The city of Riyadh, the Kingdom's capital and a deep-rooted historic city, is today a major global civilization with its population, facilities, and advanced services, in addition to its political, economic, and cultural place; also Riyadh has played a prominent role in Najed history for more than three centuries. It was the second capital of Saudi Arabia during the era of Imam Turki bin Abdullah in 1240 Hijri (1824) and retained its glory after King Abdul Aziz regained it on the fifth of Shawwal, 1319 Hijri (January 15, 1902) where modern history and contemporary civilization started taking place.

Riyadh is the plural of "rawdah" and means "land" derived from the nature of the low position of the place where the floods water gathers, thus green lands arise full of roses smell, hence the name of the capital city of Riyadh, which is built on the ruins of the Hajar Yamama historical city, dating back to the era of tribes Tassam and Gadis, who built there forts and castles; it is said that its ruins were first noticed in the beginning of fourth Hijri century, then Bani Hanifa tribes settled in the place, and spread in the valley and the city prospered in Al Jahileya era where it became a market place for the Arabs who seek it for buying and selling, and for poetry and literature. Yaqout Hamwi in his book "The Countries' Glossary" says that the name Hajar goes back to Obaid El Hanafi who built thirty castles and thirty gardens from stones, and it was called before El Yamama.

With the emergence of Islam in the Hijaz region and its spread in the Arabian Peninsula, tribes from Yamama came to the Prophet (may God bless Him and grant Him salvation) asking Him to join Islam, thus Bani Hanifa joined Islam; but after the death of the Prophet they turned against Islam together with the many Arabian tribes, so Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may God bless him) fought them till they conceded and returned back to Islam and held fast to it. The city of Hajar in the time of Al Rashida succession, was a leader of the Yamama territory, and with the move of the Islamic Caliphate outside the Arabian Peninsula and the emergence of rich Islamic regions, less attention and care were given to Yamama and its cities and villages, thus disturbance occurred and swindlers and ignorant peopled appeared, affecting its stability, growth, and development.

With the modern era in the eighteenth century AD, the city of Riyadh has emerged on the remains of Hajar ruins and the surrounding villages, lands and orchards.

And near to the city of Riyadh was Al Dir'iya city which prince Mohammed bin Saud stood with Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab call to return back to Islam Quran, and rejected heresies and fables widespread that time, so Al Dir'iya arose and people headed to it from every direction. Enmity and war started between Al Dir'iya and Riyadh for a period of twenty-eight years, until Riyadh and its prince yielded to the call to Islam and joined Al Dir'iya, the first capital of the Saudi state, which extended its influence and power to most of the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Iraq and the Levant.

In 1233 Hijri Al Dir'iya was completely destroyed, and the first Saudi state was struck down by Ibrahim Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha the governor of Egypt. The Ottoman Empire was afraid of the Arab invitation to revolution in Najad, so a military crash occurred between the Ottoman of military superiority and the State of Saudi Arabia, so the Hijaz went under the Ottoman control, but the Ottoman Empire was not able stay long in Najad because of the continued attacks against its troops and was obliged to withdraw, and Al Saud regained power in (1240 Hijri) by the Imam Turki bin Abdullah, who made Riyadh the capital of his state after the destruction and devastation of Al Dir'iya and built there the city mosque and the Emirate Palace and an fortified fence, and since then it remained the capital of the second Saudi State and then the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where security has been restored and the country prospered. Riyadh has its major influence on social, political and economic levels in the present era.

Al Riyadh occupies a location derived from the geographical location of the Kingdom at the center of the world's continents. It's located at the center of the kingdom at latitude (38.24) degrees north and longitude (43.46) degrees east, and rises about 600 meters above sea level. Riyadh is located precisely at the center of the Arabian Peninsula, on a sedimentary plateau which reaches up to about 600 meters above sea level in the eastern part of Najad plateau. The most important elevation features of the city are mainly present in the valleys of Wadi Hanifa which runs through the city from the north-west to south-east with a total length of about 120 km and reaches a depth of between less than 10 meters to more than 100 meters and a width which varies between less than 100 m to approximately 1000 meters. A number of tributary streams meet at the Hanifa Valley; the most notable is the Bathaa Valley which contains the oldest most famous commercial street in the capital. The length of this valley is about 25 km and starts from the north of the city heading south, to meet Hanifah Valley, Wadi Laban Valley, and Al Yasen Valley which is about 35 km long and runs parallel to Batha Valley to meet Hanifa Valley on the west and south-west. The fact that Al Riyadh is near to a number of valleys that receive floods and rain water has given it a soil rich with groundwaters to live up to its name. Alhammazani described it in his book (as the Arabian Island), as the Green of Hajar, which was the capital of the Al Yamamah, which was often mentioned and noticed in the narrations and poetry of the ancients.

