Even more pictures of Al Diriyah from May 1980 to February 1981 Al Diriyah was first settled in 1446 CE and was the capital of the first Saudi state from the mid-18th century to 1818. In 1818 the Ottomans sent an Egyptian army who, after a six-month seige, captured the city and destroyed it. Ruins of Al Diriyah in December 1980. Possibly this was a former palace, in December 1980. A mud-brick wall in Al Diriyah in June 1980. A street in Al Diriyah in December 1980. A doorway in Al Diriyah in June 1980. Streets and houses in Al Diriyah in December 1980. A palace in Al Diriyah in December 1980. Another palace in January 1981. Al Diriyah from the south in January 1981. They asked to be photographed! Buildings in the wadi beneath Al Diriyah, December 1980. A little mosque in the wadi at Al Diriyah in December 1980. In Mushayrifa palm grove above Al Diriyah in December 1980. Behind the flood dam above Al Diriyah in December 1980. Al Diriyah from the east in February 1981. To return to the Riyadh page just click the water tower ....