We lived in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia from September 1979 to August 1981 We explored Riyadh city, went inside a royal guest house and had a day at the camel races. We looked around nearby old Al Diriyah and other sites in Wadi Hanifah and around. To see our travels around the rest of Saudi Arabia, and visits to nearby middle eastern countries, and our drive back to London through the middle east, see the link to our other travels at the bottom of this page. Around Riyadh City The Clock Tower and Grand Mosque in the centre of downtown Riyadh, February 1981. Diera Square, the central square, in February 1981. Al Murabba ('the square') palace in central Riyadh, April 1980. Nura Palace, built in 1936 for a sister of King Abdulaziz, and the Water Tower, February 1981. Cows in the farm at King Khaled's palace. Camel's Eye Park, the first view of Riyadh city on the ancient trail from Kuwait. Shopping in the gold souk, August 1981. In a shop on Seiko Street. Waiting patiently at the traffic lights....! Night view of Riyadh, south from the Military Hospital near the old airport, January 1981. Aerial view of Riyadh, March 1981. For even more pictures of Riyadh city, just click the palace .... Inside the new Royal Guest House We had an 'unofficial' tour in November 1980 round the new Royal Guest House (Qasr al Diafah) in Nasriyah just before it opened. View of the Conference Room from the king's chair. In the king's bedroom in the Royal Guest House in Nasriyah. The main entrance .... .... and the grand staircase in the royal guest house. A day at the Camel Races In March 1980 we went for a day at the camel races. There were lots of spectators waiting for the events to start. They're off! The camel race in progress. Al Diriyah old city Al Diriyah, the tumble-down old mud-brick city in Wadi Hanifah north-west of Riyadh, in February 1981. Now (2012) designated as an 'Archaeological City', archaeological investigations are planned before the site is turned into an 'open-air museum'. Al Diriyah in December 1980. 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. Al Diriyah in December 1980. A ruined house in Al Diriyah, December 1980. A little mosque in Al Diriyah, May 1980. For even more pictures of Al Diriyah, just click the mosque .... Around Wadi Hanifah and other places near Riyadh A house in need of repair in Wadi Hanifah, May 1980. Watchtower overlooking Mushayrifa Palm Grove north-west of Al Diriyah, February 1981. A well in Wadi Hanifah, May 1980. Old wells on Diriyah Road, April 1980. Farmstead near Al Quwayiyah, south-west of Riyadh, July 1981. A gateway in Salbukh village, north of Riyadh, March 1981. A shepherdess in Wadi Hanifah above Al Diriyah, December 1980. The Turkish fort at Al Kharj in November 1979. Robin Womble at the water hole in the deep cavern at Ain Heet, July 1980. At the top of the Camel Trail in October 1979. The new road up the escarpment near Riyadh, July 1981. For even more pictures of Wadi Hanifah and around, just click the palm tree .... Or if you would like to see more of our other travels just click the map.