Riyadh

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Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia,is a twentieth-century oasis in the desert: a triumph of sophisticated planning and construction. It is the proud site of some of the finest examples of modern architecture to be found anywhere in the world.Yet Riyadh - or ar-Riyath, 'the Gardens' - is also a city of history, reaching back many centuries, yet history whose drama abuts our own time. A mere three generations ago, most of Riyadh was still contained within its walls - a city half a kilometer across, a dense labyrinth of narrow streets and earth brick homes, palaces, mosques ... and Musmak fort.Riyadh's new status and looming wealth was to change all that. Ministries sprang up. The city's population exploded.The diplomats came in from Jiddah. Planning fought to keep pace with expansion, and prevailed. Today Riyadh is transformed into a metropolis that does justice to its role as capital, and to its Islamic Najdi setting.In this volume, specially commissioned photographs explore many aspects of life in the city - its heritage, government, arts, architecture, its dazzling airport, monuments, leisure, society and festivals. An introductory text describes the genesis and evolution of the city.