At-Turaif District

At-Turaif stands on a rocky spur above Wadi Hanifa in Diriyah, on the north-western edge of Riyadh. It was the seat of the Al Saud family and capital of the First Saudi State, which grew from Diriyah in the 18th century and controlled much of the Arabian Peninsula.

Diriyah was founded in the 15th century. In 1744 an alliance between Imam Muhammad bin Saud and the religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab began the expansion of the state. In 1818 an Ottoman-Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pasha besieged and destroyed Diriyah, and the capital later moved to Riyadh. UNESCO listed At-Turaif as a World Heritage Site in 2010 as an outstanding example of Najdi mud-brick architecture.

The district is built of sun-dried mud brick on stone foundations, with thick walls, triangular openings and decorative parapets. The largest building is Salwa Palace, the seat of the rulers, which holds galleries on the history of the Saudi state. Other restored buildings include the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Mosque, the Saad bin Saud Palace, the old public bath, and guesthouses, with a defensive wall and watchtowers around them. Several buildings now house museums on Arabian horses, daily life and military history.

Across the wadi lies the Bujairi Terrace, a dining and walking area with views over the ruins, popular in the evenings.

Entry is by timed ticket sold at tickets.diriyah.sa, with guided tours available. Diriyah Company sets the Diriyah Pass at SAR 100, and the amount can be spent at any restaurant in At-Turaif or Bujairi Terrace; check the ticket site for current rates before you go. The site is mostly outdoors, so the cooler months from October to March are best, and evening visits avoid the heat.

Diriyah served as the first Saudi capital from 1727 until the Ottoman conquest. After 1818 the ruins lay deserted until 2000, when the Ad-Diriyah Development Authority began a restoration programme. In December 2018 a project started to document the archaeological remains and turn the district into an open-air museum under Saudi Vision 2030, and the At-Turaif Living Museum won the Social, Cultural and Heritage Project of the Year national award at the 2020 MEED Project Awards. UNESCO inscribed the site on 31 July 2010.