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Riyadh
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Riyadh The Kingdom Tower rises above the cityscape of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with its distinctive curved opening at the top, surrounded by modern buildings and busy streets. Mount Tuwayq Rolling red sand dunes with sparse green shrubs in the foreground and a flat-topped hill in the background, in the desert near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Kingdom Centre Map of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding region showing national boundaries, major cities, and elevation zones in varying shades of brown, yellow, and green. Countries labeled include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, and neighboring parts of Africa and Iran. Major bodies of water such as the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea are shown. Capital cities are marked with dots.
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The Kingdom Tower (centre background) in central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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The Kingdom Tower rises above the cityscape of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with its distinctive curved opening at the top, surrounded by modern buildings and busy streets.
Riyadh summary
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Riyadh
Riyadh

Riyadh

national capital, Saudi Arabia
Also known as: Al-Riyāḍ
Written by
Tschangho J. Kim
Endowed Professor of Urban and Regional Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Author of Integrated Urban Systems Modeling: Theory and Applications and others.
Tschangho J. Kim
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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•History

Riyadh, city and capital of Saudi Arabia and the hub of the country’s entrepreneurship and technological development. The city’s name is derived from the plural of the Arabic rawḍah, meaning gardens or meadows, so named for a natural fertility provided by its location at the juncture of Wadis Ḥanīfah and Al-Baṭḥāʾ. The spectacular sight of Riyadh from the air, illuminated in the evening by city lights, is reminiscent of its eponymous meadows; a bright sea...

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