Discover Riyadh

Riyadh is the quiet country capital and home of the Saud family. Once a dusty city surrounded by palm groves and fertile valleys, it was recaptured by King Abdul-Aziz in the year 1902, and soon bloomed into an ultra-industrialized metropolis. Riyadh is lined with beautiful shopping districts and lustrous offices and the two famous towers which serve as orientation points but Riyadh’s best sights are indoors: museums and shopping malls reign, restaurants are abundant and hotels in the city are some of the best throughout the country. In its’ own special way, Riyadh is the heart of the country, sticking as closely as possible to the laws and ideologies that birthed the country in the first place.

Head of Region:
Prince Faisal Bin Bandar

Riyadh population:
7.3 million. It is the largest city in Saudi Arabia

Inhabited Area:
1,550 sq. km – Largest urban center in Riyadh Province

Official Language:
Arabic. English is the second official language

REGIONS:

Western Hijaz region:
Al- Baha, Tabuk, Madinah, Makkah

Central Najd region:
Ha’il, Qassim, Riyadh

Northern region:
Northern Borders, Jawf

Southern region:
Jizan, Asir, Najran

Eastern region:
Al-Sharqiyah

Capital city:
Riyadh

Major Cities:
Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

National Day:
September 23rd

Eid Al Adha:
According to the Lunar Calendar

Eid Al Fitr:
According to the Lunar Calendar

Janadriyah National Festival:
Usually held around late February/early March

Jeddah Festival:
Held in the month of June

Riyadh Book Fair:
Held in March

Religion:
Islam

Dammam:
King Fahad International Airport

Jeddah:
King Abdulaziz International Aiport

Riyadh:
King Khalid International Airport

Madinah:
Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport

Al Hofuf, Al Ahsa:
Al Ahsa International Airport

Yanbu:
Prince Abdul Mohsin bin AbdulAziz Airport

MAJOR NEWSPAPERS:

Okaz, Al-Watan, Arab News, Saudi Gazette

Country Code:
+966

CITY CODES:

Riyadh:
011

Jeddah and Makkah:
012

Dammam, Dhahran, Al-Khobar and Jubail:
013

Madinah and Yanbu:
014

Abha and Najran:
017

Transportation:

Air:
Saudi Arabian Airlines – Nas Airlines

Land:
Bus – SAPTCO: National Bus Company offering transportation between most Saudi cities.

Inside the City:
Taxis, Creem, Uber and chauffeur companies.

Railroad:
Only one passenger train service between Riyadh and Dammam.

Telephone, Mobile and Internet:

STC: stc.com

Mobily: mobily.com

Zain: zain.com

Virgin: virginmobileme.com

To block commercial sms for STC users:
Call 8002444455 (toll-free, 24 hours, Sunday-Thursday)

Internet Service Providers:
Different internet service packages (DSL, Fiber Optics and Plug-n-Surf options, available from STC, Mobily and Zain.

Station

Rotana

Quran

Jeddah Radio

AFN

Panorama

MBC FM

MBC FM

MBC FM

Mix FM

Alif Alif

FM Channel

88.0

89.9

92.6

93.7

102.0

103.0

103.9

107.0

105.5

101.0

Type

Arabic Pop

Religious

National News

Western Music

Arabic Pop

Khaliji Music

Western Music

Techno Music

Western + Arabic

Arabic Mix