Timeline of Riyadh

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 20th century

• 1746 - Riyadh established by Dahham bin Dawwas.^[1]
• 1823 - Riyadh becomes capital of Emirate of Nejd.
• 1865 - Masmak fort built (approximate date).

20th century

• 1902 - Battle of Riyadh.
• 1910 - Population: 14,000.^[2]
• 1919 - Royal family relocates to Riyadh.^[1]
• 1929 - Muhammad bin Saad bin Zaid becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
• 1930 - Population: 27,000.^[2]
• 1932 - Riyadh becomes capital of Saudi Arabia.
• 1937
  • Murabba' Palace built.^[3]
  • Nasser bin Abdulaziz becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
• 1947
  • Shabab AlRiyadh football club formed.
  • Sultan bin Abdulaziz becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
• 1950
  • Saudi Library established.^[4]
  • City wall dismantled.^[5]
  • Population: 83,000.^[2]
• 1951 - Railway begins operating (to eastern coast).^[3]
• 1952 - Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
• 1953 - Airport opens.^[5]
• 1954 - Salman bin Abdul-Aziz becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
• 1955 - Al Nassr FC formed.
• 1957
  • Riyadh University opens.
  • Al-Tarbiyah Al-Namouthajiyah Schools established.
  • Olympic Club and Al-Hilal (basketball) club formed.
  • Turki bin Abdul-Aziz becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
  • Annasriyyah royal residential district built.^[3]
• 1961
  • Fawwaz bin Abdulaziz Al Saud becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
  • Institute of Public Administration established.
• 1963
  • Badr bin Saud bin Abdulaziz becomes governor of Riyadh Province, succeeded by Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
  • American International School established.
• 1965 - Al Riyadh newspaper begins publication.^[6]
• 1968
  • Population: 281,260.^[2]
  • Pakistan International School and Dar al-Kutub al-Watani'yah (library)^[7] established.
• 1970
  • Riyadh University for Women founded.
  • King Faisal Specialist Hospital cornerstone laid.
• 1972 - World Assembly of Muslim Youth founded.^[8]
• 1974 - Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University established.^[4]
• 1975
  • 25 March: King Faisal assassinated.
  • 18 June: Faisal bin Musaid beheaded at Dira Square.^[9]
• 1976
  • Population: 598,239.^[2]
  • City hosts Arab League summit.
• 1977 - Saudi Arabian National Center for Science & Technology established.
• 1978 - Riyadh TV Tower built.
• 1979 - British International School established.
• 1981 - King Fahd Road laid out.
• 1982
  • King Khalid International Airport opens.
  • Indian Embassy School founded.
• 1983 - King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies and Riyadh College of Technology established.
• 1985 - Tuwaiq Palace built.
• 1987
  • Rotana Group in business.
  • Population: 1,417,000.^[2]
  • King Fahd International Stadium built.
• 1990
  • King Fahd National Library,^[4] Bangladesh International School, English Section and Prince Salman Center for Disability Research founded.
  • Women protest driving ban.
• 1995 - Masmak fort museum opens.^[4]
• 1997
  • Population: 3,100,000.
  • Wadi Laban Bridge constructed.
• 1998 - New Middle East International School established.
• 1999
  • National Museum of Saudi Arabia,^[4] Prince Sultan Private College, and Royal Saudi Air Force Museum established.
  • King Abdulaziz Public Library opens.

21st century

2000s

• 2000 - Al Faisaliyah Center built.
• 2001
  • Al-Yamamah College established.
  • Wadi Hanifah bioremediation begins.^[10]
  • Population: 4,137,000.
• 2002
  • Al Mamlaka Tower built.^[3]
  • Sahara Plaza shopping mall built.
• 2003 - May: Bombings.
• 2004
  • Al Ekhbariya television begins broadcasting.
  • Delta International School founded.
• 2005
  • Burj Al Anoud built.
  • King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences established.
• 2006 - Riyadh International Book Fair begins.^[11][12]
• 2007 - Alfaisal University opens.
• 2009 - March: Sandstorm.^[13]

2010s

• 2010 - Population: 5,254,560.
• 2011
  • May: Sattam bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud becomes governor of Riyadh Province.
  • October: Funeral of Sultan bin Abdulaziz.^[14]
• 2012
  • Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al Mogbel becomes mayor.
  • November: Truck crash.
• 2013
  • Mohammed bin Nayef Centre opens.
  • Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia in business.^[15]

See also

• Riyadh history

Other cities in Saudi Arabia

• Timeline of Jeddah
• Timeline of Mecca
• Timeline of Medina

References

1. Saud Al-Oteibi; Allen G. Noble; Frank J. Costa (February 1993). "The Impact of Planning on Growth and Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1970-1990". GeoJournal 29.
2. Mohammed Al-Gabbani (August 1991). "Population Density Pattern and Change in the City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia". GeoJournal 24.
3. Yasser Elsheshtawy, ed. (2008), The Evolving Arab City, Routledge, ISBN 9780415411561
4. Ayman Shabana (2010), "Saudi Arabia: Libraries, Archives and Museums", in Marcia J. Bates, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, ISBN 9780849397127
5. Hans Karl Barth; Friedrich Quiel (July 1987). "Riyadh and its Development". GeoJournal 15.
6. William A. Rugh (2004). "Loyalist Press: Major Daily Newspapers". Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Greenwood. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
7. Robert Wedgeworth, ed. (1993). "Saudi Arabia". World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services (3rd ed.). American Library Association. ISBN 978-0-8389-0609-5.
8. John L. Esposito (2003). Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press.
9. "Faisal Slayer Beheaded", Milwaukee Sentinel, June 19, 1975, p3
10. "Wadi Hanifah". BBC News. May 26, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
11. "500 Publishing Companies Set to Take Part in Riyadh Book Fair". Arab News. Jeddah. January 11, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
12. "Saudi Jeans". March 9, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
13. "Powerful sandstorm hits Riyadh". BBC News. 10 March 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
14. "Saudi Arabia: Funeral held for Crown Prince Sultan". BBC News. October 25, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
15. "Lockheed Martin opens new HQs in Kingdom", Saudi Gazette, 3 February 2013

Further reading

Published in the 19th century

• William Gifford Palgrave (1868), "Ri'ad (etc.)", Personal narrative of a year's journey through central and eastern Arabia (1862-63), London: Macmillan
• George Ripley; Charles A. Dana, eds. (1879). "Riyad". American Cyclopaedia (2nd ed.). NY: Appleton.

Published in the 20th century

• H. St. J. B. Philby (1922), "The Wahhabi Capital", The heart of Arabia, London: Constable
• H. St. J. B. Philby (Spring 1959). "Riyadh: Ancient and Modern". Middle East Journal 13.
• Madge Pendleton (1984), "Riyadh", Green Book Guide for Living in Saudi Arabia (4th ed.), Washington DC: Middle East Editorial Associates, OL 8342230M
• William Facey. Riyadh: The Old City, London: Immel Publishing, 1992.
• "Riyadh", Arab Gulf States, Lonely Planet, 1993, OL 8314448M

External links

• "(Riyadh)". Qatar Digital Library. Qatar National Library.