Diriyah Old City

Diriyah
This ruined walled city, just west of Riyadh (11 mi/18 km), was the capital of the First Saudi Empire, the forerunner of modern Saudi Arabia. The First Empire collapsed in 1818 when the Ottoman Turks captured Dir’iyah and razed the city. The city remains pretty much as the Turks left it

only in 1981 did reconstruction begin. Ruins include the Palace of Salwa, the Palace of Fahd and the restored Mosque of Muhammed Bin Abdul Wahhab.