the site of the historic mosque.

The "Turaif District Development Plan" aims to turn the district into a major national, cultural and touristic center.^[20] Before turning the complete site into a modern open-air museum documentation and necessary investigations, including excavations especially in places that may need to be remodelled, are planned in three major phases. These will include sites such as:^[20]

• Al-Imam Mohammad bin Saud Mosque and Salwa Palace.
• Ibraheem Ibn Saud Palace and Fahad Ibn Saud Palace.
• Farhan Ibn Saud Palace, Torki Ibn Saud Palace, and Qoo'a Al-Sharia'a (eastern court of Salwa Palace)

Once finished, there will be a new visitors center as well as a documentation center. Four new museums are planned for the district.^[20]

• A museum of war and defense (as this was the site of a major siege in Saudi Arabia).
• A museum of horses.
• A museum of social life.
• A museum of commerce and finance.

Additionally, a Turaif traditional market will add to the open-air museum experience.

The

The old city's historic structures include:^[15]

• Salwa Palace (قصر سلوى). It was the residence and first home of the Saʿūdī Amirs and Imāms during the
  Saud ibn Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud
  , who was Imam from 1803 to 1814. It is now a museum.

• Sa'ad bin Saʿūd Palace popularly known as the Palace of Saad (قصر سعد بن سعود). One of the largest palaces on the site, it is famous for its courtyard, which was used as a stable. The palace was restored in the late 1980s and is several stories high. Sa'd ibn Sā'ud was the son of Imām Abd Allāh bin Saʿūd āl Sāʿūd (d. 1819) and played a prominent role in the battle for the city in 1818.

• The Guest House and At-Turaif Bath House^[23] a traditional building consisting of a number of small courtyards surrounded by rooms. The Bath House is famous for its different architectural styles and shows how the building was waterproofed by using different plasters. Both the Guest and Bath Houses were supplied with water from a well in the wadi.
• Imām Muḥammad bin Saʿūd Mosque, a
  Mohammad bin Saud (1687–1765), perhaps replacing an earlier structure. Imām Abd al ʿAzīz bin Muḥammad Āl Saʿūd was assassinated here while leading Asr Salat in November 1803. The building fell into ruins afer the invasion of 1818 and the disappearance of the first Saudi state; only part of the structure on eastern side survived to the 1970s and is still preserved. A small mosque was built on the south-west corner of the site some time in the first half of 20th century. Subsequently the location was excavated to reveal the large hypostyle
  mosque of the 18th century. The modern mosque was replaced with a traditional building as part of the development under the UNESCO heritage programme.
• Al-Bujairi (البجيري), one of the districts of the city, directly adjacent to Qasr Salwa on the opposite side of the wadi. It was the religious centre of the historical settlement, surrounded by palm trees. The chief building was mosque of the Shaykh Muḥammad bin ʿAbd al-Wahāb (محمد بن عبد الوهاب), now rebuilt and set in the al-Bujairi Heritage Park.
  Mohammad ibn Abdulwahab used to give lessons about his reformed movement of Islam in this mosque.^[25] It became a centre for religious education. Students used to travel to it from all parts of the Arabian Peninsula
  .
• Ghasiba (غصيبة), a walled historic site and on the edge of Wadi Hanifah, is to the north of old Dir'iyyah and is thought to date back to the 17th century CE.

• Qasr al-'Ujā (قصر العوجا) is a large Saudi royal palace erected adjacent to the old city on the south bank of Wadi Hanifa.
• The mosque of al-Zawiharah (مسجد الظويهرة) is located in the al-Bujairi Heritage Park and is an old traditional building, restored and reopened in 2014.[26] It is notable for the underground chamber or khālwa, a feature encountered in the older mosques in the Najd region.^[27]
• The mosque of al-Sarikhah (مسجد السريحة) is a modern building made in the traditional central Arabian style. It is located on the west side of the al-Bujairi Heritage Park.
• The mosque of Nakhil al-'Dhibah (مسجد نخيل العذيبة) is located a short distance to the west of the old city, in the farm of Sultan Bin Salman. It is built in the traditional central Arabian style.

Museums

A number of the palaces in the old city have been restored and are used as museums.

• Museum of Bygone Days (متحف السنين الماضية) is located north of al-Bujairi and houses a collection reflecting everyday life in central Arabia in the early and middle twentieth century.

Public facilities and centres

• Al-Maarefa University (جامعة المعرفة), is an educational institution to the north of the old city in Al Khalidiyah suburb of Riyadh.

• Mosim Park, Football ground in the Nakheel area. It is home to football team Mosim FC, who are called The Pride of Dir'iyah. Mosim Park was erected in 2007 after Mosim FC moved there from their old ground downtown of Riyadh.
• Diriyah Arena opened in 2019 is a sporting venue with a capacity of 15,000 seats.^[28]

Climate

In Diriyah the summers are long, sweltering, and arid, and the winters are cool and dry. Diriyah has a

• 
  Salwa Palace for the outside
• 
  Salwa Palace
• 
  Al-Turaif Mosque
• 
  Arda House
• 
  Traditional wooden door
• 
  Costume of Imam Abdullah bin Saud displayed in Diriyah Galley
• 
  Trade and Treasury Gallery

See also

• Siege of Diriyah
• Diriyah ePrix
• List of battles of Muhammad
• List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diriyah.

• Photo gallery on
  Archive.org
  (in Arabic)

24°44′00″N 46°34′32″E / 24.73333°N 46.57556°E / 24.73333; 46.57556