In half a century Riyadh developed from a small town surrounded by walls to a modern city. The area of its cultural range including its first and second phases is (1782) square kilometers, which exceeds the area of many countries, with an area three times the size of Bahrain or Singapore, for example. The first phase covers the current boundaries of the city (about 632 square kilometers), while the second phase covers the remaining area (1150 square kilometers), and the currently developed area reaches approximately 950 square kilometers which reflects the considerable expansion the city is witnessing after it stretched outside its walls, to become part of the three largest urban areas in the Kingdom together with the urban areas of Mecca and Jeddah, in the Mecca region, urban cities of (Al-Ahsa - Dhahran and Al Khobar -) and Dammam in the eastern region.

Al Riyadh city has a continental climate, where the weather is warm and dry in the long summer months, moderate during the day and cold at night in the short winter season, while the rains are rare and falls down on in different scattered parts of Riyadh and is often accompanied by winds and storms, and April is considered the most rainy month of the year.

Riyadh is located in an area far from the sea free from any lakes or rivers, on Al Safraa Plateau of Najad region which extends westward towards the mountains series (Towaik), and east to Al Dahnaa desert, and of the distinctive features of the city of Riyadh:

       -Al Bathaa Valley
       -Hanifa Valley
       -The small hills group in the east
       -Al Yasen Valley

The population of the city of Riyadh was growing at a very high level since 1388 Hijri, where the annual rate exceeded (9%) and in that year they were about 300 thousand inhabitants, and currently reached more than 4,000,000 people (four million). This number is expected to reach up to (6) million in 1427 Hijri (2006), hence the city of Riyadh is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and the city's population consists of Saudi families of about 65% and other non-Saudi and imported laborers by 35%. The city of Al Riyadh consists of (150) districts divided in accordance to two elements: the area and the intensive usage of lands, and these districts belong to (15) fifteen sub-municipality, covering the cultural range of the city of Riyadh, and all follow the secretariat of the city of Riyadh.

The large cultural development, the new road networks, the intensive and secure communication networks, in addition to the modern air transportation means all resulted in a rapid dynamic movement between the city of Riyadh and other Saudi cities, and with the Arabian Gulf region and the world, thus contributing directly to the increase in the growth of the city in a rapid and balanced manner. And on the other side the development in Al Riyadh has worked to attract people to it from home and abroad, which helped to accelerate its development.

The city of Riyadh has a modern network of internal roads and streets, and is linked to different regions of the Kingdom through a good network of land roads, and a railway line that links it to the eastern region, also its international airport provides the opportunity to connect it to the main cities in the Kingdom and in all regions of the world - and the internal roads in the city had been provided with intersections, bridges, tunnels, lighting, and safety factors. The main roads in Al Riyadh include:

       -The main entrances of the city
       -Al Riyadh round road
       -The many main centers in the city

The King Khalid International Airport which was opened by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz in 1404 Hijri / 1983 with its wideness, potentials, facilities, aerial activity, and accessories is considered an independent city. The airport is located about (35) kilometers north of the city and extends over an area of (225) square kilometers, and it is attached to a residential city which accommodates more than two thousand of the airport staff and their families.

The airport is equipped to serve (18) million passengers annually, and it has been taken into account in its design the values and features of the Arab and Islamic heritage, and the airport mosque has a distinctive position directly connected to the halls expressing its importance and great value, and there is the airport hotel which includes two hundred and fifty rooms.

The city of Riyadh is the headquarter of the administrative region of the Riyadh Emirate, the second largest of the thirteen regions of the Kingdom in terms of area, which is headed by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz who is on head of the supreme body for the development of the city of Riyadh that is responsible for development projects of the city; while the secretariat of the city of Riyadh, a subsidiary of the Riyadh region, the administration of the city affairs and its cultural region. The current secretary of Riyadh is Abdul Aziz Bin Ayaf Al-Muqrin. Fifteen sub-municipalities belong to Al Riyadh, each divided into districts. Those sub-municipalities are:

    - Bathaa municipality: contains Al Deera District, is the original site of the old city of Riyadh, where there is also the site of the historic town of Manfouha. It is the largest municipality in terms of population

    - Al Aziziya municipality: located south of the city.

    - Al Haer municipality: an old city inhabited by Al Izza tribe from Subaie, but the cultural expansion of Al Riyadh covered it and is now a city within a city. Haer and is located 15 km south of Riyadh.

    - Al Rawda municipality: in the east of Riyadh.

    - Al Sila municipality: located around Al Sila Valley in the south east of Riyadh.

    - Al Shiffa municipality: is a South Western suburb of the city, and it includes the old factory district.

    - Al Shamal municipality: includes the northern districts of the city.

    - Al Shmaissy municipality: located directly to the west of Bathaa and Al Deera.

    - Araka municipality: includes the old Araka village west of Al Riyadh.

    - Al Ouraijaa municipality: it occupies the south western part of the city.

    - Al Alya municipality: is the modern commercial heart of the city.

    - Al Mouazar municipality: in the north of Riyadh.

    - Al Malz municipality: in the center of Riyadh.

    - Al Nasseem municipality: in the east of Riyadh.

    - Nammar municipality: is a suburb located to the south western part of the city.