• Menu
  • Menu
  • News
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2022 Golf in UAE Gratuity Calculator Mind Your Migraine
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
      • Sheikh Khalifa passes away
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Ask the Law
    • Reader Complaint
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Play Games
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • Discounts
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
    • Special Reports
    • Games
    • Corrections
  • Special Reports
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
    • Motorsport
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Rugby
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Eagle Eye
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
    • News
    • Photos
    • Pavilions
    • Visit the Expo
    • Experience the UAE
    • Entertainment
    • Videos
  • Going Out
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • Travel
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Mind Your Migraine
  • 50 MENA Leaders
  • The Kurator
    • Share
    • Dare
    • Flair
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • Newsletters
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    Photos: Diriyah, the original home of the Saudi state

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Monday, July 4, 2022
    Gold / Forex

    Photos News

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Photos: Diriyah, the original home of the Saudi state

    Founded in the 15th century, Diriyah was the original home to the house of Saud


    Published:  June 17, 2022 15:37 Compiled by Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor with inputs from AFP, Saudi Tourism

    1 of 9
    Diriyah 1-1655462194154
    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. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 9
    TEA SAUDI 2-1655462202785
    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. Image Credit: Saudi Tourism Authority
    3 of 9
    Diriyah 3-1655462188457
    Nada Alfuraih ushers guests through an 18th-century palace built from mud and straw in Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state, a historical crossroads of pilgrims and traders, and home to one of the kingdom’s most ambitious heritage developments. Pausing in an airy assembly hall in the palace, she raves about this aspect of her country’s origin story. Her only regret is that today, nearly 300 years later, some young Saudis seem unaware of it. “I meet visitors who have no clue. They must have skipped this part of their education or something,” she told AFP. Above, Saudi tour guide Nada Alfuraih walks with Entertainment Executive Jerry Inzerillo through an 18th-century palace. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 9
    Diriyah 4-1655462191309
    Later this year, the restored palace in the historic district of Diriyah on the outskirts of the Saudi capital Riyadh will open to the public for the first time. Exhibits throughout the palace spotlight the Al Saud family’s achievements, going back well before the kingdom’s official founding in the 1930s. The new Diriyah features attractions of a modern Saudi Arabia opening up to the world: fine dining, art galleries - even a Formula-E race track. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 9
    Diriyah 5-1655462185368
    While the country with the Al Saud name is just 90 years old, the family dynasty traces its origins to the 1700s. Crown Prince Mohammad’s father, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, first showed interest in redeveloping Diriyah in the 1970s. Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 9
    Diriyah 6-1655462180995
    The man hired to bring this new Diriyah to life is Jerry Inzerillo, an entertainment executive from Brooklyn who had a cameo in the 2006 James Bond film “Casino Royale”. In an interview with AFP, Inzerillo talked up Diriyah’s potential, saying it could be for Saudis what the Acropolis is for Greeks and the Colosseum is for Italians. “There was a generation that said, ‘Oh, it’s just a bunch of mud houses, and that’s not our future,’” he said. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 9
    Diriyah 7-1655462198789
    “But this king believes that the national identity and the ongoing source of pride have got to be in a rich Saudi past.” The same thinking, he said, was behind a new Founding Day holiday inaugurated in February that honours the Al Saud family’s Diriyah-era leaders. Asked about Crown Prince Mohammed’s role, Inzerillo said he “approved every rendering” of Diriyah and had personally spent up to 30 hours painstakingly reviewing its street layout. The palace features zones for historical re-enactment, sword-dancing, falconry and horse shows. Image Credit: Shutterstock
    8 of 9
    Diriyah 8-1655462177816
    Saudi tour guide Nada Alfuraih walks inside an 18th-century palace. Elsewhere in Diriyah, venues have already hosted Pitbull and the Swedish House Mafia concerts and the 2019 “Clash on the Dunes” heavyweight boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz. Developers have been mindful not to turn Diriyah into “a theme park”, Inzerillo said, though he added that, in his view, heritage and entertainment are “highly compatible”.“Diriyah 300 years ago had music. It had the best musicians in the area. It had art, it had painters... What happens is that if a society is going to be fulfilled and happy, it has to be entertained,” he said. “There’s not a vulgarity to entertaining.” Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 9
    Diriyah 9-1655462207134
    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. Image Credit: Shutterstock

    Trending

    • Pictures: Pakistan Mango Festival brings joy in Dubai

      Pictures: Pakistan Mango Festival brings joy in Dubai


    • Muslim pilgrims arrive in Jeddah for Hajj

      Muslim pilgrims arrive in Jeddah for Hajj


    • Photos: Lie-flat economy class pods are coming soon

      Photos: Lie-flat economy class pods are coming soon


    • 10 affordable holiday destinations for Eid Al Adha

      10 affordable holiday destinations for Eid Al Adha


    • Flying out? Here are fares for popular holiday spots

      Flying out? Here are fares for popular holiday spots


    • Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque among world's top attractions

      Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque among world's top attractions

    Latest In

    • Dubai campaign invites people to enjoy an epic summer

      1 hour ago

    • India in charge at Edgbaston despite Bairstow ton

      1 hour ago

    • Sainz claims maiden F1 win in epic British GP


    • Britain’s Norrie reaches Wimbledon quarters


    • New DP World Tour Rankings revealed


    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Friday
    • Watch Time
    • getthat
    • Jobs
    • Commercial Printing
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or