RIYADH

Arabic Ar-riyad, city and capital of Saudi Arabia, in Najd region of the central Arabian Peninsula. It is situated on a high plateau in the midst of Wadi Hanifah, Wadi Aysan, and Wadi al-Batha'. Riyadh was chosen as the capital of the Sa'ud dynasty in 1824, and it remained the centre of Sa'ud rule until 1881, when the Rashid family of Ha'il extended its influence over Najd. In 1902, however, Ibn Sa'ud regained control for his family and used the city as the centre for his conquest of Arabia, which he completed by 1930, with the assimilation of 'Asir. When the unified Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed in 1932, Riyadh was designated as the capital. Discovery of immense petroleum deposits in the kingdom starting in the 1930s and the resulting wealth that they generated transformed the old provincial town into a showplace of modern technology. Modern buildings, paved highways, new hotels, hospitals, and schools became commonplace in what had been a small oasis of mud-brick dwellings. The population, once exclusively Najdi, is now much more cosmopolitan. In addition to its administrative role, Riyadh is the kingdom's commerce, education, and transportation hub. Industries include an oil refinery. The city is served by a modern airport and by railroad and highway links to the coast. Riyadh University, the former King Sa'ud I University, was founded in 1957. The city is also home to the Islamic University of Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud (1974). Pop. (1981 est.) 1,308,000.