In Pictures: Historical Diriyah in Saudi Arabia

A view of an 18th-century palace built from mud and straw. Curved along the outskirts of Riyadh and formed on the oasis that spilt from the banks of Wadi Hanifa, Diriyah's mud-brick walls once housed a thriving desert city that was a powerhouse of culture and commerce. In Turaif district, the area's citadel-marked primary quarter was the original seat of power for the kingdom's Al Saud family. In 1727, the city was named the country's capital, laying the foundations for what would later become a unified Saudi Arabia.

Diriyah fell in late 1818 at the end of the Wahhabi war and was succeeded as the nation’s capital by the nearby settlement of Riyadh. The ruins of At Turaif were designated a Unesco Heritage Site in 2010, and the area has since been the subject of a detailed restoration plan aimed at bringing its historical legacy back to life. While work at Diriyah is still underway, ample heritage-rich sites are open to the public.

18th-century palace built from mud and straw in Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state.

Exhibits throughout the palace spotlight the Al Saud family’s achievements, going back well before the kingdom’s official founding in the 1930s.

While the country with the Al Saud name is just 90 years old, the family dynasty traces its origins to the 1700s.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz first showed interest in redeveloping Diriyah in the 1970s.

Salwa Palace, made from mudbricks three centuries ago in the historic Turaif district, the first capital of the Saudi dynasty seen illuminated during the light and sound show.

The palace is not only a part of the historic At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage site in Diriyah, it is also a symbol of the enduring spirit and culture of the people of Saudi Arabia.

Traditional windows in a house in the historical Al Diriyah area.

Situated on the oasis of Wadi Hanifa and its tributaries, Diriyah was a powerhouse of culture, academia and commerce, a historical crossroads for pilgrims and traders travelling between Asia, Europe and Africa and a beacon of knowledge and cultural exchange.